What´s the name of this raleigh? How old? I have no ideas...

[SusanneM]

Hello friends,

has anyone an idea?

What´s the name and the age of this raleigh?

I have got it by my grandfather after dead...

It´s a 3-speed manual gear.

Please help me!

Best regards from Germany

Susanne

 

[Cycleops]

Not really an expert but I would say seventies. If you want a more precise date look on the Sturmey Archer rear gear hub and I think I am right in saying it should have a date stamp on it. I'm sure someone will be along soon who can confirm. There might be a serial number stamped on the underneath of the bottom bracket (where the axle for the pedal cranks goes through).

 

[Fab Foodie]

Yep the Sturmey hub should be date stamped.

It looks lovely, Good condition. I don't think the handlebars are original, or if they are, the white bar tape isn't.

You can trawl through these and see what you find!

http://sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/#catalogues

I reckon 80s though ....

 

[Drago]

Unless its a much later addition the front light marks it as 2nd half of the 80's. See if you can get a date code off the rear hub.

 

[biggs682]

@SusanneM looks great as above both fr & rr fubs should be date stamped as might be the castings for the brake calipers but my guess would be early 80's .

what are your plans for it ?

 

[raleighnut]

I'd say early 80s too from the badge, nice Mixte frame though and is that a rear coaster brake.

 

[Dogtrousers]

My sisters and I all had Raleigh bikes in the 70s and this looks more modern than them. For example the plastic SA shifter trigger. Ours were all metal. Also the chainguards which goes all the way around the chainwheel looks more modern, so if it is 70s it will be late 70s.

It's an odd bike, though. Quite a nice lightweight lightweight mixte frame and centre pull brakes - but the back one's missing. (unless it's a coaster brake - which were not common in the UK at the time so I don't know about them) It would normally be mounted on the (what are they called) long sloping stays that replace the top tube. And an SA hub. I'd kind of expect derailleur gears with that frame, and the 3 speed hubs on the more solid, roadster type bikes which in turn would probably have had sidepull brakes. Maybe made for the German market and quite probably customised a bit since new.

I'm no expert but I was interested in bikes in that period so some little details have stuck in my mind from bikes my friends and family had.

Anyway as above. Look for the date on the hub.

 

[SusanneM]

Hello, I have found that entry at the hub "Sachs Torpedo 3 Gang Typ 515-36". It´s german and I have found, that the 515 is with rear brake and the 415 without it.

But no date entry....

 

[Cycleops]

That's because it's a Sachs hub, not Sturmey Archer as we expected. I guess they equipped it with German parts for your market.
There might be another way of dating it. Look underneath the seat, if the base is moulded plastic it may have a date of manufacture stamped into it. It will look something like this:

​

 

[Bobtoo]

You should find a similar date stamp on the back of the front brake. Or you could look at the frame number- it will be two letters followed by some numbers. The first number is the year within the decade (and we're pretty sure it's 80s). E.g. my first new bike was NE1433149, so it was built in 1981.

 

[SusanneM]

Hello,

I have found these stamps at the seat and the frame. I think, the seat is a Selle Royal and younger than the bike.

At the moment, I think that I will sell these bike to a vintage bike collector, who do more with it.

 

[Cycleops]

Shame, looks like a nice bike which would tidy up nicely. Does everything function correctly? Looking at it now I can see that it probably originally had a white seat.

 

[raleighnut]

Its not really a 'Vintage' bike its just a really nice 'City' bike and would be ideal as a commuter. You could pick up something similar for £40 in England if it needed a bit of 'Fettling', £80-100 in perfect nick . The rear coaster brake is a nice addition but that's quite common on bikes built/sold on the continent at that time and are supposedly a bit of a b*gger to repair (never worked on one) so if that's OK I'd keep it if you've got the space.

 

[Ian H]

Fork rake says 80s earliest.