Hey all! Looking to pick up a bike to putz around on for fun. Not afraid to get my hands dirty, but want to make sure I’m not buying something unserviceable. Any advice on what to look for or things to keep in mind would be greatly appreciated!
Any faux pas with fixing it up?
by YT__
5 Comments
looks like a Raleigh
That’s a Humber branded Raleigh, which is cool, but not amazing. The bike itself is likely a 2030 carbon steel frame, which, on a scale of 1-10 is a 6. In terms of comfort, it’s a 10. Nothing unusual about it maintenance wise. I’d recommend putting Sun Cr18 rims on it. The old steel rims are bad for braking, and heavy. That swap, by itself, brings the ride up immeasurably.
We do a 3 speed ride here in Minnesota, 2 days, 80 miles, leisurely pace, with bakery stops. When you slow down a bit and take your time riding, it’s amazing how much fun you can have on an old touring bike.
Awesome bike. Perfect mellow slow speed cruiser. Once you tune thing up it will outlive you.
This looks in extraordinarly good shape for its age. Parts to replace if needed would be fairly easy to source. Will need a new seat, preferably Brooks. Wont go fast c.f. newer, lighter bikes, but will last forever.
It’ a late 60s bike after the CPSC mandated pedal reflectors in 1966 and it’s got the 2 foil bands on the seat tube. It’s still made in Nottingham, England. Later bikes in the early 70s were made in Taiwan and Canada. The Raleigh factory in Nottingham was the biggest bike manufacturer on earth, and that frame (also used for 3 speeds) was probably the biggest seller of that era. There are millions of them still rolling or more likely collecting dust in old people’s garages. Don’t worry about “originality”. It’s not one of a kind. I like to maintain the soul of the bike, but I make them better to ride as I see fit. Alloy rims are a must. Aside from the weight of the steel rims, the chrome finish makes the brakes inneffective, especially when wet. Ok if you’re in the country, but not for where I live. Steel rims are asking for rolling into traffic instead of stopping. Sun CR18 double wall, eyeletted rims are a straight up swap. Tire size is still readily available. 35-590 size (26 x 1-3/8″).