My Raleigh Sports 4-speed dates to 1958. The late 1940s through the early 1960s were the "golden age" of Raleigh. This was when Raleigh bikes had many high-quality touches, and finishing was at its best. Over the course of the 1960s, cost-cutting diminished some of the "posher" touches on the bikes. A 1970s-era Raleigh Sports might certainly be a reliable, attractive bike, but the 1940s-early 60s bikes had another level of finishing and fitting.
I love this 1958 Raleigh Sports, and here are a few, detailed shots of the nicer touches on the bike.
The heron head crank set has a 48-tooth sprocket. The heron bird figures in the chain ring have "eyes" and face front. The chain ring has the "inverted-V bridges" between the herons.
The rear fender decal has held up pretty well. These often get worn or damaged.
This "plain-style" headbadge is a nice, vintage touch.
The Sports has an FW 4-speed hub, and the shifter to match.
There are a few scratches here and there, but the condition on this bike is pretty good. Even those little "Raleigh" heron graphics on the fork blades are intact.
Talk about "overkill" - the seat tube has a full rack of graphcs: "High Tensile Steel Tubing"; "Genuine English Lightweight"; and my favorite, "The All-Steel Bicycle". Nobody brags about "all steel" anymore... I doubt buyers would pay good money for heavy, steel rims these days.
Here's a killer extra - a Raleigh Industries original bell, complete with the Raleigh Industries logo in the center of the bell. This isn't your typical, "$5 made-in-China" plastic bell for sure.
Even the brake lever straps are rounded, well-plated, and have received the "Raleigh Industries" strike. Think about that a moment - the clamp on a brake lever fully finished; struck; and plated in chrome. Raleigh spared few expenses on these "golden age" bikes.
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