Early 60s Raleigh Sports

[twojs.bike]

Just picked this one up!

Working dynamo front hub.
Locking fork but the key is missing.
1962 license plate
SA hub stamped 1960

It has a horn that takes a D cell battery.
The reflectors on the wheels are curious. I thought that started in the mid 70s. Maybe they were added?

 

[rickpaulos]

Can you add photos of the license sticker and the dealer stick on the seat tube?

Any guesses on the U.S.R. plate?

 

[ingola]

Here's a post on how to rebuild the dynamo
https://ratrodbikes.com/threads/couples-raleigh.118831/post-1261492
They tend to get dirty and not work you also need to put a diode across the contacts to switch to led light

 

[ingola]

Keys are available on eBay. The are not original check the date on the hub. The sports did not come with a dynamo

 

[twojs.bike]

Thank you! I will document the build here, because I have questions. Although @ingola is answering them before I ask. Which is a true sign you have expertise!

Here are the stickers and serial number. I believe USR is Upper Saddle River, NJ which is close to Paramus, NJ

I bought the bike in Norfolk VA.

 

[ingola]

Serial numbers are hard on Raleigh there all over the place easiest to use the the decals. Also note if you rebuild the rims the front one the side with the dynamo is two cross and spokes are the same length on both sides

 

[rickpaulos]

Keys are available on eBay. The are not original check the date on the hub. The sports did not come with a dynamo

The Sports didn't come with a locking fork or pump (and pegs) either. But Raleigh had different spec bike line ups for different countries. Looks like this bike has been around a bit so maybe it was manufactured for the Canadian or British markets. Raleigh used to be primarily a 3 speed bike maker and they had dozens of 3 speed models. The older catalogs list incrementally different models at many price points to suit the post-war depressed economies. As they got in to 10 speed bikes, the number of 3 speed models diminished.

 

[Wildcat]

I've seen hundreds of the Sports models, never one with a chrome guard unless the whole bike was chrome. The handlegrips don't look Raleigh, but it's hard to say. I didn't think they had gumwalls in 62, but they show in the catalog.

 

[ingola]

I've seen hundreds of the Sports models, never one with a chrome guard unless the whole bike was chrome. The handlegrips don't look Raleigh, but it's hard to say. I didn't think they had gumwalls in 62, but they show in the catalog.

We have them here in Canada with chrome ones many in north America were assembled in Canada just up the road from me. You can normally tell by the fender

 

[twojs.bike]

For phase 1 of this bike, I decided to just fix what is broken and ride it as original as possible.

New tires, new shifter, serviced both hubs, replaced a spoke, etc.

The brooks saddle did not survive the first 5 miles.

The front dynohub puts out electricity, but there is a lot of drag. I am not sure how much is normal, but this doesn’t seem to be worth the small amount of electricity generated. I need to buy a multimeter to test the output.

The gearing is also too high. Maybe it is because of the front hub drag, but I never got out of low gear.

I will likely rebuild the wheels. Maybe with aluminum and rims. Not sure if I am keeping the dynohub. I suppose the brooks saddle is trash? Does anyone restore these?

Other than that a very comfortable ride.

 

[Wildcat]

The saddle is most probably toast. The remaining leather is probably bad enough that it wouldn't hold the hundred stitches need for that tear. To have it redone would probably cost the same as a new Brooks B72.

I have one from a 1960 Raleigh that I glued where it had a rip, but I wouldn't trust it for a ride. It's just for display on my Wright Special bike.

If the drag of the hub seems to be the problem, maybe you could take the guts out and still use it. You bike is set up with the same cog and chain wheel as the ones I've seen. So, if everything is turning well, and the tires are aired up, that hub must be the reason you can't get out of first gear.

 

[twojs.bike]

I swapped the 18 tooth cog for a 19 tooth. A world of difference. The lower gearing helps with the drag of the dynamo