Edit: I forgot to mention, we saw this ad recently in a 1950's National Geographic Magazine we have, and I remarked "too bad they don't make those anymore." Now I own one :)
Sunday, May 31, 2009
New (Old) Raleigh Sport
So, as a bit of an early birthday present for me (really early, thank you my dearest love!), we just today bought this gorgeous 1952 Raleigh Superbe. It came up on Craigslist yesterday (I subscribed to a search for Raleigh), and it looked so amazing we had to go look at it. It has the original Sturmey Archer 4-speed internal rear hub in, and it still works fine. It has the original front dynamo hub as well, though he wasn't sure if it still works, as he'd never had a light attached. He had the wheels rebuilt around the original hubs with alloy rims and put some nice Schwalbe Marathon tires on it, as well as new brake pads. It has the original Brooks saddle, which is a bit worn out, but isn't uncomfortable and has a nice squeak to it :) The bike itself feels really solid, and I'm amazed at what good shape it's in, being nearly 60 years old. This one has found a very happy, loving home, and hopefully it will still be in use after another 60 years. I would love to see that. Ok, enough jabber, here are the pictures:
Edit: I forgot to mention, we saw this ad recently in a 1950's National Geographic Magazine we have, and I remarked "too bad they don't make those anymore." Now I own one :)
Edit: I forgot to mention, we saw this ad recently in a 1950's National Geographic Magazine we have, and I remarked "too bad they don't make those anymore." Now I own one :)
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24 comments:
I am experiencing great envy at this moment! I am looking for just the right old bike to redo for myself. Having done one for Úna, now I want a nice old SA clicking away behind me : )
Beautiful. I have a Raleigh too. :)
I love how "Sturmey Archer" faces away from the cyclist. It is as though the bike is welcoming friends and other cyclists.
This thing is amazing, I'm still just kind of flabbergasted that it's in such good condition. It's really a beautiful bicycle, and I'm so glad I've gotten it. To make it even sweeter, I took it in to Clever Cycles, and they tested the dynohub, and it seems that it actually works, so I should be able to hook up a headlight to it :) Turns out Clever Cycles actually rebuilt the wheels for the guy who sold it to me, I went in and one of the mechanics said "oh, that was just in here last week!" :)
wow, that's a beauty! what a great birthday present :)
What a beauty! nice pix --looks like it was well cared for, too.
I'm pretty ignorant about old bikes, so can you clarify a couple things --that front light hub is magnetic, not friction driven, right? So does it impose any noticeable drag? If you do add a modern headlight, will it produce enough power for night riding on unlit streets?
The ad promises "featherlight construction" -- how much does it weigh? I'm assuming it's made of steel. How does it handle the hills? Do you think you might add a back rack?
Amazing that American manufacturers are just now getting back to making useful, beautiful bikes for regular people like this again. I wonder what it sold for new, back in the day, and how much that works out to in today's prices, adjusted for inflation.
What a sweet early birthday present. congrats!
@brett: happy to answer. the bike is in amazing condition - being 57 years old, it looks like it could be 3 or 4.
The front dynamo hub I believe is magnetic, yes. I don't notice drag at all. Of course, I haven't ridden the bike without it, but it's plenty easy to ride.
I think it depends what kind of headlight you use, as to whether it will provide enough voltage - probably a light with a standlight would do well, clever cycles suggested an LED.
I didn't weigh it, but just from a rough estimate of me picking it up, I'd say it's probably in the same range as my Electra Amsterdam, which is supposedly in the 35-40lb range, according to documentation. It is steel ("The All-Steel Bicycle"). I don't ride up any super-steep hills on a regular basis, but I've found it quite easy to go up the hills I've encountered on it so far. I don't find that weight really makes that huge of a difference in ability to climb small to moderate hills, it only makes a difference in how fast you're able to climb them. This bike handles the hills a little more easily than my Amsterdam.
I will almost certainly add a back rack if I can find one that adjusts to fit the small 24" wheels :)
The ad says $77.50, which according to this inflation calculator comes out to be about $623.63 in 2009 dollars. Pretty good price, I have to say, especially given the quality of the bike. Of course, that depends on whether the average salary in 1952 follows the same inflation curve or whatever. In any case, it would still have been a pretty decent investment for a lot of people (as $623 would be for me, today).
That bike is gorgeous. Congratulations!
