Great to see some classic British 70s cycles refreshed, the fact that the Canadian built one was better qaulity says it all about British products in the 70s and 80s, and why foreign products won out. Thanks for sharing.
Great video!One has to experience the "ride" and then you will know the pure joy of a bike built for cruising.These are utilitarian transportation devices of an era (maybe pre WW ll) when in UK the idea of auto ownership was far from the grasp of most working class individuals,my mind wanders to scenes of Bobbies,nurses and various tradesmen off to their work for the day on these Raleigh's.I remember that sense of the bike I had,that it was as rugged as a tank when going over potholes and other road deficiencies.Now I will break the nostalgia bubble and state that the braking was woeful by today's standard and the overall weight could be a deal-breaker if one lives in a more vertical environment,but every biker should experience a well-tuned Raleigh internal geared bike.
I had the pleasure of restoring a 1954 ladies Sport as well as a his and her pair of 1974 Sports. Although you could swap almost any part between the older and younger bikes, the difference in ride quality was stark! The older cycle simply rolled beautifully, and the newer ones were not nearly as lively. Small detail changes to each component over the years added up to a less capable product. I suppose that’s what you have to do to keep the factory doors open, but alas, they were no longer the Raleigh I once knew. If you can find one that predates 1963, grab it!
Fantastic restoration Roy! Well done. Such a smooth ride and even on today's roads these vintage Raleigh's are still capable of keeping up with modern traffic.
Wonderful job on the restorations! They both look beautiful. Thank you for the idea of replacing the rear cog taller gear. I myself am looking at buying a Raleigh Sport and hope that I enjoy it as much as you do.
Thanks for your kind words. The only negative factor is the weight! If you adjust your normal "cruising" speed down a little they are great. The only other thing that I don't care much for is the origina,l heavy over- hyped Brookes saddle. I much prefer the soft "modern" seat shown on the red Sport.
They are such handsome bikes! I have a '79 ladies Sports as my daily driver and I love it! Last year the S3C hub broke a pawl and damaged the shell, so I replaced it with an '81 hub off Ebay, and had to get a new wheel built. While reinstalling it I realized my chain stays had gone symmetrical on me so now I'm doing my best to straighten the frame out... I always find a new problem when fixing an old one! :) Anyway I'm hoping to get it rideable soon, before the weather gets too good!
Love the paint and pin striping on these old bikes. Your mens cleaned up very nice. I agree about trying to improve the appearance of the bike with spray paint; just leave what it came with, but yours looks fine.
You might be interested to hear that I Have given the blue ladies bike to my 13y.o. granddaughter who had been lusting after it for some time. She considers it far superior to her archetypal mountain bike as all her friends ride. It certainly has given her a bit of "street cred" amongst her peers.
i had these type of bikes over the years i just got a Raleigh 1965 do not know yet what Model but i have to say they are fantastic to ride so far i only done 3 miles on it but you can't beat these awesome bikes great work m8 on restoring them makes me want to give it a try with mine keep the videos coming like it :)
There is a number stamped on the rear dropout which I assume is the serial number. There is also a date stamped on the S/A hub which indicates the year and month of its manufacture. I have fund that the most effective way of removing rust is a piece of crumpled up cooking foil damped with vinegar or WD40. The foil is harder than the rust but softer than steel or alloy Hope this helps, Cheers Roy
Many thanks for the comments. However I don't intend to do any night riding so I'll give the reflectors and brackets a miss. I need all the help I can get! Just think of the weight I'll save :)
Sadly yes. Fortunately Harris Cyclery are continuing to run his magnum opus otherwise the entire cycling movement would grind to a halt! See; en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheldon_Brown_(bicycle_mechanic)
Folk mustve had mega strong legs back then lol.they are a real work out.my traveller is murder in top gear.they realy were top quality bikes though.they clean up well and look smart these days
What lovely bikes and terrific restorations. I'm about done restoring a men's Raleigh Sports. Can you tell me what kind of head lamp would be period correct and how is it to be fastened to that stock, Raleigh, chrome bracket with the Heron design? Thanks so much Brian in Michigan
Sorry Brian, I'm strictly a daylight rider:). However, the following sites might help you:- societyofthreespeeds.wordpress.com/ The Raleigh Twenty site. They deal primarily with Twenties and Dawes Kingpins but many members also (like me) have Raleigh Sports and are very welcoming raleightwenty.webs.com/ Tony Hadland may be able to help hadland.wordpress.com/ Or of course the fount of all wisdom, the late and much lamented Sheldon Brown sheldonbrown.com/ Best of luck!
