20 March 2009

New Bike Excitement - Gentleman's Green Raleigh

I am very excited to have helped my friend N get a new old bike. His previous folding bike had been stolen, so this time he wanted something that he can ride elegantly wearing tweed. He says it's heavy enough he "goes slowly and stops slowly". We're going to work on improving that 'stopping slowly' part with some salmon Kool-Stop Continentals. We're also going to ensure he gets a U-lock this time - this bike is shiny and pristine, down to the fender stays. Take a look:

British green Raleigh three speed 3

British green Raleigh three speed

British green Raleigh three speed

British green Raleigh three speed

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

that is quite possibly the most beautiful bicycle i have ever seen. your friend is very lucky :)

Mark said...

*covet*

That is a pretty bike.

dr2chase said...

I'd recommend a framelock (they certainly have them at Clever Cycles, over on the other coast). It's not as good as a U lock, but it's so convenient that you'll always use it.

A friend who teaches at some institute near you recommends a women's frame as theft deterrent -- apparently, bike thieves are repelled by girl cooties. Who knew?

Dave Feucht said...

that is a beautiful bike :)

he'll find that there's something very stately about riding a good solid steel bike. and it's lugged even!

I just got the salmon cool-stop continentals, and they've worked great so far on my Electra Amsterdam, so I think he'll be happy with them.

Cheers!

Thom said...

WANT! This thing must have been hermetically sealed somewhere.

'Xander Labayen said...

kael and I both have Raleigh Superbes, but that raliegh sports is pristine.... what a good looking bike..

MarkSF said...

How nostalgic! I had a bicycle almost exactly like that (I think it was a 1969 or 1970 model of the Sport) when I was in high school. I loved that bike and gave it up only for a Raleigh Gran Prix 10-speed, which was a high school graduation present. Your friend is lucky to have found such a wonderful bike!

MELI. said...

what a good looking raleigh! Im loving the saddle, those things are smooth as butter (specially if already broken in) :D

2whls3spds said...

Thumbs up for the perfect choice in a bicycle. ;-) Appears to be in much nicer condition than mine.

Locks are an absolute necessity! I use the Axa Defender and chain from Clever Cycles on my "city bike". I have a fork lock on the Raleigh but would not want to depend on it for real security. I use a small ulock and a heavy cable also.

Aaron

Samuel said...

Sweet. I would definitely put the koolstops on. After I used them on my old bike I could stop so much better. After that I didn't worry about my stopping distance, and just enjoyed the ride.

Randall said...

Wow, somebody must have kept that bike in a Ziploc bag since 1970. I remember those bikes well. In fact, my current commuter has one of those classic Raleigh cranksets.

Anonymous said...

Beauty! Very lucky dude indeed. I would change the seat though, to a Brooks saddle.

Sunny said...

I'm in love with that bike. Trade in option, please?

Geza said...

Hello.

Does your bike have a fork lock on the left side?

I have one just like this one, without the white stop on the back fender, and with chainguard.

How can i find out what is the year they were manufactured in?

Michelle Cryan said...

I just got the ladies version of this bike at a garage sale and it too is in pristine condition. Anyone know what year this is from?

Charlotte said...

Michelle, It could be from many years, the best way to approximate is to look at the rear hub. Often you can tell the year it was made and extrapolate for the bike.