@brett,
When that bike was built steel was king, it was built in Nottingham England. And it is made of real steel not the flimsy garbage that passes for it today. The hubs are an electrical generator with a magnetic ring, their is some resistance but it isn't a great amount. Any generator headlight will work, depending on the beam pattern and the type will depend on the amount of light it gives off. I have a couple of the original Raleigh headlights from the 70's and they are marginal at best, the newer LED's are outstanding for night riding, and don't forget a nice tail light too.
I am a huge fan of the old British bikes for their practicality and their durability. I have several but nothing like this gorgeous beast, jealousy is setting in. ;-)
Aaron
@2whls3spds: I know, I feel very very lucky to have found it :)
oh my. what an absolute beauty. gorgeous!! <3
Might need to switch the front wheel around. (dyno should be on the left) I believe it may be mounted backwards...look at the drawing in your ad. FWIW I suspect mine maybe also. On the Raleigh style hub it DOES make a difference!
Aaron
Yeah, I remember reading about that on Sheldon Brown's website - I'll have to read it in more detail and see which way it's supposed to be.
Oi! That is beautiful. Makes me all the more excited about the green 1968 Lady's Sports I've just reclaimed from the depths of my parents' garage!
@2whls3spds: after looking at Sheldon Brown some more and the reasons he gives for the Raleigh front hubs being uni-directional, I think he's talking specifically about the non-dynohub ones, as the cup and cone setup he's talking about (with the single adjustable cone on one side) doesn't seem to apply to the dynohub. If you can find any specific info, that'd be awesome, but it kind of seems like with the dynohub, the direction doesn't matter.
great post, beautiful bike, Dave! Congrats, he must ride like a dream!
He does ride like a dream :) Now I just need to get a light and a back rack, and all will be well with the world :)
That is a beauty. I've been looking for a bike of this vintage for years and have never seen anything close to the size I need. I'm beginning to think they never existed in big sizes.
At the other hand, the prices have been going steadily up... if you've got one it's sure worth holding on to!
Hi,
You might want to check:
http://khazanahsepedatua.blogspot.com/
a malaysian-based vintage bicycle enthusiast blog.
You may not understand what's written but they have nice collection of photos, snapped as well as scanned.
Thanks for the info. Think of what a fantastic investment that bike was. Now, granted it probably wasn't ridden every day for 57 years or it wouldn't be in that condition. But I don't suppose it's out of the question that a bike that's that durable and resilient could, with proper maintenance, last for several decades of daily use. Compare the per-day cost, even adjusted for inflation, of that vehicle to that of any car. How much money would you save over the decades? It might even approach the value of all those credit default swaps and derivatives before the bubble burst. Now I don't feel quite so guilty about what I spent on my steel Dutch bike, and that was bought slightly used. I'd say the original purchasers of those bikes received excellent value for money!
Henry Cutler of WorkCycles in Amsterdam has a number of pictures and has done some blog posts on Dutch bikes sitting around Amsterdam that are in the 50 year old range and still being used daily, left in the rain, ridden with loads on them. They aren't in the condition of my Raleigh, but have a nice patina of rust on them. However, they are still perfectly functional.
That's a far cry from the disposable junk we usually pawn off on people in the US. We used to build things to last as long as possible, now we build them specifically to break after 2 years so you have to buy a new one.
In my opinion, it's well worth the money to buy something that was built with skill and care - not only will you then not end up having to replace it every few years, but there is just a different feeling about something that is made with skill and care as opposed to something made entirely by machine to be disposable.
Just compare 1940's/1950's Soviet Architecture to development from the same time period in, say Paris, or even New York or Chicago. You know immediately from a first glance that one of them is made to be disposable, and the other is meant to last.
Wow what a beaut'! I grew up in England when 3 speeds were king. A Raleigh was a proper bike and folks relied on them to get them where they had to go in rain or shine, mostly rain!
I am looking for a Superbe. So hard to find on Ebay,Craigslist etc. They are usually snapped up fast. Congrats!
What a peach! Congrats! I have a '72 superbe (near mint w/all options) and I love it! Hard to find indeed!
Just been reading about your lovely bicycle. I have just purchased a 1957 All Steel Raleigh on ebay. I havent picked it up yet but am also very excited. It, apparently, all works and I love the idea of the hub generators. Never again will I go to ride up to my village pub of an evening only to find one of my darling children have purloined my light batteries for one of their ipods! Hope it doesnt make you too jealous but I paid forty one pounds for mine and it is describad as new condition owned by the priest from new.
@Anonymous: Congrats, I hope it's as great as it sounds! Enjoy it, Raleighs are great bicycles.
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