Salubrious

^^ I know of several Humbers locally and not seen that. I have two and neither has the fork lock.

Darren69

Hi guys, new to the forums, here's my garage find, needs a good clean up, it's 1987 Raleigh from the serial number.

gster

Sturmey Archer Price List 1954

gster

As best as I can figure, 40 shillings and 9 pence works out to about $63.00 US today.

gster

From the Christmas Hate article.
I think this sums up how a lot of us felt back then.
If 3 speeds were OK then 10 speeds were better!

look566 rider

Tweed Ride 11-19-16 Columbus Ohio

https://www.facebook.com/search/top/...20tweed%20ride

About 10 miles. Was a good ride last year. Even had a Penny Farthing or two.

agmetal

I'm curious - has anyone else here had the chance to rideboth a DL-1, and an earlier roadster? My friend/coworker, inspired by how much I like my 1937 Tourist, picked up a 1980 step-through DL-1, primarily for his girlfriend (although he'll probably ride it a lot more than she will). He brought it to the shop yesterday, and we compared both bikes side-by-side, and took them both out for a short ride near the shop, switching bikes partway through. It was a really interesting experience, and left both of us somewhat confused as to how they could feel as different as they do, and I'd be interested to hear from other people if they've had similar experiences.

My friend's bike feels lighter and quicker than mine, but I didn't have the saddlebag particularly heavily loaded. The gearing is near identical, so that's not a factor. Also, the handling on the DL-1 felt somewhat more immediate, and the bike was more trackstand-able (which I haven't quite been able to nail on my own roadster yet, while it was quite easy on his bike). His brakes, unsurprisingly, are smoother and more responsive than mine, but there's a 43 year age gap between the bikes, and his looks practically brand new, while my wheels are a bit lumpy and it doesn't have a matched set of brake pads.

The only thing I can think of as a possible explanation for the difference in handling is that my bike's fork may have become increasingly raked over the years, but we didn't take any detailed measurements or anything.


Anyway, here are some pictures of the two bikes together:

thumpism

Swung by the co-op again this afternoon for a closer look at the European 3-speed I noticed there previously. After clambering over more junk than can be found in my own garage, I saw the headbadge and turns out it's a Condor, made in Switzerland by the same company that builds the Swiss army bikes. Photo below is not the same bicycle but looks very close, and those of you with Puch/A-D mixtes will probably recognize the bend of the handlebars, missing on the bike I found. Darn.



COOP Condor2.JPG

While there I also got a pic of a very crusty ladies' Raleigh Sports frame missing its wheels, rear fender and seat. Looks like it spent some time underwater.

COOP crusty Sports.JPG

And I also got a pic of a somewhat sad-looking men's DL1 frame missing wheels, some brake parts, seat and post, and the bolt-on seat stays peculiar to these bikes.

COOP DL1.JPG

BigChief 

Bicycles are a bit like musical instruments in that your contact with them is very close and personal. Even the smallest detail feels huge.

agmetal

So true. At one point, I had two similar Charvel guitars with what should have been pretty much identical neck profiles, and they felt decidedly different

BigChief 

Years ago, I would just clean and reuse ball bearings in my 3 speeds. They looked fine, but I've found that even the slightest bit of roughness makes a difference in the "feel" of the bike. These days, when I do a new project I replace every bearing, and races if they're worn plus, add a brand new chain. Even though this isn't a practical necessity, It can make an old 3 speed feel smooth like a new bike. Totally different from guitar strings. They sound too bright and buzzy when they're new. Then, they go through a period of perfection just before the intonation goes sour and you have to replace them again.

tmac100

I agree.

However, I wonder if the last 2 sentences give just another reason why some folks keep getting married several times

BigChief 

I forgot one important thing. Besides the bearings, you could check the rear frame alignment. Roadsters are pretty rugged in this department, but the next time you have it apart, it might be good to check. My roadsters are both good, but I have had to adjust some of the Sports bikes I've had. I just use two 4" threaded rods with nuts and washers. I bolt them to the dropouts, in this case, rear forks and see how they line up. I also tie a string on one rod, around the steering tube and back to the other rod and measure the distance of the string to the seat tube.

agmetal

I don't think this would explain any of the differences I experienced between these two bikes, but thanks for the suggestion. If you're referring in part to my "trackstandable" comment - I can come close to it on my bike, but my friend's bike did it much more naturally, like I'm able to do with most other bikes. It actually has me wondering if the difference in handlebar width could have anything to do with it. I don't have any difficulty riding my bike no-hands, though.

BigChief 

Me either. Those frames are exceptionally strong. It is true though, that the tiny difference all new bearings and chain make, I feel a difference. Makes the bike feel smoother and faster to me. Also, I like the feel of the Continental tires I used on the '72 better than the usual roadster tires on my '73. I bought them because they claim to be puncture resistant. An important feature on a roadster! I think they ride smoother on pavement.

wahoonc

Could it be the difference between a step through and the regular diamond frame?

