Re: [CR] Old Raleighs and Getting My Head Examined

(Example: Events:Eroica)

Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:37:41 -0700
From: "Alan Lloyd" <adl2k@yahoo.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: Re: [CR] Old Raleighs and Getting My Head Examined


George:

As far as the Raleigh Lenton Grand Prix goes, take a look at ...

http://collection.rydjor.com/bikecollection/1955ral.htm http://collection.rydjor.com/bikecollection/1957ral.htm

I have one, too, but nothing like as nice as these!

Congratulations, enjoy your new bike.

Alan Lloyd
Schaumburg, Illinois, U.S.A.


--- On Thu, 7/30/09, "Strickler, George M Jr." wrote:


> Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:21:38 -0500

\r?\n> From: "Strickler, George M Jr." <gstrickler@tulane.edu>

\r?\n> Subject: [CR] Old Raleighs and Getting My Head Examined

\r?\n> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>

\r?\n>

\r?\n> Several days ago a contributor to this list called

\r?\n> attention to a 50's era Raleigh club bike (Reg Harris

\r?\n> Leyton) on ebay. Out of curiosity, I looked at it

\r?\n> (probably a mistake). No bids. I started

\r?\n> thinking about the bike and feeling bad that this piece of

\r?\n> history was being left neglected and unclaimed. So, I

\r?\n> put in a bid. I may have been the only bidder, due no

\r?\n> doubt to the less-than-pristine condition of the

\r?\n> machine. I clearly need more therapy (but what kind?)

\r?\n> for starting down this road. I have never even seen a

\r?\n> "rod actuated FD" (except in one of Jan's books), Benelux?

\r?\n> (I thought they made refrigerators). I will obviously

\r?\n> have lots of questions in order to get the bike ("from the

\r?\n> golden age of cycling") in rideable condition.

\r?\n> One reason I put money on the line was that looking at the

\r?\n> ebay picture reminded me (kind of like Proust's macaroon

\r?\n> cookie) of my first light weight bike. Bear with

\r?\n> me. Around 1952 or 53 I became enamored with the idea

\r?\n> of the "English Racer." I had never seen one and knew

\r?\n> of their existence only by reading about them in Boys'

\r?\n> Life. But I wanted one. My parents, being the

\r?\n> kind of people they were, gave me one for Christmas in 53 or

\r?\n> 54. The bike came from Sears & Roebuck and I

\r?\n> believe was sold under the "J.C.Higgins" brand but it was

\r?\n> definitely made by Raleigh (Nottingham, I think). I

\r?\n> knew this because in pre-holiday investigation I found the

\r?\n> box under my parents' bed and I studied the label with great

\r?\n> interest. It was a thing of wonder. It was the

\r?\n> first bike anyone in my neighborhood had seen w/o a coaster

\r?\n> brake - you stopped it with your hands! And it had

\r?\n> gears - 3 speed Strumly Archer which had limited utility in

\r?\n> flat-as-a-pancake Houston but were immensely fun to play

\r?\n> with. It was light as a feather, at least as compared

\r?\n> with the bloated Schwinns with shocks and battery operated

\r?\n> horns that were the height of bike technology in post-war

\r?\n> Texas. I could have made money by charging people for

\r?\n> a ride around the block. Does anyone remember this

\r?\n> bike? I can't imagine that Raleigh would have made a

\r?\n> model just for Sears. It was undoubtedly one of their

\r?\n> regular models that they just labeled with Sears' house

\r?\n> brand. Any ideas?

\r?\n>

\r?\n> George Strickler

\r?\n> Walden, Vermont