sykerocker 

I still have a lot of wonderful memories of the coffee colored Twenty I had for daily transportation back in '73. It replaced my ivory Sports because I was living in a second floor apartment (over a frame shop) and I got tired of having to climb two sets of steps to the attic to garage my bike. The Twenty fit nicely in the closet at the top of the entrance stairs. Only complaint I had was that I had to adjust the seat about an inch and a half beyond that 'maximum' mark on the seatpost for it to fit me properly. Having used it to climb a fairly steep hill in the south of Erie on a daily basis to get to work, I ended up modifying it with a Cyclo three-speed rear cluster and a Huret Allvit derailleur, taken from the Sports before I sold it.

Did a 50 mile ride (major bicycle rally in Erie) on the Sports one Sunday in a suit, bow tie, bowler hat, while smoking a pipe over most of the route.

Velognome 

are the Top Tube dimensions of a DL-1 and a Spot different, I know the geometry iis a bit more lax on the DL-1 and the tires are 28". What I'm really asking is a 23" DL-1 bigger than a 23" Sport?

FishBiscuit

I don't have a 23" Sports to compare, but I can tell you that the DL-1 from the 60s-80s was only available in 22" and 24" models. My 24" DL-1, from the front of the tire to the end of the rear reflector, is about 6'5" in length (23" top tube). By comparison, my girlfriend's 21" Sports is 5'10" in length, including the rear reflector (20.5" where a top tube would be).

The phantom top tube on the 22" DL-1L is 21". I'd guess it's about the same ratio as a Sports.

mixtemaniac

I love this thread! I'm new to English 3-speeds, but would love to find one for myself. I've been trolling Craigslist and Ebay a bit, but I suspect my size will be difficult to come by. I generally ride a 61-63cm frame. The largest Raleigh 3-speed I've seen is a 53 or 54. Was there a model that was known to come in larger sizes that might be easier to find? Sports, Sprite, DL1, Tourist, etc? Although I am partial to fully enclosed chaincase bikes from some of the 1950's models.

sykerocker 

The Sports, in theory, was available in a 25-1/2" frame although I don't remember ever seeing anything bigger than a 23-1/2" pass through the shop. If you were really tall, Merle would immediately move you towards a 24" DL-1, which was his personal ride. That is, if he could even get the customer to look past a 10-speed. I think back to those days and probably 75% of our customers during the Bike Boom would have been much better served by a Sports (after dinner rides thru the neighborhood) . . . . . . . . but that wasn't the style. Gotta have a 10-speed, never mind that they were uncomfortable as hell for most customers, and the derailleurs took a lot of getting used to.

And no, you're not mistaken - I really believe that 21-1/2" frames were the majority of production for a roadster, no matter what the English brand.

noglider 

I've never heard of a 25-1/2" Sports frame.

FishBiscuit

The largest Sports I've seen is a 23", and they show up for sale frequently. The 24" DL-1 Tourist (Men's) is fairly common (and available with a full Chaincase, less common). My Sprite 27 3-Speed has a 24-1/2" frame.

While my classic sensibilities prefer looking at the Sports, I prefer the Sprite on the road:

Sixty Fiver

The rims are some Sumo BMX rims that were NOS and have a light gold anodized finish which goes with the green and gold on the bike...

wahoonc

I have; apparently it was UK market or possibly NL market only, and they made very few of them. I ride with a gentleman occasionally that used to have one when he lived in the UK, he has pictures of it, and regrets selling it to this day.

Aaron

sykerocker 

My main winter project is finished, the 1968 Ranger (built by Philips) 3-speed roadster. When I bought it (cost was $15.00) the frame and tinware was filthy, the wheel rims were oil covered and disgusting, and any other chrome was rust covered. The former owner had done a few odd things to it. The shift lever was in the place normally occupied by the left brake, and both brake levers were on the right hand side. As the bike was in working condition, I tried a test ride with the original setup, and whatever benefits he got from the setup completely escaped me. Also, in place of a bunch of missing cable clips, he duct taped the cable casings in place. Over the years the tape hardened and I ended up using rubbing compound to remove the glue residue from the paint. All chrome reclamation is courtesy of a oxalic acid bath.





Virtually all the parts are the original. I had to replace the pedals (bearings were shot) with the original brand, but probably a couple of years newer as the original pedals didn't have built-in reflectors. Also, the current hand grips are period correct, but not identical in style to the original. The original grips were totally round and symmetrical. Cables and casings were replaced (originals were very discolored, and the original shift casing was white - may be replaced in the near future). I still need a clear plastic facing for the three speed shifter.



