Cleaning and Refurbishing Old Bikes - Products I Prefer as of 2024 - 2025

 

I've been refurbishing and riding vintage bikes since the mid-1990s. In all that time, I have never been sponsored or paid for my work. However, over the years I have developed a short list of my "go to" products for certain jobs. These products are my own preferences - unpaid and unsolicited.

• 3-in-1 "Blue Bottle" Oil: 3-in-1 makes a 20-weight oil that is great for oiling old hubs, brake calipers, brake rods, and levers. Be sure to buy the oil in the bottle with the blue stripe that shows a little engine on the side of it. The more common 3-in-1 oil with the black/red stripe is not as good. I've gone through countless bottles of "blue bottle" 3-in-1 20-weight oil over the years. It is my go-to for periodic oiling of Sturmey Archer three speed hubs.
  

• Acetone: This is my final de-greaser of choice for bare metal and chrome. Do not use it on paint or decals. I use acetone when I need something totally clean from grease or residue, such as re-bluing old bearing surfaces and parts. It also is a good final cleaner before priming and painting something. Wear heavy gloves with it. Acetone can also be used to carefully rub off spray paint that has gotten onto an old bike part. Be careful though - it will remove original paint if you go too hard with it.
  

• Citri-Strip Paint Stripper: This is a modern paint stripper found in big box and hardware stores. If I need to strip paint off a part, I use this stuff first. If it's not strong enough, I resort to True-Test Paint Stripper (see below). Wear heavy gloves with any paint stripper.
  

• Channellock: Channellock makes pliers and wide-mouth wrenches. They have a light blue handle. Channellock makes a six-inch wrench with an ultra-wide jaw that is useful for the large nuts found on headsets and once-piece cranks.
  

• Craftsman Tools (vintage USA): I love old, USA-made Craftsman wrenches, sockets, and screwdrivers. These were sold at Sears stores in the USA many years ago. They are well-made and reasonably priced. These were the tools "regular" people in the US used back in the day (Snap-On was an option if you had a lot of money to spend). I usually get them from sellers on eBay or at local junk sales. Newer Craftsman tools are usually made in Taiwan. They're not quite as good as the old, USA-made tools, but they're also not bad.
  

• Dawn Power Wash: This is a relatively recent product that I use for cleaning up dirt, grease, and grime on old bikes. Spray it on and leave it for a few minutes, then wash and wipe away. Do not leave it on old decals - it may damage them. Good for cleaning dirt off most kinds of paint and chrome.

• Dupli-Color Automotive Paint: This is a touch-up paint for cars and trucks that comes in a slender plastic bottle. It is acetone-based and dries very quickly. If you have an exact match for paint that does not require mixing of colors, then this paint works nicely. It's durable enough for bike use. I often thin the paint with a little acetone before applying it. It goes on very thick straight from the bottle. I like this paint for black bikes where I can just apply the paint directly rather than having to mix colors. For mixing colors, I use Testor's model enamel (see below). 
  

• Estwing Sure Strike: I have a couple Estwing Sure Strike hammers with hickory handles. These are older hammers and are very well-made. My go-to hammer is an Estwing Sure Strike ball peen hammer with a wooden handle. I periodically polish the striking surfaces on the hammer using a polishing wheel. This helps prevent marring of work surfaces when using the hammer. A hammer face with dings and cuts in it can mar the surface of whatever you are striking.
  

• Evaporust:  This is a rust remover that is pre-mixed and somewhat expensive. I use it once in awhile, but I prefer oxalic acid that I mix myself (see below). Be careful if you subject old decals to this - it can soften and ruin them. Given a choice, I usually opt for oxalic acid.
  

• Greases: When I need grease, my go-to is a good #2 medium weight green grease. I like Lucas brand green grease that comes in the tubes you put in the grease gun. It is made for machines with small bearings that go through many revolutions, so it's good for bike bearings. For thin grease, I like WD40's white spray grease, which is a thin product. It bridges the gap between an oil and a grease - when you need something thinner than #2 grease but oil would be too thin.
  