I love these old Raleigh three speeds. The first one I got is a 1960s Raleigh Colt, very very similar to the blue one in your video. And I just picked up my own Raleigh Sport today, an almost all original women's model in black that I think is from the 60s. But how did you figure out the exact year on your bikes? Does it have to do with the serial number?
Yes, even the handlebars are not quite the classic North Road pattern. I believe that both could have been be "enhancements" incorporated by Raleigh Canada. as I mention in the video, the general level of finish including paint is superior to the Nottingham product. Also it is 7 years younger than the red one.
Alison: Most traditional bike shops will probably carry a stock. I bought mine from our local outlet. They are easy to fit.I also altered the gearing on a Raleigh 20 -same deal.
I actually happened across a mens version which was in pretty horrible condition with a lot of surface rust on almost all of the components. ive managed to keep most of the original components apart from the handlebars and stem. Can i just ask if you happen to know where any serial numbers would be on the bike? thankyou for your informative upload!
really nice bikes,wow they look fantastic & are a credit to you (Y) raleigh 20's are seriously overpriced these days (as demand for them has gone up) even for a rusty heaps. on ebay they start @ $250 here in australia btw where did u get the decals??,are they reproductions?,any contacts? i had a purple raleigh dragster as a kid (banana seat with sissy bar) paid au $60 for it & was a fun bike to ride with the sturmey archer 3 speed hub gears it could do great wheelies too :D,i still miss it & would really love to find a classic raleigh to do up & enjoy once again, i'm drooling :)
+neil crompton Thanks Neil. Much appreciated. To locate a bike suitable for restoration is is wise to steer clear of garbage tips etc. Keep your eyes open, particularly in other people's garages and sheds. These two Raleighs were obtained from a neighbor propping up his garage walls. He was quite prepared to condemn them to the bicycle knacker's yard. Amazing! They had been previously stored in a saw mill and were covered in oil and sawdust. Actually my best find was a frame, forks and B/B of a Concorde Squadra race bike which was given to me by the owner of the local bike shop!!! Here is a link video giving more details; czcams.com/video/ZetvF5Zs-2g/video.html The decals are original on both the Raleighs and the Squadra. Both of the Sports and the green 20 have been restored to original configuration. The burgundy 20 has been modified with new Alex alloy rims, new stem and bars, new seatpost, modern saddle, lower gearing and new Schwalbe Marathon tyres. This saved in total over 6lb. The result was amazing. It's now much nicer to ride. Recently I had the opportunity to sample a Brompton and was very surprised to conclude that the 20 is nicer to ride. In fact it has been put to work towing our WIKE trailer with which we do all our shopping and over six and a half years at three trips a week has completed over 1000 trips (6 x 3 x 52).
nice,have u got photos of your bikes before u started the restoration?,curious to see what u had to contend with?,also do you (or anyone) know when (year) that sturmey archer was sold,as i understand it's now in japanese hands?,also are the japanese parts as good as the originals british parts?
I'm sorry but I have no "before" pictures. I sort of fell into this restoration business as was only interested in restoring, updating and in most cases "improvement" to suit my personal quirks :) As far as I know, S-A was sold to a Taiwanese company in 2000. My experience with Taiwan as far as quality is concerned is very positive. Most quality bikes are now made there apart from perhaps, top of the line models. The same thing could be said for Japanese work and quality.
my giant boulder se has a sticker on the frame that says "made in china",even the modern carbon fibre bikes are made there too,does anyone know where to get reprduction decals,as i'm currently looking for a raleigh road bike or 3 spd bike?.
What island? I live in Canada. The lake in the video is Lake Ontario. I'm older than Rod Stewart who is a Scotsman:) What 3 speeds do you own? Cheers!
Roy Bird Hello Sir am Manik Ghose from Kolkata, Bengal, India and presently I have seven Nottingham Raleigh bikes having four speed, three speed and one single speed. These are real beauties. Happy to see your sports ones.
I have two Raleigh Sports bicycles also - one for each gender. However, I feel I have enjoyed a pint or three with you in the Stonehouse in Hatfield in 1964 or thereabouts. This would be after a hard days flying with a Geoffrey, or Roger, Keith, or John.
I have doubts about the originality of the stem on the blue one. Looks like either a replacement part or a mistake made when first assembled. It is clearly an aluminium alloy stem.
Great to see some classic British 70s cycles refreshed, the fact that the Canadian built one was better qaulity says it all about British products in the 70s and 80s, and why foreign products won out. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the enjoyable video. I enjoyed your commentary along the way. Lots of fun working on the old Raleighs, for sure!
