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Sunday, May 15, 2016

1948 Raleigh Dawn Tourist

My latest project is a 1948 Raleigh Dawn Tourist. The Dawn Tourist combined the traditional rod brake system with a 26 inch wheel Raleigh Sports style frame. It offered a hybrid of the Raleigh Sports and the Raleigh DL1.



I especially like these hybrid-style roadsters- I already have a Hercules Model C from 1946.

These hybrid bicycles combine the handling and ride position of the Raleigh Sports style bike with more traditional, full roadster elements. I actually rebuilt an early 1960s Dawn Tourist with drum brakes a couple of years ago.

This Dawn Tourist is a complete project, but I have already taken it apart.









The wheels are 26 x 1-3/8, but are Westwood pattern rims for rod brakes.










The project is in decent shape, but certainly needs a fair amount of work. I look forward to rebuilding this bicycle and putting it back on the road.