• One-Step: This is a chain cleaning and lubricating product for when you need to "top off" the chain with a little oil to smooth it out. It is not a substitute for a full chain cleaning, but when you just need a little cleaning and lubrication on occasion, it works well on the chain.
  

• Oxalic Acid: Savogran and Florida Labs produce oxalic acid for bleaching wood. In a diluted form, it works well to remove rust from metal surfaces. It does well with bare metal and chrome plated metal. Be careful using it with paint, and be very careful subjecting old decals to oxalic acid. A little goes a long way... It will bleach certain kinds of paint, particularly red paints that use iron oxide as an ingredient. It will also bleach certain kinds of gold pinstripes.  
  

• Parktool: Park makes good bicycle-specific tools. Look for the blue handle. My rule with Park is this: I get the Parktool version if it is a bicycle-specific tool (for example, a chainbreaker, headset assembler, frame straightener, cone wrench, etc.). For general-purpose tools like wrenches, sockets, and screwdrivers, vintage USA-made Craftsman is my go-go.
  

• Pedro's Tire Levers: I like Pedro's brand tire levers. They're a wide, plastic lever that is yellow in color. They provide good leverage and are a little beefier than the usual tire lever for a bike.
  

• Rustoleum Spray Paint: Rustoleum is a well-known American spray paint. It has been a staple at hardware and big box stores for years. It was the "average guy's" spray paint back in the day, but over the past 20 years or so has improved quite a bit. I use it as my go-to for priming and painting stuff where I don't need a dead-on match of specialty paint. For example, I use their black paint to re-paint old Sturmey Archer pulleys that have lost their original paint (Sturmey Archer black-out pulleys were common from the 1900s through the early 1950s). For painting a bike frame and fenders, I'd take the piece to a paint shop and have a specialty paint mixed up.
  

• Simple Green: This is a well-known household cleaner that is not overly harsh and a kind of minty smell. I like to use it for de-greasing and dirt removal. I usually combine it with some bronze wool or an old tooth brush. I also use it as a key ingredient in ultrasonic cleaner baths (see below). 

• Testors Model Enamel: This is an oil-based enamel that comes in small glass jars. If you built model cars or airplanes as a child, you probably are familiar with it. It is easy to mix to get custom colors. It is not terribly durable, but if you need a special color mix to touch-up an old bike, this is a good paint to try.

• Tri-Flow: This is a very thin lubricating oil for tasks where 3-in-1 blue bottle oil is too thick. It's good for the very tight spaces, such as when you want to put a little oil in a brake caliper but you don't want to loosen up the caliper at all. It creeps into the tight spaces nicely. Don't lose the little straw that comes with the bottle!
  

• True-Test Paint Stripper: This is an older paint stripper. The bottle looks to be from the 1980s and was sold at local Tru-Value hardware store. It's harsh and it's toxic, but if you need to nuke old paint, this stuff works wonders. If you have a bottle of this stuff around, keep it. It's getting hard to find good, strong paint strippers today due to environmental laws.

• Ultrasonic Cleaners: I own two ultrasonic cleaners: a small Lyman machine and a generic Vevor machine (from Amazon's website). I love ultrasonic cleaners. They are a "game changer" when it comes to cleaning small parts and caged bearings. I often disassemble Sturmey Archer hubs and thoroughly clean them with an ultrasonic cleaner. Instead of scrubbing by hand, I put them in the machine for a few minutes with heat on, and let the machine do the work of dirt and grease removal. My mix of choice is hot water, Simple Green, and a little Zep Citrus Degreaser in the tub.
  

• Victorinox: My go-to pocket knife is a knurled aluminum Victorinox Swiss Army Knife. I prefer the vintage "soldier" model (the knurled aluminum one - not the newer one) or its civilian cousin, the "pioneer" model. I have a small collection of classic Swiss Army knives, which is a hobby in its own right. I prefer the ones with knurled aluminum sides rather than the stereotypical plastic. 
  

