Raleigh Comanche

[brother nathaneil]

Hi,
I've just got hold of a Raleigh Comanche but I can't find any info about it at all. I've seen one photo-copied page of an old brochure that I can't read, but that's it!

Does anyone have any info on the year/numbers etc?

Thanks in advance,
Nathan

MODS: Sorry if this is the wrong place to post... feel free to move it.

[Mick F]

These people will know.
http://customcycles.info/
Join the forum and ask them.

I joined them when I had my Chopper.

[brother nathaneil]

As always Mick F, thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[s1965c]

From (fallible) memory, I *think* they were a contemporary of the Tomahawk / Chipper era, but maybe made a few years later. I seem to remember the seat being made of some hard spongy material, similar to a Grifter.

Got to be early to mid seventies, it was around then that we used to race our pavement bikes around the block. The Chipper always won as it was better on the one steep hill.

[brother nathaneil]

Thanks, I still can't find any info!!!
I need to find a Raleigh historian I guess.

[531colin]

Its a kids bike, the headset and BB are plain bearing....the really small bikes had soft grey BB bushes, these I think were bronze.
The chainset is cottered, the BB axle end float is controlled by circlips
I'm not sure of the handlebars......they look very wide and long reach, they should have junior size brake levers.....it looks like the bars and stem are one-piece, without an expander bolt, which is right, unless they are off a Shopper or something...***
At this time I think everything would be UK made, there may be Raleigh branding on stuff (the "heron")
Cycle parts should be "junior size"...all sorts of stuff was scaled down, even, as I recall, the frewewheel thread...prepared to be wrong on that!
.....its all long ago!!
....all to the best of my (poor) memory!

***edit....junior size bars were smaller diameter, so you can check that!

[brother nathaneil]

I've found out that this could be a "Sunbeam Comanche".
Where do I go to find out more? Any suggestions welcome.