I'm not sure of the frame size how do you determine the size?

Sometime in the early 50s, Raleigh changed Rudge rims from Westrick to Endrick. My 55 had Endricks. My 51 has Westricks. Raleigh had an unusual method of lacing wheels and both of these wheels are laced Raleigh style so I don't think either rim was replaced by an owner. DynoHubs usually have a date stamped on the back side. It would be interesting if it also has a 53 date. Things were pretty tight in those early post war years in England. Might be possible it had two different rims from the factory, but I'm going to guess the rear wheel is original and the front was replaced at some point.

I did notice the wires and hub were on the opposite side of the wheel then on the rudge pics you posted.

From center of BB to top of seat tube. The head tube space looks smaller then a 23” would have.

Unlike a regular Raleigh front wheel, the Dyno hub has lock nuts on the axle so the wheel can be mounted either way. At least my 1951 does. Not sure about later DynoHubs. This is the only one I've ever had. Mine had the alternator on the right when I got it so I left it that way. It can be on either side. On a regular Raleigh front hub there are no lock nuts so the wheel can only be mounted with the adjustable cone on the left. What I was referring to was the spoke pattern. For some reason Raleigh never laced spokes "under" at the last cross. The front wheel is 32 spoke 3 cross (over over over) The rear is 40 spoke 4 cross. All crossed over. It's a way of telling if a wheel is original from the factory. I really like this bike. Nice find.

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b2bb35090c.jpg
Making some progress on that 53 rudge.... Just waiting on new brake cables to come. Anyone know where i can get a diagram for the speed shifter trigger and hub assembly? Thanks.

Very nice work. Are you looking for the hub internal diagrams or just the setup of the shifter down to the indicator chain on the hub? There's videos that are more helpful if it's the latter.

Looking for both if possible. I got a rebuild kit on eBay with all the replacement parts just no information or diagram on how to assemble. The only thing I'm still missing is the rear tail light lenses for the rear light and I'll be complete.

Better updated pic of the rudge....
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5de608003a.jpg

This is the bible for hubs.
And gears and all of it.

Thanks brother.

Thanks everyone for all your help and information on the Rudge I brought back to life. She's almost ready to roll around the neighborhood just waiting on the brake cables and shifter cable.

Figured I would throw in a little before and after pic. Still can't believe she's a 1953 and in such great condition when I found her.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a87626b4a.jpeg

BigChief, what would you suggest for preserving the finish, intending to end up with a classy patina? My '52 Rudge is much more of a clubman (it's a Model 27, a 27x1 ¼ clone of the Super Lenton, which is Model 127), and it has a very "outgoing" paint scheme. Also, mine has some surface rust. I hope not to repaint it, I really like the original finish and figuring.

There's so many different opinions when it comes to the preservation /restoration /modification aspect of these hobbies and every project has it's own challenges. My preference is to preserve original finishes. Many times, these old enamel finishes will only have a thin layer of oxidation and some compounding and polishing will bring back more shine and clarity of the transfers than you would think. Sometimes people add a coat of clear polyurethane, but I've always felt that the high gloss of the poly looked incongruous with the worn original finish. I use liquid car wax and have found that it does a good job of protecting the finish and chrome. I would just clean, polish and wax, but that's just me. My goal of finding a 50s Rudge club bike still hasn't come true. You never know...there may still be a Pathfinder sitting in a barn somewhere yet to be discovered.

I left the original finish on mine, little simple green and a dofttsoft got all the road grime and grease off after 4 or 5 times it definitely took a few applications but eventually got it down to it's original paint without harming the decals or emblems. I used a few coats of polish and wax to preserve the paint and give it a nice shine.

One reason I asked is that once I took on sprucing up a 1954 Schwinn roadster with a great decorated livery. Simple and seemingly gentle sponge washing with a gentle liquid dish soap resulted in significant damage to the white paint ornaments, feathered logo frames on the downtube. This was very disappointing. What is softer than a soft sponge?

Great save and inspirational rescue. I rescued a bare Rudge Sports frame from becoming scrap metal and have been accumulating the missing parts. Decals pretty much faded away and the paint is in great shape, they did quality painting in these bikes in 1951. Now just need some warm spring weather for working outside on it.

Hope you've been having some great rides on that machine since the last posts.

Rudge
 

Thanks brother it's been collecting dust here on long island but will be coming out soon as spring comes!