mrkano

Hello.

I am to start rebuilding my Raleigh All Steel Bike - not too sure what date it is, but I need tyres and tubes first.

I am going to do a photo-shoot on it then strip it and get it powder coated in my shop colors.

But for now can someone tell me if these tyres are right..

28" 1/12

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Raleigh-Tr...87970835444957

Thanks

mkeller234

You need to identify which model of Raleigh you have first. The "sports" is a common three speed with smaller tires, while a DL-1 "tourist" has much larger 28" tires.

mrkano

What is the best way to recognize the model???

mkeller234

Usually a decal. The rims should have the size stamped into them too, and that is really the important bit of information.

Doohickie

Also, what type of brakes does it have? Caliper brakes, or rod brakes? (Calipers squeeze the sides of the rim; rod brakes pull a yoke against the inside of the rim.)

mrkano

Can anyone suggest what size tyres I need, there is a lot of rust on the wheels...

RaleighSport

As was said before there's only two real possible tire sizes, 26x 1 3/8 (EA3) (ISO 590) and the 28 which I am not familiar with..
Sheldown brown link for measuring wheels https://sheldonbrown.com/rim-sizing.html
Cool score though, I dig the rod brakes.

mrkano

So I#m guessing it's the 28 inch 1 1/2 size yeah??

auchencrow

Westwood profile rims are usually 635 mm (28 x 1 1/2 in) but they could be 590 mm (650A) (26x1 3/8") or even 584 mm (650B) (26x 1 1/2")


(Gotta love English tire sizing )

Bianchigirll 

I almost like it better as a piece of decor'

Doohickie

Yes. Very remote chance it's another size, but that looks like a 28-inch rod brake roadster.

kingsting

There was also a DL-1 variant that had oddball 26 x 2.0 (571 mm?) "Balloon tyres" but they're not very common.

sailorbenjamin

Yeah, that's a 28".

mkeller234

Is that a really old Superbe? It's green, has a fork crown lock, a rear dynohub and a sprung brooks saddle.... i'm guessing a superbe with a missing chain case.

If it's a superbe.... would it have 28" rims??

mrkano

Well you guys certainly know your stuff.... I will go with the 28 1 1/1 tyres.... Does anyone know which tires would have come on this model?? 'Roadster' by any chance???

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Raleigh-Tr...87970835444957

Also what kind of year would this bike have been????

I no doubt will be coming back with more questions as I transform this bike.... As stated I am getting it sand blasted ...

I would love to keep this original paint but it's just a bit too gone! Are there any specialist who deal in period style painting????

tcs

Really?? 26 x 2.0 is the American balloon tire "mountain bike" size, ISO559. 26 x 1 3/4 is ISO571 (650C balloon, S7).

brianinc-ville

Most of us around here would encourage you to keep the original paint. Just wash it with soap and water, then wax it with car wax.

Remember that when you re-paint it -- even if you do a faithful restoration -- you lose all collector value (and with a bike like this the collector value is the only value; "normal" people will not be interested in buying a rod-brake bicycle). Of course, if you intend never to sell it, then do whatever the heck you want, but expect to get disapproving stares from the die-hard Raleigh fans.

As others have said, in all likelihood the rims are sized for 28 x 1 1/2" (635mm) tires. Probably, the original tires would have looked like this-- which would work perfectly fine -- or you could buy Schwalbes, which are quite a lot more expensive but work very well. That's what I've got on my DL-1.

Provided that the wheels are original to the bike, you'll find the year of manufacture stamped on the rear hub. However, there's something odd going on there, and the picture isn't quite clear enough for me to see what it is -- it looks like you've got a drum brake on the rear hub, but you've also got the stirrup for a rim brake on that wheel. If that's true, then the rear wheel has probably been replaced. OTOH, that might be a generator hub, not a drum brake, in which case it might be original. (At any rate, it's another good reason to measure before you buy tires.) My guess, based on the lettering, is that the frame was made in the 1950s -- but they made that model for about 80 years, so that's a rough guess!

It also looks like the chainring has been replaced with something smaller than the original Raleigh model.

kingsting

I don't want to hijack this thread but the tires are on this oddball Raleigh bike:



The tire sidewall is marked with "DUNLOP OVERSIZE 26 X 2 (fits 26 x 1 3/4 British standard rim F.12)"

I just (kind of) measured the rim on the bike and it's about 23" and a mountain bike rim was close to 22".

sailorbenjamin

Of course, you've been to this sight, right?
https://sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/index.html
This one is also useful for dating Raleighs based on decal font;
https://www.jaysmarine.com/bikecollection.html
I'll wager that it's not a Superbe, based on the bolt on seat stays and the fender style. Those are DL-1 items.
There were a few "26" tires used on DL-1s but they aren't MTB tires, they're just for British roadsters that were sold in undeveloped countries. This doesn't look like one of those.
Oh, and I'd highly recommend that you keep that paint. Get it running good and ride it for a season or two. If you feel at that point that the bike wants paint, paint it. But I expect that you'll discover that it would rather stay the way it is. The trick is to ride it enough so that you can hear what it wants.

kingsting

I'd be willing to wager that the OP has a bike very similar to Sheldon's 1954 Superbe Roadster which does appear to have the bolt on stays and rounded fenders like a DL-1.

https://sheldonbrown.com/superbe54.html

tcs

Ah, well, '26 x 2' is a different size than the '26 x 2.0' from your post #12. Seriously!

kingsting

Brain fart... I realized that something wasn't right with that post and had to go look and see what was actually written on the sidewall. I also couldn't remember where I got the 1- 3/4" size. Good thing the bike lives in the spare bedroom...