1935 Raleigh Sports path racer - a reluctant sale

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  • For sale is my beloved 1935 Raleigh Sports. This has been an ongoing project for me but one that now has to be moved on - I had a nasty accident with the fixed cog on this and can no longer enjoy riding it. Specs are as follows:

    Frame: 1935 21 inch Raleigh Sports with very slack geometry and lovely lugs
    Forks: original Raleigh slack forks
    Crank: Williams Raleigh heron crank (very rare nowadays)
    Wheels: early Racelite rims with early flip-flop Normandy high flange hubs
    Tyres: Schwalbe 26 x 1 1/4
    Bars: period 1930s chrome Lauterwasser (again, rarer than a hen's teeth)
    Freewheel: 16T Sturmey Archer (almost new)
    Fixed cog: 17T period no-name
    Chain: KMC Z510 HX (again, almost new)
    Brakes/levers: 80s Weinmann (dismantled originals will be provided)
    Saddle: 80s Condor (original leather saddle will be provided)
    Headset: Raleigh Industries
    Stem: Raleigh
    BB: Raleigh
    Grips: Britannia repro
    Pedals: MKS Sylvan Track (nearly new)

    This is a really special bike that needs a new custodian, but can be ridden as-is. The paint is not amazing but certainly serviceable, and is not at all bad when you consider it's been used for 80 years! I've spent about £600+ on getting it as it is now, so all that's left really is a £50 powder coat if you fancy it. Otherwise, this is a properly rare bike that you won't see another of.

    See here for more pictures

    Pried at £395 to reflect my costs/my reluctance to let it go, and if the price is sufficient I'll throw in a pair of black spearpoint celluloid mudguards from the period. I can deliver to London in person this coming Friday or Monday, or can make other arrangements if necessary. Cheers!


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  • bump to say price is very negotiable

  • Nice.
    Where did the grips come from?

  • Cheers - I picked them up off a chap on bikeforums, but there's still plenty floating around online!

  • Bump - all and any offers welcome to get this gone

  • bump

  • This is a great looking bike. With a new paint will look stunning!

  • cheers! I do love it, there's just too much association with my accident for me to be able to enjoy it

  • Was it that serious?

    Shame I've got too many bikes and one girlfriend!

  • It wasn't pretty, put it that way - the full story is here

    The eternal problem of n+1 - wise OHs telling you n is enough!

  • Ouch!

  • If I didn't already have a similar (albeit newer, and much tattier) Raleigh...

    Lovely bike, good luck with the sale! Kinda surprised I've never seen it around Oxford!

  • cheers - it did get round Oxford a fair bit in my two years there, but perhaps I was too careful of leaving it too long!

    for anyone looking, I'm happy to take offers of any sort on this - I know I'm going to lose a significant amount of money on this, but would really like to see it shifted.

  • I know the feeling! My bike locks cost me more than the bike I used around town! (Which, for the most part, was found abandoned in a long albeit not that thrilling story.)

  • I know right - £80 of Kryptonite is seeing me right for now!

  • and they add considerable weight!

  • Wish it was 22"-23" inches :(

  • If it's any consolation, I'm almost 6ft and it rides just fine - the handlebar stem is a bit higher than on a typical path racer, but it works lovely. 23 inch frames didn't really come into mainstream path racers between 1920-1940, judging by the catalogues at least - trust me, I looked!

  • Also, I have the corresponding town version of the bike (same frame as far as I can tell) from 1935 in 23 inch... not sure why they never specc'd it with this though


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  • I'm sorely tempted, I must say. I got knocked off my 70s Holdsworth, so it's out of action pending the driver's ridiculous insurance company assessing the damage. I could really do with something slack and comfortable to commute on - and another bike is always nice to have of course - but with one bike being out of action, it's about money and I know how much you've spent. Shame, it's beautiful.

  • The money was the result of a labour of love - as soon as I saw it and the state it was in, there was no hope of recovering any money from it (it cost me over £100 just to buy the wreck it once was). What I'm saying, I guess, is that losing a good few hundred pounds isn't my concern, more that I want to see it used again... I know how much fun I've had on it!

  • It's a real shame that you have to let it go - it's easy to see how much it has meant to you, and how much work you've put into it - with the accident, it's completely understandable why it has to go. I would love to give it the daily use it deserves, but I don't want to offend you with the budget I have available. I'll look at the bank balance and what I could stretch to and if is in a sensible realm where I won't be at risk of being told to 'do-one' or to cause you any more pain, (:0) I'll come back with an offer.

  • Trust me, it would take an awful lot for me to be offended! Get back to me whenever you can, and I promise not to tell you to 'do one' - a lovely bike needs a loving home

  • Shame on that 70s Holdsworth!! :(

  • I have a 21" Superbe and it feels a bit small, my knees almost hit the handle bars..

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1935 Raleigh Sports path racer - a reluctant sale

Posted by Avatar for trigs @trigs

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