I was especially overjoyed that my cleaning of the frame did not damage the decals. The one on the down tube was already trashed thanks to the duct tape.



Originally, I restored this with the intent of taking it to Westminster for resale, although I'm happy enough with it that I may just keep it. It has a very short seatpost (the seat is already set at the absolute limit of extension that can still be clamped down) and is about 1/2" short for me to ride. That should be rectified on my next trip to Re-Cycles. While I can barely fit a 21-1/2" frame, I'm always happier on a 23-1/2". Which is my next search.



Now that it's done, and my abilities to handle a fragile restoration have been well practiced, I've started on the Roger Riviere. That one's going to take some serious time, as it's just as dirty, but in worse condition under the dirt.

noglider 

Excellent work. Seriohath! What's the roger rivière? Is there a thread for it?

sykerocker 

Totally off-subject for this thread: A Roger Riviere is a cheap, $100.00, French 10-speed from the Bike Boom. Built by Gitane. Abysmal paint job with foil decals. Simplex Prestige with CLB Racer brakes. Three piece hubs with wing nuts and steel rims. Absolutely nothing stands out about it . . . . . . . . . except that I sold and wrenched them back in 1972 and spent almost 40 years looking for one. And I'm probably going to put the effort and care into restoring this one that you'd normally expend for a Masi or Colnago. The Ranger was my dry run for this bike. I wasn't going to touch it until I restored one to the above condition.

sekaijin

^ beautiful red Ranger! Impressive bike rescue job.

LuckyChow99

Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos of the Ranger. I never knew this bike existed before today!

FishBiscuit

Beautiful bike! Nice restoration!

Chris_in_Miami

Beautiful Ranger sykerocker, that cowboy theme is really cool! It just needs a rear rack with a scabbard for your Red Ryder carbine.

snarkypup

Love the Ranger! Gorgeous!

Sixty Fiver

sykerocker 

^^^^^ Sheer poetry as a still life.

Of course, the other side of me immediately thought, "It's not locked. Bet it doesn't last there more than five minutes."

kingfish254

Just be careful and don't put your eye out!

LuckyChow99

I thought some of you would like to see my 1965 Sprite. I'm not exactly sure of the year, but I believe it's close. This bike was not originally a 3 speed. I changed it over from a 5 speed derailleur. Therefore, the hub is no help in dating it. Also, I've not been able to find the serial number in any of the lists on the internet.

Typical of Craigs List finds, it was sort of a mess when I found it. I dissassembled everything, cleaned, greased and reassembled. The seat was missing, so I put one of my favorites on it. It measures 22" from BB to top tube. Has a 32" standover. Also, I changed the rear cog out to a 22t. Sure makes a difference.


IMG_0024 by LuckyChow, on Flickr


IMG_0038 by LuckyChow, on Flickr


IMG_0026 by LuckyChow, on Flickr


IMG_0029 by LuckyChow, on Flickr


IMG_0031 by LuckyChow, on Flickr


IMG_0036 by LuckyChow, on Flickr


IMG_0034 by LuckyChow, on Flickr


IMG_0028 by LuckyChow, on Flickr


IMG_0060 by LuckyChow, on Flickr


IMG_0071 by LuckyChow, on Flickr

This was my first. Learned a lot on this bike. Ready to start soon on my DL-1 Tourist. Should be fun!

LuckyChow99

FishBiscuit, somehow I missed you message the first time around. Thanks for your reply. You bring up a great point. Changing a flat would not be fun on this bike. I'll go ahead and replace the tubes at the same time.

Amesja

Is the Brooks original? If so there should be a brand in the underside of the saddle with a year and a month. They started doing that after 1960 I think.

Schwinnsta

Are all the bolts on the Sports model Whitworth? I was having a problem mounting a 3 speed shift mechanism to the handlebar. It is the one with the plastic face and a specially designed nut. As is usual with this design the plastic face of the shifter has cracks. I think because the bolt is really too short, a design flaw by S-A. I went to the hardware store to get a longer bolt. Turns out the bolt is not English or metric. I assume it is Whitworth. The nearest to it was 10-32. I bought a few and tapped out the stock nut.

I have a rear rack that I would like to put on this bike. The bolts that hold the fender stays thread into the chain stays and have lock nuts on them. They will not be long enough to add the rack. Are these also Whitworth? I know that the Sports model did not come with a rack like the Superbe. So did the Superbe have longer bolts to accomodate the rack?

LuckyChow99

No, the Brooks is a recent purchase (last year).