jhey42.1

I found this at a Raleigh dealer that has been in business since 1896 (yes that's 1896) you would be shocked by some of the gems that roll into that place. Anyway the rear hub says it is a 1969. I know that the All-Gold Editions were made from '68 to '71(?) So the year is right. The 1969 Raleigh Catalog makes no mention of the All-Gold Edition. I am in love with this bike and want to know more information about it. ie: Apart from the color why were they produced? Why are they not in the catalogs? Does this bike have all of it's original bits? I know the seat is new, but it is a Brooks Leather Saddle, Tires are new as well. Please any help would be appreciated. The only help I have been getting from other sources is how much I want to sell it for. It is not for sale, but since everything has a price I will put $750.00 on it, that should scare anybody away. Anyway here are some pics and a link.



https://velospace.org/node/25694

jhey42.1

Here are the pics of the 1969 Raleigh Sports 3 Speed All-Gold Edition. Please let me know what sort of animal this is.

buck mulligan

I just happen to have the same questions - I picked one of these up a few days ago, and although I've done a bunch of research I would still like to know a lot more about this bike.

buck mulligan

Okay, here's what I read over at The Headbadge: "Spartan men's and ladies' models were available these years [i.e., 1962-1972] under the models S22 and S22L, respectively. These models featured mattress saddles vs. the Brooks B72 saddle of the deluxe model, a smaller saddlebag, economy tires (what these were, I would not know - the deluxe model came with Dunlops, according to Raleigh catalogues) and different rims, namely, box-section Endricks vs. the drop-center Westricks. Information on these models is sparse, and their variants are not well known. By 1968, both ladies' and gent's S22 models aquired [sic] unique gold paint jobs which lasted until the deletion of the S22 model in 1972. Keep in mind that it is not unusual to see a 1973 S22, even though the model was officially removed from the lineup in 1972. Surplus stock of S22 parts resulted in an overlap of the gold frames into the 1973 model year. Whether these were sold as S22's or DL22's is unknown."

jhey42.1

Here is what I found out from the local Raleigh Dealer, (they have been a Raleigh Dealer for 103 years so I sort of trust them) I was told that the "All-Gold Editions" were in production from '68-'72, apart from having more "economy" parts, namely rims, tires, saddle and shifter, they also were "leftover" frames that had the weird bottom bracket threading (I think 24tpi but can't be sure) They were painted gold so that mechanics would use older (from the 50's) bottom brackets and headset parts when replacing them. I don't know how accurate this is, but makes sense. Still it is a really cool old bike that shares parts with the older Raleighs. Just be careful when replacing a bottom bracket or headset.

buck mulligan

That all makes perfect sense. It would be very interesting if you are right and the BB is 24tpi - the 26 tpi Raleigh "standard" complicates a lot of potential upgrades. I sort of figure that, since Raleigh used this bike as an opportunity to sell unusual parts, I have no special obligation to keep parts original. I'm thinking alloy handlebars first, followed some day by a set of Sun CR-18's and some spiffy tires. Oh, and a seat, and pedals.

Do you - or does your Raleigh dealer - know anything about the serial numbers for these bikes? My serial number doesn't conform with any Raleigh serial number convention I can find (except for some very old ones). It's a 7-digit, numeral-only number with the first three digits "368," leading me to think that this is a '68 frame. But then again, if Raleigh was using up non-standard frames, then maybe the serial numbers are random.

Mos6502

Well that certainly goes a long way to explain those chain guards.

juls

Was it a twist shifter then? Can't make out a trigger on either one of bikes pictured. Beautiful color!

jhey42.1

3 speed twist shifters were the "grandfathers" of today's "Grip-Shift" they were found on the department store brands of the day. My mom had a Sears bike that had one. The one on this gold bike works fine, but they have a pretty bad reputation. BTW if you are interested in a gold one that same Raleigh dealer just got two more. A mans and ladies, they are "later" versions and have the standard chain guard and different decals. Give Josh a call 336-263-3509 he is the one in charge of restoring these two bikes. (and all the other ones) He is picking parts off the huge pile of vintage Raleigh's Elgins, and Humber's that are awaiting their fate in the back gargage of this shop. I don't know if I can mention the name of the shop here but you can contact me privately if you want. They have been there for 103 years, you can believe they have vintage parts. I just picked up a '62 Raleigh Sports (complete but very rough) for 40 bucks, even had a Brooks..........

jhey42.1

Serial numbers on the gold frames are the same as from the older frames (50's makes sense) but since Raleigh never really kept any "real" records of the serial number lineage your guess is as good as mine.

buck mulligan

I loath the twist-grip shifter. My LBS hooked me up with an old trigger shifter, which I will be installing as I overhaul the bike. As a bonus, the shifter came attached to an old cable, and also tangled up with the cable is a shift cable pulley. I'm going to install the pulley and a new fulcrum sleeve on the top tube, and run the cable bare down the seat stay in the proper, traditional manner. I think it will look MUCH cooler.

I had hoped to try to sell the old twist-grip shifter on Ebay and maybe make a couple of bucks, but when I removed it I lost two small internal parts (a 3/16" ball, and a detent spring) so now it's pretty much worthless.

btreusdell

The threading has certainly been a problem for me. Someone (er, myself) wasn't aware of the difference between the all gold and the standard threading of its Raleigh contemporaries. My crank is now stripped and wonkie and I'll have to have it bored out and replaced with an insert.

btreusdell

Additionally, I'm not sure about the animosity toward the twist shift. I've always been a fan, if for no other reason than the novelty. I mean, the novelty is why I own the bike.

wmarkusen

I have a pair of the all gold Sports. A his and hers pair. Have had them for about four years - love them, especially when my wife and I ride them each year in our neighborhood 4th if july parade, but she doesn’t like them, and wants to seem them gone. I have too many bikes - she says. Anyway, would I be a fool to let these go? If no, what would be a fair price to ask for the pair. I do not want to sell them separately.

cb400bill

Sellling bikes as a pair is often harder than selling both individually. You have to find two people who both want that type of bike and happen to both be the correct size.

Redneckfurious

I have 69 gold edition Raleigh sport. I m try to sell it to get my money worth