Raleigh All Steel Bike restore or not

[Vorpal]

It's possible the hub was replaced at some point, so dating the hub may not date the bike. But that looks great. What a fun project

[DarkNewt]

Sometimes serial numbers were stamped on the rear dropouts.
Great find.

i have checked one of the dropouts but will need to remove the chain cover for the other one. However as above there is 172H stamped on the downtube and some speculation on forums indicates that this convention may have been used for tooling run frames that were used to confirm tooling accuray before a main run, the frames were then just sold as normal.

trust me I am really starting to apreciate what a lucky find it was, literally a minute ago the replacement key for the fork lock arrived - works perfectly!

[colin54]

I used to ride the BSA badged version of this to school in the '60's, I can still remember the noise the slightly bent crank made

every revolution and the slap of the chain on the chaincase when it needed adjusting or shortening.

I see some of these where people add cork, or worse still, stitched leather grips it doesn't look right to me ,this looks so like

my bike that I would guess it's late '50's to early '60's. It had the aluminium stand like yours.I think they had a rectanguar headlight in

the '70's and changed to cable brakes at some point about then.



I think if you ever saw one with a saddle bag it woud have been a Chossy (?), a rexine type material, Carradice doesn't look quite right

to me. Mine would have had a school satchel containing unfinished ( unstarted really) homework slung over the cross-bar ( when did

they become top-tubes )?

I used to have to 'try' and sprint this past Letchworth Bacon Factory and Letchworth Rubber company without breathing , very smelly

places on Works Rd on the way to school.

Just my two (old pence )worth , in a jumpers for goalposts vein.

Nice find , have fun!

[DarkNewt]

I used to ride the BSA badged version of this to school in the '60's, I can still remember the noise the slightly bent crank made

every revolution and the slap of the chain on the chaincase when it needed adjusting or shortening.

I see some of these where people add cork, or worse still, stitched leather grips it doesn't look right to me ,this looks so like

my bike that I would guess it's late '50's to early '60's. It had the aluminium stand like yours.I think they had a rectanguar headlight in

the '70's and changed to cable brakes at some point about then.



I think if you ever saw one with a saddle bag it woud have been a Chossy (?), a rexine type material, Carradice doesn't look quite right

to me. Mine would have had a school satchel containing unfinished ( unstarted really) homework slung over the cross-bar ( when did

they become top-tubes )?

I used to have to 'try' and sprint this past Letchworth Bacon Factory and Letchworth Rubber company without breathing , very smelly

places on Works Rd on the way to school.

Just my two (old pence )worth , in a jumpers for goalposts vein.

Nice find , have fun!

I will be looking for a chossy saddlebag for it now (only a broken one on ebay) - as I have your picture in my head! Great story thankyou!

[drossall]

I took over my Dad's All-Steel as my first adult bike. Assuming he had it new, it must have been from the late 40s. I stripped the 3-speed, which slipped, but didn't know enough to diagnose the fault, so had to reassemble it and take it to Meadow's in Cheadle, where Mr Meadows replaced a worn clutch.

I also spent time replacing parts in the roller brakes, without ever managing to make them do much of any real significance. That led to a teacher at school spotting me braking with my feet. He was a friend of Dad's, and told him. The result was my first sports bike, a second-hand white Falcon, with brakes that worked (as well as anything could on steel rims).

[DarkNewt]

It looks like my bike is 1960 deduced from:

1. Frame Serial Number 172 H http://www.kurtkaminer.com/bikecollection.html states that early to mid 1960's serial numbers are at this point undeceipherable due to insufficient data (well mine doesn't fit into any of the numbering scheemes)

2. Hub ID is FG 60 11 - so hub is dated 1960 (althouth the heritage site states 1948 but i presume the 4 speed dynohub was 1948 - 60...

3. Good old Brooks saddles - the badge on my brooks has the "made in england" additon - which indicates mid 1950's (the same badge on Kurts site is from an "undated saddle"

So i am plumbing for 11th October 1960 from the 4 speed dyno hub.

[9494arnold]

Rechroming Bike stuff costs mega money and the outcome isn't always what you'd hope for.
You can get (and your bike possible had them once) slip on plastic/rubber covers for the Rod Brake Levers (to match the Grips if you are very lucky) I am guessing a bit of rust causing hand discomfort on Braking.
I agree , don't restore it, conserve it!

[DarkNewt]

Rechroming Bike stuff costs mega money and the outcome isn't always what you'd hope for.
You can get (and your bike possible had them once) slip on plastic/rubber covers for the Rod Brake Levers (to match the Grips if you are very lucky) I am guessing a bit of rust causing hand discomfort on Braking.
I agree , don't restore it, conserve it!

I have bought some Oxalic acid and will wash the components that require it, then see how they look, my preference is conserve it, there's an interesting link here using oxalic on saddle frame which is exactly what I will have to do with mine:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9rkHvOEP3U&t=214s

followed by a lot of elbow grease with carnuba wax!

I had another thread going about the battery tube but if anyone here knows where to get the raleigh green paint from (not the american one as it's different) I would be grateful. My best bet so far is visiting halfords paint match service which I will do when the frame is stripped, for protecting and repainting the sturmey archer battery tube (forum also yielded the correct stickers for the battery tube! now purchased).