I bought this Raleigh, sans a few parts, from Tom Ward in 2009.
The missing parts were filled in with the leftovers from my street-found Phillips.
I slowly upgraded the parts, acquiring the proper chain cover and getting a new mattress saddle from Landmark, though I kept some of the out-of-place parts as well, such as the alloy stem and mismatched grips.
Dusty gave me his old Sun black-anodized wheelchair rims, and I swapped them for the chromed steel Dunlop rims that were on there, upgrading braking performance and making the whole thing more black.
I've been unable to date the frame. The bottom bracket is stamped "59", which I believe is the size, and there is no visible serial number anywhere else on the frame. Since it did not come with the original wheels (the rear SA hub is a 5-speed from the Phillips), I can't go by the date stamped on the gearbox.
There is one notable detail on this bike: the rear fender does not have a white tail. I've never seen a Sports without one.
Until I started riding my mini velo, this was my #1 commuting bike. The geometry (approxiamtely: 56 cm top tube, 59 cm seat tube) is perfect for me. The soft frame soaks up a lot of bumps, and the fenders, lights, rack, and chain cover mean I never really need to think about it - I just ride.
Frankly, this is still the best commuting bike. I ride the mini velo because I made it, but it's not as comfortable as this one. The basket is not as good as this basket. The straight bars don't feel as good as these, which put my hands at about a 45º angle to the frame. And I don't feel as good about locking the mini velo up.
This bike is the ideal to which my handbuilt bicycles will aspire.
Despite my love of this Raleigh, it's now in semi-retirement, having been replaced (in my stable, but not in my heart) by the J. Nachlin "Sports".
I bought this Raleigh, sans a few parts, from Tom Ward in 2009.
The missing parts were filled in with the leftovers from my street-found Phillips.
I slowly upgraded the parts, acquiring the proper chain cover and getting a new mattress saddle from Landmark, though I kept some of the out-of-place parts as well, such as the alloy stem and mismatched grips.
Dusty gave me his old Sun black-anodized wheelchair rims, and I swapped them for the chromed steel Dunlop rims that were on there, upgrading braking performance and making the whole thing more black.
I've been unable to date the frame. The bottom bracket is stamped "59", which I believe is the size, and there is no visible serial number anywhere else on the frame. Since it did not come with the original wheels (the rear SA hub is a 5-speed from the Phillips), I can't go by the date stamped on the gearbox.
There is one notable detail on this bike: the rear fender does not have a white tail. I've never seen a Sports without one.
Until I started riding my mini velo, this was my #1 commuting bike. The geometry (approxiamtely: 56 cm top tube, 59 cm seat tube) is perfect for me. The soft frame soaks up a lot of bumps, and the fenders, lights, rack, and chain cover mean I never really need to think about it - I just ride.
Frankly, this is still the best commuting bike. I ride the mini velo because I made it, but it's not as comfortable as this one. The basket is not as good as this basket. The straight bars don't feel as good as these, which put my hands at about a 45º angle to the frame. And I don't feel as good about locking the mini velo up.
This bike is the ideal to which my handbuilt bicycles will aspire.
Despite my love of this Raleigh, it's now in semi-retirement, having been replaced (in my stable, but not in my heart) by the J. Nachlin "Sports".