• WD40: This is a decent rust inhibitor. I also use WD40 to wash the old grease out of hubs that I don't want to disassemble. In some situations, it can be used with very fine 0000 steel wool or bronze wool to remove light surface rust (be careful - go easy with it). It leaves a residue, so you need to de-grease before painting or bluing something if you've used WD40.
  

• Zep Citrus De-greaser: Zep makes several forms of orange de-greaser. There's a liquid and then there's a soap. The liquid I use as a component in my ultrasonic cleaner baths for cleaning parts (see below). I use the hand pump soap to clean my hands of dirt and grease.

 

 

1970 Raleigh DL-1 - Late Season Rides

 

We've certainly had some strange weather this fall. It has been very dry, to the point we now have wildfires in some locations. It has also been generally warm, which means a few extra opportunities to ride. I have to start out earlier - usually a little before 4:00 p.m., so that I can get an hour or so of riding in before it is dark. But any time riding in the second half of November around here is a true bonus. 

 

 

An Unexpected Extension of the Riding Season

 This week's pleasant surprise has been the weather: unseasonably warm and dry. Normally my ride season basically ends when the clocks change. Well, the clocks changed last Saturday, and I'm still riding. I have to go a little earlier in the evening because it gets dark sooner, but the weather has been cooperative. This week I have out the 1970 Raleigh DL-1 rod brake roadster and the 1964 Schwinn Traveler. Both have retro lights with LED bulbs, which are very helpful this time of year.

 

Sturmey Archer Three Speed Shifters - Another Variation of the "Upside Down" Shifter

The evolution of Sturmey Archer post-war shifters is well-documented. If you have not already, take a look at Martin Hanczyc's well-written summary on post-war shifters. Available HERE.

Mr. Hancyzc calls the non-window, "upside down" style shifter the "GC3B". The above shifters are examples.

But you may have noticed something - those shifters are not exactly the same. One has brown accents on it, with a slightly different font. Let's take a closer look and see that there are, in fact, several variations of GC3B.

The typical GC3B is shown below - black and red accents, and a fairly fine font for the lettering.

 

Now, let's take a look at the "variant" - a shifter with brown accents and a slightly bolder font.

 Notice on this brown variant how the patent lettering is bolder at the top, and how the "England" is also bolder at the bottom. The numbers are also a little bolder along the side. The "3 Speed" to the right also is larger than on the multi-color version. The contours on the shifter lever are also a little different - the lever is slightly larger and flatter than on the multi-color version.

One thing you cannot see, is that the brown shifter takes the screw-in cable end, while the multi-color  shifter above takes the later, slip-in type cable end. The brown shifter is a slightly earlier shifter than the multi-color.

What to make of this? It turns out that there are several versions of the GC3B "upside down" shifter of the late 1950s. There is the common, multi-color version with thinner writing and a shorter lever, but there is also the "brown" version with the longer lever and bolder writing on the face. Functionally, these shifters are similar, though the brown version has the screw-in type cable end and the multi-color uses the slip-in cable end. 

We have seen yet another variation of Sturmey Archer shifters from after WWII, during the 1950s. An additional thank you to Mr. Hanczyc for taking the time to put together his excellent summary on the shifters. Check out the link at the start of this article for more information on these wonderful bike parts.

Winding Down the Riding Season

 We're into the last week or so of the core riding season. Typically for me, the season "ends" when the clocks change during the first weekend in November. I may get a couple more rides in on warm weekend days, but my nightly rides after work finish up the last week in October or the first week in November. The clocks change early this year - November 2nd to 3rd. 

The start of this week was dry but cool. We're supposed to have some warmer weather (perhaps record warmth) later this week. 

 

I took out my 1964 Schwinn Traveler to start the week. I've been enjoying this bike more ever since I fiddled with the handlebar and saddle fit a little. It's a good, solid rider.