Great video!One has to experience the "ride" and then you will know the pure joy of a bike built for cruising.These are utilitarian transportation devices of an era (maybe pre WW ll) when in UK the idea of auto ownership was far from the grasp of most working class individuals,my mind wanders to scenes of Bobbies,nurses and various tradesmen off to their work for the day on these Raleigh's.I remember that sense of the bike I had,that it was as rugged as a tank when going over potholes and other road deficiencies.Now I will break the nostalgia bubble and state that the braking was woeful by today's standard and the overall weight could be a deal-breaker if one lives in a more vertical environment,but every biker should experience a well-tuned Raleigh internal geared bike.
I had the pleasure of restoring a 1954 ladies Sport as well as a his and her pair of 1974 Sports. Although you could swap almost any part between the older and younger bikes, the difference in ride quality was stark! The older cycle simply rolled beautifully, and the newer ones were not nearly as lively. Small detail changes to each component over the years added up to a less capable product. I suppose that’s what you have to do to keep the factory doors open, but alas, they were no longer the Raleigh I once knew. If you can find one that predates 1963, grab it!
Fantastic restoration Roy! Well done. Such a smooth ride and even on today's roads these vintage Raleigh's are still capable of keeping up with modern traffic.
Thanks Adam. They are also extremely durable and reliable.
Wonderful job on the restorations! They both look beautiful. Thank you for the idea of replacing the rear cog taller gear. I myself am looking at buying a Raleigh Sport and hope that I enjoy it as much as you do.
Thanks for your kind words. The only negative factor is the weight! If you adjust your normal "cruising" speed down a little they are great. The only other thing that I don't care much for is the origina,l heavy over- hyped Brookes saddle. I much prefer the soft "modern" seat shown on the red Sport.
They are such handsome bikes! I have a '79 ladies Sports as my daily driver and I love it! Last year the S3C hub broke a pawl and damaged the shell, so I replaced it with an '81 hub off Ebay, and had to get a new wheel built. While reinstalling it I realized my chain stays had gone symmetrical on me so now I'm doing my best to straighten the frame out... I always find a new problem when fixing an old one! :) Anyway I'm hoping to get it rideable soon, before the weather gets too good!
Love the paint and pin striping on these old bikes. Your mens cleaned up very nice. I agree about trying to improve the appearance of the bike with spray paint; just leave what it came with, but yours looks fine.
Excellent Roy. Glad you got them going.
You might be interested to hear that I Have given the blue ladies bike to my 13y.o. granddaughter who had been lusting after it for some time. She considers it far superior to her archetypal mountain bike as all her friends ride. It certainly has given her a bit of "street cred" amongst her peers.
Thanks for the nice comments. yes, they are great bikes. Amongst other things, my daughter and i are hoping to participate in the local Tweed Ride.
What a lovely and educational video. Thank you.
i had these type of bikes over the years i just got a Raleigh 1965 do not know yet what Model but i have to say they are fantastic to ride so far i only done 3 miles on it but you can't beat these awesome bikes great work m8 on restoring them makes me want to give it a try with mine keep the videos coming like it :)
There is a number stamped on the rear dropout which I assume is the serial number. There is also a date stamped on the S/A hub which indicates the year and month of its manufacture. I have fund that the most effective way of removing rust is a piece of crumpled up cooking foil damped with vinegar or WD40. The foil is harder than the rust but softer than steel or alloy
Hope this helps,
Cheers
Roy
Ah! i checked the rear hub and it's a '73 i have! ill have to keep that in mind! thanks for your help! namaste!
Many thanks for the comments. However I don't intend to do any night riding so I'll give the reflectors and brackets a miss. I need all the help I can get! Just think of the weight I'll save :)
I always replace the rear sprocket to get more favourable gearing. I generally aim for about 60 gear inches for middle gear.
Thanks so much for the speedy reply and all that good info. Sheldon Brown is gone????
Sadly yes. Fortunately Harris Cyclery are continuing to run his magnum opus otherwise the entire cycling movement would grind to a halt! See;
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheldon_Brown_(bicycle_mechanic)
Folk mustve had mega strong legs back then lol.they are a real work out.my traveller is murder in top gear.they realy were top quality bikes though.they clean up well and look smart these days
What lovely bikes and terrific restorations. I'm about done restoring a men's Raleigh Sports. Can you tell me what kind of head lamp would be period correct and how is it to be fastened to that stock, Raleigh, chrome bracket with the Heron design?
Thanks so much
Brian in Michigan
Sorry Brian, I'm strictly a daylight rider:). However, the following sites might help you:-
societyofthreespeeds.wordpress.com/
The Raleigh Twenty site. They deal primarily with Twenties and Dawes Kingpins but many members also (like me) have Raleigh Sports and are very welcoming
raleightwenty.webs.com/
Tony Hadland may be able to help
hadland.wordpress.com/
Or of course the fount of all wisdom, the late and much lamented Sheldon Brown
sheldonbrown.com/
Best of luck!
