Autumn Arrives - 1974 Raleigh Sports and 1949 Schwinn New World

 

The autumn arrived right on schedule this year. The equinox occurred earlier this week, and sure enough, the cool weather arrived with it. The days are getting shorter, though there is still enough daylight to ride after work, at least for a few more weeks. 

This week's rides are the 1974 Raleigh Sports and 1949 Schwinn New World. They quite different from each other in terms of frame construction and year-of-construction, but they're both excellent riders.

 

 

One of the things I like about these 1970s Raleigh Sports bikes are the brake cable braze-ons they added. The earlier bikes use cable clamps, which are fine, but the braze-ons really make for a "clean" frame design.

 

The bronze green on this Sports has a kind of earthy quality to it. I've seen "Bronze Green" range from an almost-emerald type metallic appearance, to flatter olive tones, to a metallic bronze tone with a lot of gold in it. This 1974 Sports has decent paint and is closer to an olive green than to metallic bronze or to emerald. It has a certain earth tone, 1970s quality to it that blends nicely with fall seasonal type colors. 

The weather patterns change here in the fall, not just the temperature. Fall and winter are when we get coastal storms - "Nor'easters" being the common term here because they travel northeasterly along the coast and bring strong northeasterly winds along with them.  We have one of those approaching this weekend... looks like rain both days. We generally don't get those during the summer months, though the summer can bring strong thunderstorms from the west. 

The New World  has that 1940s-50s automotive, electric blue type color. It has an aluminum coat, which gives it that characteristic shine. It was a color that was popular in the late 1940s and into the 1950s on automobiles, which set the style trends in the USA in those days.

 

It's important this time of year to have decent lights. It's starting to get a little darker at the end of my rides. I like a retro-styled light that has an LED bulb for extra visibility on the road.

Schwinn Three Speeds: 1940 New World and 1960 Traveler

 Decent weather most of this week, which was a good turn for riding. I took out the 1940 New World and the 1960 Traveler. The New World has a distinctly 1930s-40s design, versus the post-war Traveler. The New World has a much more traditional style. Both are good riders, though I give the edge to the Traveler with its Weinmann brakes, handlebar shifter, and stainless fenders. But variety is the "spice of life", as the old saying goes...

 

1974 Raleigh Sports Ride and Look Back

 

 

I will admit to being a bit sentimental, including about bikes I have owned for a long time. I've owned this bronze green, 1974 Raleigh Sports for about 23 years. I remember getting it in September 2003 as a $30, second-hand bike. This time of year tends to remind me of getting, fixing and riding this bike, so it tends to come out in September and October. 

I've made some changes to the bike over the years, but it has always served me well and has held up nicely. I used it as a commuter for part of college and post-graduate school. After that, I used it as an occasional commuter on nice days and as a recreational machine on bike trails and road rides. It is on tire set #4 since 2003, which isn't a lot for a high-mileage road bike, but is decent mileage for an upright 3-speed bike.

I've always had a generously-sized saddle bag on this bike, a holdover from its days as a commuter when I'd have my personal stuff, lunch, and a few other items in the bag. The British flag lapel pin came from the Crystal City Mall in Virginia at some point very early in the bike's time with me, probably in fall 2003. If I were rebuilding the bike for the first time today, I'd probably use a brown, Acorn-brand small saddle bag. But this large bag is a leftover from bike commuter days... 

I believe I got the bag, pump pegs, and pump from Menotomy Vintage Bicycles (the old "OldRoads" website), which is no longer in business. 

I remember getting stuff for this bike from their shop and from Harris Cyclery in Boston (both are gone now). I got advice tuning the gear ratio and the AW hub from Sheldon Brown (now also gone, too soon). He was always very helpful and would answer emails if his website didn't have a particular detail that was needed for a repair.

Not every bike you own needs to be highly-collectible. This 1974 Sports is a solid, old bike, but not as collectible as some other Raleighs. But I certainly have a soft spot for this bike and plan to keep it as long as I am around. 

Here's a throwback photo from the C&O Canal Trail in 2008, same bike with a little different configuration. (The Trygg double-leg stand cracked and was replaced). I've moved away since, but if you're ever in the DC area, the Capital Crescent, Mt. Vernon, and C&O Canal Trails are all great biking and walking venues.

2008 - C&O Canal Trail, looks like it was a nice evening...