Sent in by reader P, here's a mystery bike for you. P tells me:
The head tube badge says it's a 'Royal Ascot', but I haven't been able to find anything about them. Most searches turn up stories of people who bike to Royal Ascot, and while they're interesting, it's not the information I'm looking for. Perhaps one of your knowledgeable readers will know something about the brand.
The bike was in good condition, Sturmey-Archer 3 speed, classic English frame, braze-ons for a frame pump. It looks mostly original.
Does anyone know anything more about this bicycle maker?
11 comments:
I don't know anything about it, but I dig it!
The fender and other attachments look very similar to the Robin Hood, Hercules, etc. bikes, all built by Raleigh. Could well be one of the minor Raleigh-built brands.
I am pretty confident that all of these off brand English bikes were made by Raliegh. Kind of like General Motors making many brands of autos.
Definitely a Raleigh pattern frame. Probably one of their second/third tier brands. Love the colour!
Aaron
I would agree that this is probably a Raleigh build, but a rather cheap one. Shifter style indicates an early/mid 1970s date, assuming it's original. The fender struts are pretty chintzy-looking for a Raleigh product, as are the brake levers and calipers, but it's still far and away better than anything you could buy at Walmart today.
Funny, I just rescued a bike almost exactly like this this morning- It was locked to itself with two flat tires propped against the trash cans on trash day.
It LOOKS like a raleigh type, but it didn't say Raleigh, In the hurry to get it in a friend's truck before the garbage truck got it, I didn't check it out very well.
Very interesting to find out that Raleigh made a lot of off-brands. Any way to know for sure?
@Thom,
Those fender stays are one of the indicators of a lower tier Raleigh product. FWIW that is what they used on their "folders"(Compact RSW and the Twenty) too. Hercules used them on their Birmingham built bikes prior to the TII/Raleigh takeover, I believe that painted fender stays were one of the hallmarks of a Raleigh bike vs other brands. (need to look at a few more pictures ;-) )
Aaron
@ 2whls3spds
(need to look at a few more pictures ;-) )
Aaron,
Those are the only pics I could grab. The young man was about to leave on it when I asked if I could take a few shots. I didn't want to hold him up for very long while I figured out my wife's camera. Sadly I haven't seen him or the bike again. He did mumble something about wishing he had a newer bike before he left, but said that it had been a reliable ride.
Pat
@ Pat,
I meant pictures in general. I have a massive collection of pictures of various British bike marques. Anytime something unusual shows up on Ebay or somewhere else I try and grab the pictures for future reference. Unfortunately most of the British cycle manufacturers are long gone with no documentation, the only thing left is the occasional catalog, advertising brochure and the bikes, the lovely, durable bikes.
Aaron
Hello,
This bike looks a lot like mine. My boyfriend found it for me in a swap meet here in California. It has a round sticker in the front that says "Sears Roebuck and Co. Made in Austria", and the green frame (underneath the seat tube) has the engraved words "Made in Germany". I hadn't seen another one like it, and I could find anything about it either. I ride it to class everyday, I love my bike!
Here's a link to a picture of my Sears bike:
http://i258.photobucket.com/albums/hh255/arygato9/temporaryphotobike.jpg
I am pretty sure the bike is a royal "scot" I had one in black from the late 60s. It was made by raleigh for the states....
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