Pictures from a Warm Autumn Week...

 No complaints about the weather this week - very warm and very dry. I don't recall it ever being this dry in October. I've been riding every evening that I have some free time. This week, I've been out on the 1964 Schwinn Traveler and the 1970 Raleigh DL-1. The only downside of this weather is that the roads have become very dusty (see final photo with the DL-1 - that's a road dust cloud ahead).

Into the Second Half of October...

 It's hard to believe we're already into the second half of October. The riding season sure has gone by fast... The riding season here, at least for me, ends in early November usually. Once we go back to Standard Time, there's not enough daylight in the evenings to ride during the week. I'm confined at that point to occasional weekend rides, and that assumes the weather stays warm. Some years we have snow on the ground by the middle of November... (hopefully not though). 

I took my 1957 Schwinn Traveler for a ride last night. It's a nice contrast to the Raleigh DL-1 I recently rebuilt. The Schwinn, heavy though it is, is sporty compared to the DL-1. There's a lot to like about both bikes though. Anyway, I hope there's at least a couple more weeks of riding here for me. We shall see...

This time of year, it is important to dress in layers and have working lights on both the front and back of the bike. I use retro-style LED lights for an extra measure of safety and visibility.

1970 Raleigh DL-1 Rod Brake Roadster

This 1970 Raleigh DL-1 is pretty much ready. This bike came from an online sale at a fairly discount price, considering it was a low-mileage bike. The 24 inch frame on 28 inch wheels is as large as I would care to go, but it rides very nicely. 

 

Before:

 

After:

 

 

This bike has a large, 24-tooth rear cog (48-tooth front) and oversized Schwalbe tires. It has a very low gearing, which combines with those tires to create a "slow but steady" feel. The oversized tires are nice to have on dirt paths or rougher roads. 

 

The rod brakes are set up and adjusted. They stop about as well as rod brakes will stop a bike. The low gearing generally keeps the speeds pretty low anyway. The long crank arms and low gearing are nice to have on the hills around here.

Summary of work done:

• All bearings cleaned, oiled/greased and rebuilt.
• Everything disassembled and cleaned.
• Hubs disassembled, cleaned in ultrasonic cleaner, rebuilt. 
• Replace crank cotter pins. 
• Add new-old-stock Sturmey Archer shifter (metal face)
  
• New rubber grommets on fender wire brace mounts.
• Replace stripped/damaged screws and bolts.
  
• Rim washers added to wheels.
• Wheels tensioned and trued.
  
• New tires and rim strips.
• New brake pads (Kool Stop rubber)
• New MKS 3000S pedals
• New shifter cable and cable cover.
• Replace plastic fulcrum stop and pulley wheel with vintage metal.
  
• New chain (KMC nickel plated)
• New rear cog (24-tooth Sturmey Archer)
• Paint polished and touched-up.
• New old stock 1970s Raleigh handlebar grips.
• New saddle - Wright's Olympic roadster.
• New retro LED light set (Kiley/Soma)
• Replace wornout decals/graphics with new ones (H. Lloyd's)
  
• New Acorn saddlebag. 
• Vintage Raleigh bell.
  
  

Here are some close-ups - those H. Lloyd replacement decals are great.

 

 

1947 Schwinn Continental and Schwinn Double Adjustable Stem

 

We're well into autumn now, with cooler temperatures and less daylight. The ride season continues, at least for the time being. Normally, the season here lasts into early November, then the clocks change and the weather really begins to cool off. 

 

I took my 1947 Schwinn Continental for a ride last evening. We're getting more fall color now...

The Schwinn Continental was one of the bikes that received the "double adjustable" stem. This type of stem features two pieces, which could be adjusted to give handlebar rides or drop. The stems came in various lengths so you could raise and lower the handlebars as needed. Unfortunately, these stems are now very expensive because they were used on high-end balloon tire Schwinn bikes for a number of years. This stem was quite expensive to acquire, but it has a wide range of adjustment and is the right stem for this 1947 Continental.

