There have been a confluence of references to Raleigh Superbes in my life recently. It started with Bikes Not Bombs, and their Superbe which was gone by the time my friend went out there to buy it. Commenting on his eventual Sport, Chiara mentioned the Superbe. Intrigued I found one on Craigslist in Providence for $350 (deleted now, must be sold). Finally, when reading about putting an internally geared hub on my city bike I came across Sheldon's Superbe.
I was delighted when I found one at the bike shop in the basement of the Cambridge Antique Market (201 Monsigneur O'Brien Highway). The nice folks there even let me try it out, even though I told them I was just looking. It is a 1966 and it doesn't have the chaincase that the others do. (edit: while the above had chaincases, some originally didn't) Yet you can see in the photo that it is a Superbe, and the rest of the bits are there (locking fork, dynohub, Brooks saddle). My first thought was "smooth". The bike glides. My next impression was a bit of the "joliness" of my Raleigh Sport. My current townie is fun, but he takes himself a little bit seriously. These old Raleighs seem a bit more relaxed. I wish I could justify a new bike. This Superbe is listed at a suberbe value and I'd really like to bring him home with me. I need an excuse - at 5 bikes I'm running out of excuses to buy yet another. Anyone???
13 comments:
Not sure what your 5 bikes are, but what if you get rid of one, then you'll still have 5!
Hmmm, or perhaps you need a chillin' Sunday ride to make up for the hardcore Saturday rides you'll be doing?
geoff
Here's your excuse: If you buy it, you can sell it along to the next friend who tells you they are looking for one. In the meantime, you get to ride it and enjoy it, firsthand, before passing it alongf and enjoying it vicariously by riding with the new owner.
Simple, eh?
Here's your justification:
DO IT!
I will be jealous, however.
I've got the excuse for you; there's seven days in the week. That means you need the Superbe and then one more!
As an investment....and a hedge against inflation...not to mention claiming mega carbon credit!
Bike lust! Maybe think about it for a week and if you still feel the same way, then maybe buy it.
Five bikes is not that bad (is that just you, or you and husband?). I've got 4, each child has one, my wife has one, and we have a "loaner", so that makes 9 total.
As long as you can come up with a different purpose for each new bike, I think there's no limit. So, for example, the longtail is for groceries, loaded touring, and unspecified errand-running. The Raleigh is for lightly loaded trips around town, especially in nicer clothes and regular shoes. The old "ten speed" (now 16) is for fun rides. The tandem, is in case the marriage needs testing.
I've always thought that if one can find something that makes one happy and doesn't break the bank, one should do it. You have obviously been smitten by this handsome bike, and it sounds like you would find time to ride it even with all your other bikes. And if the buzz wears off, I'm sure you'd be able to find it another happy and loving home. Good luck!
Kael got his superbe by trading it on craigslist... he actually got a bike and guitar for one of his mountain bikes.. we have 11 Bikes in our garage now so dont feel bad.. they include 2 superbes & 2 twentys...when it comes to raleighs it was the crank that sold me.. and the lovely butter shifting sturmey archer 3 speed..
Bike formula N+1=perfect number of bikes (where N equals the current number of bikes already in possession :-D
Beautiful Superbe BTW and the tall frames (23") are much harder to find than the 21".
Aaron
5 bikes?... Well... I have 12 at home... 12 different ways to experiment the extraordinary pleasure of riding and pedaling through the city or the country...
I rate my Bronze Green Superbe pretty high and $225 is probably fair in a large metro.
I do hope you're a long-legged lass however for that one.
alf
I found one that looks pretty much the same, in Pahrump, Nevada, this old guy had it at a garage sale and I paid 20 bucks for it, I would have paid more, I really like it. I don't know how old it is? and the paint has faded to like more of a brown than green.
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