1953 Raleigh Sports, Part II

Here are some detail pictures of my 1953 Raleigh Sports, made in Nottingham, England. It is amazing to think that this bicycle was built 57 years ago. It is a survivor, rather than a restored museum piece, which I like because that means that I can use it, and not feel too guilty if I add a little more 'patina' to it. It has a few dents and the decals are scratched off in places, but it wears it's original paint and most of its original parts.

The original headlight has a black painted body, much like the lights on a 1953 Jaguar XK120, which were also painted instead of chromed due to a chrome shortage in England at the time.

The brake levers are very clean and unmarked - newer replacements perhaps? The brake cables and housings look very aged, and it is going to be a tough call whether to replace them with new for the sake of performance, or to keep the ones that are on there for the sake of originality. 

The saddle is an old brown Brooks B66 sprung saddle. I have the original one safely stored but it is too decrepit to use, the leather nose has torn clean off. This one is a vintage model of very similar colour and finish, unlike the new Brooks B66 which has a texture to it.

The chaincase is a very desirable feature, as it means that you can wear any clothing you please without getting grease or dirt from the chain on yourself. The chain is also protected to some extent from dirt and debris, and thus can go longer between services.

The shifter chain and cable for the 3-speed Sturmey Archer rear hub exits through the hollow hub axle, which makes for a very clean design for the chaincase. 

The dyno front hub has two pick-up points for the positive and negative wires for the lighting system. The front headlight then has a switch on the underside so that the system can be switched off during the daytime - I have read that this reduces the drag from the front wheel but I have not been able to test this. At the moment the system is not working and I need to troubleshoot it. There is no noticeable drag from the hub at the moment.

Here is a great shot of the 1953 Raleigh logo - so stylish.

The pedals are also stamped with the Raleigh logo.

The rear hub is a Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub. It has an oil port which you put a few drops of motor oil into. These bicycles need automotive lubricants, not modern lightweight oils. They are designed to be serviced at long intervals.

The classic English white tail to the mudguard. Also notice the leather hubshiner, and the rear dynamo light.

The original stem is very compact and does its job beautifully. It reminds a lot of many high end cnc'd mountain bike stems, but in a much smaller size. The bell is a new Japanese brass bell - there is a fashion at the moment for installing these on the neck of the stem, so I am giving that a try at the moment - not sure about it though, as I imagine that you would want the bell closer to your hand in a panic situation. The Sturmey Archer 3-speed thumbshifter is another original piece that reminds me of my mountain biking days - remember the 1989 Shimano Deore XT Thumbshifter? SIS, or Shimano index shifting, was only a few years old, but these English bikes had it long before!


 

These bikes came in different sizes, and I think that this is the largest - a 23" frame. It is a great fit for me and the bike is very comfortable and pedals efficiently. The cranks are 170mm long, and I am used to running 175mm long crankarms. I am still refining the riding position, but this is pretty close to what the final position of bars, stem and saddle will be. Next on the list is taking the bike apart and going through it - tuning, tweaking, new tires, a rack, and getting the lights working.