 

On a final note, I am pleased to announce that this 1947 Schwinn Continental, along with my 1953 Raleigh Lenton, won the 2024 BikeForums "On the Road Again Challenges" in the "Restoration" category. Both are wonderful riding, quality vintage three speed bikes.

Fall Rides - 1957 Schwinn Traveler

 

Good luck with the weather continues: warm, dry weather that is great for riding. We're already into the first week of October, and though the daylight is getting shorter, the weather has been cooperative so far. 

I recently took out this 1957 Schwinn Traveler three speed for a nice, evening ride. Schwinn's version of the three speed bike just has a durable, solid feel to it. Granted, it's quite heavy for a three speed bike with a diamond frame, but it has a durability and "substantial" feel that is hard to match. 

The Weinmann 810 brakes ("Schwinn Approved" branding on the caliper) were ahead of their time when you consider how lightweight they are and how intuitive they are to service. I will grant that they can be a bit fiddly to adjust, but once they are dialed-in, they're great.

This time of year you need a good set of lights. This bike has a Kily/Soma retro headlight (LED in a vintage-style chrome metal shell) and taillight (LED Soma stainless steel torpedo rear). 

I recently swapped the handlebars to a set one size larger (22 inches across with a little more rise and pull back). I wanted a little more substantial set of bars, but not something overly large. I think these are a great balance of control and compactness. Some of the later 1960s and 70s bikes had oversized bars as would be found on a cruiser type bike. I think those are a bit too big for a bike like this. These medium  bars are quite comfortable and give good control when taking a sharp turn or hitting a bump.

I wrote recently about frame weights on vintage three speed style bikes (see HERE). This bike is an example of when weight is only one of several concerns, and where it is fairly far down on the list of priorities in building a bike. Yes, the Schwinn is "heavy" for this class of bike, but the weight really is not a bother when you consider how comfortable and durable the bike is.

Fall Colors, 1947 Schwinn Continental

So far, autumn here has been mild and fairly dry. We are about 7 to 10 days behind schedule as to fall colors and falling leaves, I would say. The first full weekend of October usually has lots of color and leaves already on the ground. This year, we have some color but many trees are still green. Some leaves have fallen, but many are still up. The warm, dry weather has allowed more time in the saddle, which is always a plus at the end of the season. Winter can be pretty long here... so time to get the rides in while you still can.

Weighing the Matter of Frame Weight - Vintage Utility Bikes

 Road and performance bike enthusiasts love to obsess over weight. But what about vintage steel bikes from the 1970s and earlier? What about the overall weight of a utility bike, such as an old three speed? The point of this short article is to remind utility and three enthusiasts not to take frame weight too seriously.

Let's take a quick look at two, common 1970s-era steel bike frames: a Raleigh Grand Prix ("2030" steel) and a Raleigh Super Course (Reynolds "531" steel for the main tubes). The frame geometries are essentially the same on these frames. The Grand Prix weighs in at 2648 grams or 93.4 ounces. The Super Course is 2538 grams or 89.5 ounces. That is a difference of about four ounces - not a whole lot. The tube walls on the 531 frame are a bit thinner than the 2030 frame, hence the weight difference. (More discussion for those interested - HERE)

Now let's broaden the picture and look at the whole bike. Looking at the Raleigh catalogue comparison chart (see HERE ), we find about a 16 ounce (453.6 grams) difference for the whole bike Grand Prix versus Super Course. Most of that 16 ounce difference (12 of the 16 ounces or so) comes from the lighter components (alloy versus steel) on the Super Course.

Taking those results into account, we find the following:

• The whole bike weight difference is somewhat substantial.
• However most of the whole bike difference is not attributable to frame weight.
• The frame weight difference is actually fairly small. 
• As each bike gets heavier, the frame weight difference becomes less and less significant because it remains just about four ounces versus the much greater weight of the whole bike.

