Salubrious

The wheel bearings are not the problem. They are in good nick, no slop and turn quite freely. The problem is not that the wheel freezes up, it is that the gyroscopic action of the wheel spinning gets difficult to overcome at a certain speed.

Sixty Fiver

Not a three speed but English... and who is to say it won't get tripleized.

tjkwood

Wish I could find something this beautiful back here in the UK.... beyond jealous, great catch!

clubman 

That was my first geared road bike...a 71 Glider with Huret Allvit, yes? It was stolen after a month and with the insurance, I got an Orbea with Zeus Alpha components. It all started right there. Mine was a nice steel blue.

Sixty Fiver

I would bet that the damaged decal at the top of the seat tube said "Glider"... all that is left is the "G".

I was guessing it was a very early 70's model by virtue of the Huret parts, I just swapped the Allvit for an NOS Svelto which greatly improved the shifting and was ever so thankful I have a supply of Huret shifter cables although I do have the Svelto's shifters with cables attached and the matching front derailleur which is so much better.

The bars came from my 1950 Raleigh and match up really nicely with the brown John Bull grips and correct the short reach the stock bars provided and the Phillip's bars went on the 1950... and look better on the smaller bicycle which is blue and white.

I left the long levers because it is a taller frame and this will make finding them easier.

All this derailleur nonsense could be solved if I built up some nice wheels with a 3 speed or perhaps a 5 speed to give it a better range.

I was all of 6 years old when this bike was new...

sykerocker 

I finally got the bike I've wanted for the past 45 years, since the days of working at AR Adams Cycle - a '73 Raleigh Tourist (AW hub is stamped 11 72):



Found it in rather good condition, and it was pretty much just a matter of tearing it down and cleaning everything.



I'd forgotten what they're like to ride, quite a bit different from anything designed and built in the last 40 years. It's the 24" frame which is a bit of a stretch for me. I barely clear the top bar while straddling with my heels on the pavement, however finding a 22" frame wouldn't be the easiest because these bikes primarily sold to tall customers, and anyone who could fit a 22" more likely went for a 23-1/2" Sports.

Merle Adams, my boss and owner, really loved these bikes and attempted to push them heavily back during the Bike Boom, trying to ignore the main for, as he called them, "those idiotic ten speeds." It was fun working on this, as I haven't touched a rod brake bike since about 1972 or 73. However, some of the old techniques came back into memory fairly quickly. I have got to find better brake pads before the bike kills me, but otherwise I'm looking forward to using it on Saturday evenings on Maggie and my rides thru Ashland, VA.

auchencrow

Congratulations, Syke, on your new addition. Those Tourists are just solid classiness!
Such a fine example too.

duffer1960

Have you ever piloted a motorcycle? Countersteer to get the bike into a lean, before you reach the beginning of the curve. And do it carefully and deliberately when at high speed, don't want to slide out with an unduly abrupt maneuver. Same with a bicycle, but the action and sensation are much more pronounced on a motorcycle at speed.

Have also read that applying the front brake when deep in a lean will result in the wheel turning sidewise & almost surely you'll crash. I didn't know this explicitly, but I think it was instinctive -- at least, made it through a turn that I misjudged by just leaning the bike farther, kept my hand off the brake.

stove panini

It seems they're sold out right now, but I got em from Niagara Cycle (https://www.niagaracycle.com/categori...50a-26-x-1-3-8)

conradpdx

Kool stop makes replacements pads for rod brake bikes. Black to keep it traditional looking, pink for better stopping power. Harris carries them but I think I've seen them cheaper in store somewhere round here, I'm going on a hunt this week end for my rebuild.

Salubrious

Yes, I have too many motorbikes

In both cases the event occurred when I was going straight and brakes were not applied.

markk900

No such thing! But to your question I have not ever experienced that (and hope not to).
@sykerocker: lovely bike - congrats on completing you quest.....

sykerocker 

Of course, now I need to find a ladies frame for Maggie. We'd love to have a matched set.

JBC353

Sykerocker, congrats on getting that Tourist. Riding my wife's '75 convinced me I needed one for myself so now I am in the middle of fixing up a 24" '69.

Now that she has the Tourist her Schwinn Suburban just gathers dust. She finds the Tourist faster and way more comfortable. I put the orange Koolstops on it and braking now seems adequate, where before it was frightening. Here it is before the Koolstops and obligatory "Midwife" headlight.

HSean

I've been inactive for a while but im around now and Have some great raleighs that you all may love! I even still have that really old one. I forget what ones I posted here but. heres current collection.

Gotta love these old raleighs!!

Brown 1972 Raleigh superbe. Never seen a brown one till I got it. this is the cleaned up.repaired picture. It was in very bad condition when i got it with alot of wrong parts.


40's maybe 50's Raleigh sports with 70's wheels.


Twin top tube Raleigh fireball mess. its a mess but worth reviving.


