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...

 

 

9/11 at 25 years; Schwinn New World Rides

Not much to report on the biking front this week, just a few ride photos of the 1949 Schwinn New World. 

On a separate note, it is difficult to believe that 25 years have passed since the 9/11 attacks occurred. At that time, I lived in an apartment across the Potomac from the Pentagon. I remember the chaos and destruction of that day well. There was also an extraordinary amount of sacrifice and bravery that day on the part of the police, firefighters, medics, military personnel, and ordinary citizens who helped others during and after the attacks. It's odd how the memory of it sticks in my mind like it happened just last week, and yet it was a quarter century ago. But that is a good thing. We should all remember. 

New Arrival - 1951 Raleigh Clubman (Blue)

Over the long weekend, I was fortunate enough to meet up with a fellow Raleigh enthusiast and to buy this very nice, 1951 Raleigh Clubman, along with some extra wheel sets and parts.

 

This Raleigh is in fine shape. It has most of its blue paint and frame graphics. The Bluemels fenders are in good shape and the chrome is clean. 

 

I've owned several Raleigh Clubman bikes before. The best of them were a re-painted (professionally, it seems) 1951 Clubman and an original paint 1949 Clubman. Those bikes have since moved on to other Raleigh collectors, but I've always wanted a nice, blue Clubman. 

 

This one was relatively close by, so I decided it would be a good one to own.

 

A nice feature of the 1951 Clubman is the use of 27 x 1-1/4 rather than 26 x 1-1/4 rims, which makes finding good quality tires easier today. This particular bike came with two spare wheel sets. All three wheel sets use the very nice, Dunlop Special Lightweight steel rims of that time period. One seat of wheels features a 1951 Sturmey Archer AW hub and the other a classic flip-flop single-speed fixed-gear and freewheel hub. The bike currently has a Sturmey Archer FM four-speed, moderate-ratio hub.

 

This 1951 Clubman has a 22-inch frame on 27-inch wheels, which is a of a moderate size and should fit me pretty well.

Even with steel rims, this bike was very light weight for its time period. I had it parked alongside an old-school Phillips rod brake roadster I was cleaning. It's quite a contrast.

I have been finishing up a very basic refurbishment of my re-purchased Phillips roadster lately. The Phillips was a bike I owned for a few years, sold to another enthusiast, then bought back when he no longer wanted it. That bike is nearly ready, so I have to decide whether to proceed next to the early Raleigh Dawn or to the Raleigh Clubman. We have maybe 45 to 60 days left in the riding season here, before the cold weather really starts to bite. We will see...

 The Clubman also came with a number of nice parts, in addition to the extra wheels. These Shockstop grips are in nice shape and very pliable.

The bike also comes with a lightweight pump with a Robin Hood logo on it.

I don't know if I will get to this bike this season or not. I'd really like to, but it depends on whether I start work on the early Raleigh Dawn roadster I picked up last winter. They're both nice bikes. "Good problems to have", as the saying goes...