As three speed enthusiasts, our bikes are (usually) even heavier than these 1970s-era road bikes. Three speeds often have more steel components and accessories. Looking again at the last bullet point above, we find that as each bike gets heavier, that difference of a few ounces in the frame tubes becomes less and less significant from the perspective of how the bike handles and feels (e.g., a four ounce difference between two very light weight objects will feel substantial, but a four ounce difference in two heavy objects feels less substantial even if the objective number is still four ounces).

The bottom line is that frame tube "hype" plays much more of a role in lightweight performance bikes than it does for classic three speed utility bikes. Other factors are more important:

• Durability
• Frame geometry
• Accessories added
• Alloy versus steel parts, such as rims, handlebars, etc.

Don't write-off that old 2030 steel Raleigh Sports, and don't immediately jump for a Reynolds 531 frame, because you have to keep in mind the overall picture of bike weight. Perhaps some alloy component upgrades on your 2030 frame will more than make up the difference.

 Certainly, if you like the feel of Reynolds 531, by all means build up and ride that frame. But if you like 2030 steel, and if you can't feel any difference between that and the 531 frame as you ride down the road, don't obsess over "why" you can't feel it. On a thirty-five pound bike, a few ounces isn't a whole lot. Ride what you enjoy and what works for your circumstances.

Enjoying Some Dry, Fall Weather

 We have had quite a streak of dry weather the past couple of weeks. We had a very damp August, but September has been very dry. Normally the opposite is true around here, but at least there has been some good riding weather in September.

 

I recently changed the saddle on my 1940s Raleigh Model 35 from a Wright's triple spring to a Brooks B66. The triple is a good saddle, but perhaps it is more suited to a rod brake type roadster. I'm thinking of using it on the recently-acquired Raleigh DL-1 project.

 

I also have had my 1958 Raleigh Sports four-speed out on the road. I've owned it for quite a few years now, and it always is a comfortable rider.

 

Bike Philosophy: Considering Biking, Health, and Individualism

My Philosophy

Bicycling is one of the most individual of sports. Like walking, running, or golf, it can be done in a group, or entirely alone. How to participate varies greatly from person to person. The cornerstone of my philosophy is this: ride your bike; ride it your own way; and enjoy every minute of it. Don't be worried if your style of riding is different from what is popular or what is recommended by the local retail shop. Ride your way, get exercise, get out into the world, and free your mind up from worry while you ride.

 

Flexibility and Resilience as a Strength of the Hobby

Bicycling is a not the most popular sport or hobby in the USA, but it is one of the most resilient and one of the most flexible. It has been through several booms and busts since the high-wheel bike and the first safety bikes in the 1880s and 1890s. Each time bicycling seemed to be "dead" in the U.S., it eventually came back. This resilience is largely due to how flexible and individual it can be.

In the vintage bike sphere, we have just as much flexibility and individuality as anywhere else in the sport, perhaps even more so. Some enthusiasts ride 130-year-old high wheel bikes, and some ride bikes they purchased themselves in the 1980s, and everything in between. Some ride for speed or faster times, but many ride simply for fun and to be outdoors. Some riders combine vintage bikes with new technology, such as smart phone applications and performance spreadsheets, while others ride without any newer aids.

Tried and True Advice

I particularly like advice that President Eisenhower's doctor, Paul Dudley White, gave many years ago. Dr. White reminded people that bicycle riding and similar forms of exercise were physically beneficial and provided a sort of psychological therapy as well. A bike ride is good for both the body and the mind. He famously prescribed bicycling as a form of exercise that would benefit President Dwight Eisenhower after the President had a heart attack while in office, in September 1955. 

 

Dr. Paul Dudley White on an old style touring bike

Dr. White's advice reminds us that bicycling is beneficial to the individual, regardless of whether we ride in a group or solo. Dr. White rode a touring bike regularly and was one of bicycling's strongest advocates in the US, all without being competitive or trying to sell fancy products to the public. He reminded the public to get outdoors, keep moving, and enjoy life while you're doing all that.