Aaron

agmetal

The chain definitely made a big difference when I did that a few months ago...the 79-year-old original chain was quite stretched and noisy! I've kept the Kenda roadster tires on my bike because I feel like most of the other options out there just wouldn't look quite right for a bike this old, and I don't have any real complaints about them in terms of the ride (but I haven't spent any time with other 635 tires, either).

agmetal

So on my way to work earlier this week, the left side of the BB spindle on my 1952 Sports snapped off. I've had mixed feelings on this bike since I got it...I think it looks really cool with the rust and general patina, and my goal with it has been to keep it looking the way it does for lock-up-all-day theft resistance, but having it as close as achievable to mechanical perfection. On the other hand, it's been kind of a slog to ride, even after overhauling the BB and pedals, and swapping out the 18-tooth cog for a 19-tooth one, and I find the crank arms to be a bit short, especially compared to the ones on my Tourist.

So after breaking the BB spindle and getting a replacement, I did a somewhat more thorough overhaul (I actually removed the fixed cup this time!), and then also decided to take a shot at overhauling the DynoHub, which was making an occasional tink-clunk sound, but otherwise functional. I also spent some time straightening out the cranks (the right side was actually twisted a little bit), and changed the saddle angle a bit, and put new tires on. The whole thing is feeling a lot smoother now, although I'm thinking about putting a 170mm cottered crank on it, and I also have a color-mismatched-but-similar-condition chaincase that I'm planning to install at some point.

In the meantime, though, I've finally taken some decent pictures of it!

agmetal

RobbieTunes

Very cool.

Today is Day 1 of my '59 Sports restoration (full dyno, B66). I went out in the garage and looked at it.

Most of the cleaning is basic stuff, elbow grease and magic chemicals.

I found plenty of grips on line if I need some, and will likely get the saddle re-done.

I'll be using the dyno with regular bulbs until I find a regulated LED setup where I can hide the regulators somewhere.

Still looking for a front basket/dog carrier that won't cost more than the bike. 7-lb dog.

Were the racks all black or color-matched?

Suggestions on tires?
They're in great shape, all black, but I think I'm going to go gumwall or sidewall on this one.

Suggestions on brake pads?

Suggestions on cleaning the galvanized spokes? (or just leave them alone, as galvanizing intended?)

My go-to thread for the next 3-4 months.

noglider 

@agmetal, it looks beautiful in its ugly glory, but don't feel bad if it doesn't work for you as a rider. As much as I love these bikes, I could never get used to them as regular riders. You can build a beater out of an old 10-speed bike, and it will be lighter and more, well, spritely.

Yeah, @RobbieTunes, you've come to the right place. Racks were usually color matched, but a lot of people bought aftermarket racks such as the Pletscher. I have a Pletscher I'm not using if you're interested.

I tried a few tires, and strangely, I much prefer the Kenda to the Schwalbe in this size. The Schwalbe tires, for me, rode like rocks, and others have reported that they feel plush. I don't get it, but there you go.

Kool Stop brake pads, no question.

And there's nothing you can do about the spokes. Let them be dark and dull. If you're feeling adventurous, you can unlace them, one at a time or all at once, and interlace them in the way wheels usually are. In theory it's an improvement, but with those heavy rims, I'm not sure it really is.

desconhecido 

For tires, I personally like the Schwalbe Marathon Plus but they're not carried by a lot of retailers and they've gotten outrageously expensive. Also, they're black sidewall with a reflective stripe. Some claim they roll like they have a lead liner. The michelin world tour is inexpensive, but they're sort of orange. There are various Kenda, Sunlite, and Cheng shin offerings in black and gumwall. Supposed to be serviceable and they are inexpensive.

The two most popular are probably the Schwalbe Delta cruiser in cream color and the favorite of those that know, the Panaracer Col De La Vie which now seems to be called the Randonnee. With that name, how bad can it be? They're a little fatter than the typical 1 3/8 650A tire, the ones I have actually say 1 1/2 on the sidewall, and I had trouble getting them to seat uniformly on Sun CR18 rims, but lots of people really love these tires. Some claim they are the best 650A tires ever to roll on the face of the earth -- or any other planet. They are very good looking, too.

For brake pads, either the Kool Stop salmon or the Dia Compe grey. The Dia Compe work well, in my opinion, and are about $6 per bike. I've tried the black Jaguar ones and the only thing I can say about them is that they seem to be pre-aged. About as hard as the 60 yo pads I replaced them with. But, they're cheap.

added:

I'm wrong about the CR18s. We put the Panaracer tires on Raleigh rims on a 51 step-through

3speedslow

Welcome to the thread Robbie Tunes!

SirMike1983 

70-ish degrees in the afternoon, but rapid drop to mid-40s about sunset. I guess the colder weather is finally going to arrive. That is what I hear at least. 1958 Raleigh Sports 4 Speed today:

SotR23

Gorgeous pictures and a fine looking bicycle.