I love these old Raleigh three speeds. The first one I got is a 1960s Raleigh Colt, very very similar to the blue one in your video. And I just picked up my own Raleigh Sport today, an almost all original women's model in black that I think is from the 60s. But how did you figure out the exact year on your bikes? Does it have to do with the serial number?
Yes, even the handlebars are not quite the classic North Road pattern. I believe that both could have been be "enhancements" incorporated by Raleigh Canada. as I mention in the video, the general level of finish including paint is superior to the Nottingham product. Also it is 7 years younger than the red one.
Nice!
Great idea about lowering the gearing. Where did you purchase the replacement sprocket?
Alison: Most traditional bike shops will probably carry a stock. I bought mine from our local outlet. They are easy to fit.I also altered the gearing on a Raleigh 20 -same deal.
I actually happened across a mens version which was in pretty horrible condition with a lot of surface rust on almost all of the components. ive managed to keep most of the original components apart from the handlebars and stem. Can i just ask if you happen to know where any serial numbers would be on the bike? thankyou for your informative upload!
I'm a Raleigh 3 speed fanatic..btw, where are you from on the Island? You sound like a young Rod Stewart...lol...
really nice bikes,wow they look fantastic & are a credit to you (Y) raleigh 20's are seriously overpriced these days (as demand for them has gone up) even for a rusty heaps.
on ebay they start @ $250 here in australia
btw where did u get the decals??,are they reproductions?,any contacts?
i had a purple raleigh dragster as a kid (banana seat with sissy bar) paid au $60 for it & was a fun bike to ride with the sturmey archer 3 speed hub gears it could do great wheelies too :D,i still miss it & would really love to find a classic raleigh to do up & enjoy once again, i'm drooling :)
+neil crompton Thanks Neil. Much appreciated.
To locate a bike suitable for restoration is is wise to steer clear of garbage tips etc.
Keep your eyes open, particularly in other people's garages and sheds. These two Raleighs were obtained from a neighbor propping up his garage walls. He was quite prepared to condemn them to the bicycle knacker's yard. Amazing! They had been previously stored in a saw mill and were covered in oil and sawdust.
Actually my best find was a frame, forks and B/B of a Concorde Squadra race bike which was given to me by the owner of the local bike shop!!!
Here is a link video giving more details;
czcams.com/video/ZetvF5Zs-2g/video.html
The decals are original on both the Raleighs and the Squadra.
Both of the Sports and the green 20 have been restored to original configuration.
The burgundy 20 has been modified with new Alex alloy rims, new stem and bars, new seatpost, modern saddle, lower gearing and new Schwalbe Marathon tyres. This saved in total over 6lb.
The result was amazing. It's now much nicer to ride. Recently I had the opportunity to sample a Brompton and was very surprised to conclude that the 20 is nicer to ride. In fact it has been put to work towing our WIKE trailer with which we do all our shopping and over six and a half years at three trips a week has completed over 1000 trips (6 x 3 x 52).
nice,have u got photos of your bikes before u started the restoration?,curious to see what u had to contend with?,also do you (or anyone) know when (year) that sturmey archer was sold,as i understand it's now in japanese hands?,also are the japanese parts as good as the originals british parts?
I'm sorry but I have no "before" pictures. I sort of fell into this restoration business as was only interested in restoring, updating and in most cases "improvement" to suit my personal quirks :)
As far as I know, S-A was sold to a Taiwanese company in 2000. My experience with Taiwan as far as quality is concerned is very positive.
Most quality bikes are now made there apart from perhaps, top of the line models.
The same thing could be said for Japanese work and quality.
my giant boulder se has a sticker on the frame that says "made in china",even the modern carbon fibre bikes are made there too,does anyone know where to get reprduction decals,as i'm currently looking for a raleigh road bike or 3 spd bike?.
What island? I live in Canada. The lake in the video is Lake Ontario. I'm older than Rod Stewart who is a Scotsman:)
What 3 speeds do you own?
Cheers!
Roy Bird Hello Sir am Manik Ghose from Kolkata, Bengal, India and presently I have seven Nottingham Raleigh bikes having four speed, three speed and one single speed. These are real beauties. Happy to see your sports ones.
I have two Raleigh Sports bicycles also - one for each gender. However, I feel I have enjoyed a pint or three with you in the Stonehouse in Hatfield in 1964 or thereabouts. This would be after a hard days flying with a Geoffrey, or Roger, Keith, or John.
I have doubts about the originality of the stem on the blue one. Looks like either a replacement part or a mistake made when first assembled. It is clearly an aluminium alloy stem.
Further to my last missive, Ebay might have your solution;
www.ebay.com/bhp/vintage-bicycle-light