 

Dr. White on an old style Schwinn tandem

Closing Thought

I wind up in the same camp. If you enjoy an ancient, 1920s era wood wheel bike for riding, go with it. If you prefer a 1950s three speed, use it. If you rather ride a 1980s road bike, then do that. If you prefer to ride alone every time and simply enjoy the outdoors, then great. If you prefer to ride with a group, then go with them. 

There is no, single "right" way to ride. Observe the rules of the road and stay safe. But do not feel compelled to buy something or ride a certain way simply because that is what is popular or what someone is trying to sell to you. . You don't have to spend a great deal of money and you don't have to buy all the various accessories and gadgets. Your money is better on bringing the bicycle up to par - good brake pads, good tires, a proper fitting saddle, etc. You can ride a simple, old single speed or three speed comfortably and enjoyably. It's good for the heart and good for the mind.

More Dry, Early Fall Weather

 Here are a couple recent pictures from the road - my black 1958 Raleigh Sports four speed, and my blue 1947 Schwinn Continental three speed. Both of these are high-quality bikes in outstanding condition. I'm enjoying the dry, pleasant weather we've had the past two weeks here in New England. Hopefully there is more to come before the ride season ends.

1970 Raleigh DL-1 - Recent Find

 

 

Here is another local Craigslist find - 1970 Raleigh DL-1. As you can probably notice, it's a pretty tall bike: 24-inch frame on 28-inch wheels. It's in pretty good shape. Even the pinstripes are in pretty good shape. They're often totally obliterated by age and use. 

This bike does have some light surface rust here and there, but it should clean up fairly well. This is a classic example of a "second generation" rod brake roadster in the US market.

 

In Britain, rod brake roadsters had a very long lifespan - from the early 1900s all the way up to the 1980s. 

In the US, the rod brake bikes came in two distinct generations. The first generation would be those from the 1940s and earlier. This includes the classic pre-war roadsters, and the somewhat more luxurious roadsters of the immediate post-war period.

 

During the course of the 1950s, and into the 1960s, rod brake bikes became less common in the USA. It was during the 1950s and 1960s that the cable brake Sports and Superbe had a "golden era" in the USA market. 

In the very late 1960s, the Raleigh DL-1 was re-introduced to the US market. Initially it was a as a bike "for tall people", but this later expanded with both 22 and 24 inch frame sizes. This second generation of bikes in the US market is much more common to find today. These bikes continued to come into the US into the early 1980s.

 

This 1970 Raleigh DL-1 is an early second generation rod brake bike for the US market. It has the usual US market features: hockey stick chain guard, early 1970s decals, wide "north road" style rod brake bars (as opposed to the old-style narrow bars), B72 saddle, and plastic cover gear shifter. It has galvanized wire fender stays rather than the old-style painted and threaded stays. It retains the old style white patch on the rear fender with black reflector. 

One thing I did notice is this bike has a dedicated, aluminum DL-1 kickstand. Kickstands for DL-1 bikes can be hard to find. Normally the Petscher/ESGE stands from the 1970s are the best bet for a regular kickstand on a Raleigh DL-1. However, this bike has an aluminum, Raleigh Industries older style DL-1 kickstand - a nice touch.

The plan is to disassemble, clean, and refurbish this bike. I plan to do a brief article on using an ultrasonic cleaner to deep clean a Sturmey Archer AW hub. This is not always necessary with an AW hub (often a more basic cleaning is sufficient), but it gives an opportunity to show those who want to go the "extra mile" how to get a deeply cleaned hub.

Interestingly, I've had fairly good luck with Craigslist bikes over the years. Last year, I bought a nice 1957 Schwinn Traveler off of Craigslist, and 20 years ago (2004), I bought a nice 1978 Raleigh DL-1 with a 22-inch frame. I like how 20 years after that first DL-1, I've got another DL-1 from Craigslist.