Girls Sports that lost it's fenders to the Superbe.


Gold Raleigh sports.


Raleigh lenton sports converted to a 3 speed. I still have all the road bike stuff kept for it.

wahoonc

Which frame size does Maggie need? And while I am at it I will keep an eye out for a 22" for you. I ride the 24" with no problems. My current DL-1 is a 1981, but I am back dating some parts on it to make it look older.

Aaron

sykerocker 

I only remember the ladies frames coming in one size. If I'm wrong, she fits a 21-1/2 men's on a regular 3-speed. I'm not having any problems with the 24" myself, as I can clear the top bar on a fast get-off. Besides, back in the day, I was riding a 25-1/2" Sprite 10. Our shipments of 23-1/2" bikes was constantly pre-sold.


Regarding the back-dating: When did things change on those bikes? Other than the chain guard, and date stampings on the hub, what else changed? For that matter, when were the first ones made?

wahoonc

All I can find is that the step through frame came in 22".

Things that changed: triggers went from silver to black plastic, the brakes got the CSPC treatment, where the right brake controls the rear wheel (that one is hard to reverse, have to chase extra parts) Head light bracket is not the Heron one, and they mounted the reflector on it, the rear fender reflector went away to be replaced by a seat stay reflector. Most of these changes happened post 1978 from what I can tell. Also the quality of the wheel hub cones, chrome, and internal hub parts post 1960, but that was all Raleighs not just the DL-1.

It was first produced in 1913 under a government contract and continued until 1985. It was also produced under license in factories all over the world. Some under the Raleigh brand as well as under other names. Apparently it is still be produced in Denmark under license by Raleigh DK. It supposedly was the single most produced model of bicycle in the world.

I love mine, I have a chain case that I plan to get on there one of these days. I would love to switch the brakes back over but that may never happen. I also have an FG hub that I am considering converting to 5 speed

FWIW the 1970's are my favorite years of Raleigh bikes. I have Twentys, a Superbe, Sports Standard and a couple of Colts all from that decade.


Aaron

JBC353

From the brochures I have seen the ladies only came in a 22" frame. My wife is 5' 5" and rides with a couple of inches of seatpost showing.

There were minor changes over the years. Reflector sizes and locations dictated by regs, rear fender paint, eyelets, fender stay mountings, brake pad mounting, shifter styles, grips, rims, cog sizes, chainwheels, etc. One could become a Tourist anorak if inclined.

I use searchtempest.com for searching craigslist. Looks like there are some out there but not local.

Sixty Fiver

I picked up some decent alloy 27's yesterday... basic 80's Suzue high flange hubs laced to Araya rims and spun up a 6 speed HG freewheel... the Svelto will not handle a 28 tooth cog so that is locked out and it is still a 5 speed in the rear.

Fit up was good and like all these old Raleighs I had to open up the front dropouts just a little (frame was built with 100mm spacing) to accept the modern axle... knocking weight off the wheels is always good but it really improved the braking and expect that it will be able to stop in the wet.

I will probably put an SA 5 speed hub on my next parts order.

erileykc

I envy you the brass Raleigh Heron emblem on the head tube. By 1980 when I bought my Tourist they had sunk to a decal there.

PalmettoUpstate 

RE: SADDLE BAGS / [h=1]Banjo Brothers Minnehaha Canvas Bicycle Barrel Bag[/h]
Also consider this bag, Niagara and others carry it, and you can outfit two bikes for what you'd spend on the other bags you mention. [not that they aren't excellent] You can see a full set of pics at SirMike's blog here: https://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2013/...d-model-g.html

Sixty Fiver

It is a nice day for some three speed love... heading out for a holiday pootle after swapping the 1950's Special bars to the '54 Raleigh and the Raleigh's 1970s GB bars to the 1970's Phillips.

It worked out very well methinks.

PalmettoUpstate 

Here's the link: https://www.raleighbikes.dk/tourist/

sykerocker 

Thank you. Quite fascinating. Not being able to read the language, I assume they've gone to coaster brake on the bike, as I'm not seeing any rod or cable setups? Also noticed the alloy cotterless crank. Love that chain guard, so glad they've come back into style.

Finally got the Tourist out yesterday evening for our weekend Ashland ride (it rained on Saturday for the third Saturday in a row, and we were getting downright desperate). Absolutely lovely bike for around town, although still geared a bit higher than I'd like with a 19t rear sprocket. May end up looking for a 23 yet. Next project is to get Maggie on a 3-speed, as she's not really taking to derailleurs all that well (right now she's riding my Montague folder). Probably going to put her on the Ranger (Philips) this coming Saturday night. Somehow I have a feeling she's going to be a lot more comfortable with an IGH bike for the kind of riding we do.

Also, need to find a B-72 or 66. That Rampar padded saddle is OK, but not what I remember a good Brooks to be.