1940 Raleigh Model 35 Sports

 I wrote earlier about this unusual, Model 35 Sports Raleigh from 1940. It seems like one of those bikes produced right on the eve of the transformation of the "Phony War" to all-out war in Europe. 

It's a kind of budget version of the regular Raleigh Sports. 

 The short spindle and lack of frame marks indicate it did not have a chain guard, which is in keeping with the 1940 catalog.

It handles like basically any Raleigh Sports would handle, except the Wright's Olympic roadster saddle I added gives it a very cushy, floating feel. 

One thing that has been bugging me on it is the bell. I added a period, brass Lucas bell that I rehabilitated earlier this year. The innards tend to rattle a bit in normal riding. It's not enough to actually ring the bell, but I can hear them rattling and clunking inside the hollow bell shell. I may have to swap it. I love how the bell looks and sounds on this bike, but I like my bikes to run smoothly and quietly over the road, at least as much as possible.