any info on this bike?
 

hi all,im getting a bike off someone shortly called a raleigh stowaway,its an old bike and it folds but i dont know much else ,does anyone out there own one.any info welcome.

Here are a few links. Good luck and welcome.

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/raleigh.htm

http://sheldonbrown.org/bicycle.html

I hope it's not the one off the police auction on ebay earlier in the week where I was outbid ;)

The Stowaway was one of the last of the folding Raleigh 20's. I believe the Raleigh 20's were first made in the late 60's and were certainly still made well into the 80's (I think the Stowaway is late 80's). Earlier ones were labelled Raleigh Shoppers (both folding & non-folding)

Raleigh 20's were all steel bikes some of which were hinged some of which weren't. They don't fold up much more than simply in half but are quite solidly built (Sheldon claims they can be ridden without the hinge pin in place). As the name suggests they're 20" wheelers.

They tend to have guards, rack etc. and are all internally geared.

There are one or two sites on the web showing interesting rebuilds of Raleigh Twenties. I fancy getting one and doing it up with BMX bits a little like the one on Sheldon's site (he's quite a fan and has a lot more info on his site) so that I can have a hardcore urban shopper (don't worry I won't get the devil woolly hat) :D

Good luck and enjoy.

I have an old Raleigh 20 in my basement collecting dust. It is a cool bike and I wish someday to restore it. Not much wrong with it...it's missing a brake cable and is just a little rusty here and there. It's got a Sturmey Archer geared hub and an alminum rack that is quite spiffy. It does seem solid as a rock for a fold-up bike. My sister's Bike Friday is almost a moderized carbon copy of this bike.

Moose

I have just aquired a Raleigh Stowaway with 22 inch wheels. I know they are the original wheels because they have Raleigh branded tyres and they fit the forks perfectly. It has a shimano three speed. Does anyone know anything about this bike - because all I have seen about Stowaways suggests it should have 20" rims.

It's in pretty good condition considering the abuse the previous owner gave it.

I've never seen 22" wheels. They do exist, though. And they are a folding bike tire size.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/tires/index.html#490