People who really know me will tell you have an intense interest in a wide variety of things. Among them are travel, technology, and bikes (the pedal variety.) Today, I’d like to share with you a glimpse into one of my projects, restoring a vintage Raleigh bike.

Being an author and newbie crypto trader I typically work with my mind so, for me, it’s very relaxing to occasionally work with my hands. So many times breakthrough ideas for my writing will happen while I’m working on something totally unrelated to my profession(s). I bought this 1959 Raleigh on Craigslist a few years ago and, as you can see below, it had suffered from years of neglect.

This is what the Raleigh looked like the day I brought it home in 2014.

Throughout the past few years I’ve been slowly restoring this diamond in the rough. I’ve found missing parts from all over the world, including the U.K., Canada, and all across the US. From the first time I rode this bike I was hooked. This isn’t your typical department store bike, it’s a very solid, well-engineered machine. These bikes were intended to be the primary source of transportation for poor Brits whose economy was ravaged by World War II.

This Raleigh Sports model was made to last 100 years with proper maintenance and care. The model name "Sports" is deceiving, the bike is heavy (appx 36lbs) and was never intended for racing. This model was designed to be utilitarian, reliable, and carry heavy loads.

My most recent upgrade were the tires and tubes. When I first bought the bike I had to settle for cheaper Kenda gumwall tires because that’s the only kind of tire the local bike shop carried in this unique size (26" X 1 3/8" or E.A.3.)

The Raleigh 80% completed with the old Kenda tires.

This summer, I decided to upgrade to the Schwalbe Delta Cruiser tires. The Schwalbes are better than the Kendas in every conceivable way. They have a reflective strip on the sidewall that make you more visible at night, they can be inflated to a higher pressure (less rolling resistance), they’re lined with Kevlar (fewer flats) and their color gives the bike a more vintage look. A little bit of trivia…originally all bike tires were white because it’s the natural color of rubber. Dye is added to make rubber appear black.

I began with the front wheel. It’s very important with English bikes to remember which side of the wheel is which so I marked the drive-side with green masking tape.

Why is this so important? The axles are threaded in such a way that if you don’t reinstall the wheel on the same side you took it off of it’ll actually loosen the axle and the bearings can fall out. So unless you can ride a wicked long wheelie, keeping track of this is very important. This isn’t an issue with the back wheel because the cog that you attach the chain to is only on one side.

The replacement of the front tire was extremely quick but I knew the back tire would be more involved. This Raleigh has a three-speed back hub with internal planetary gears (see diagram below). These 3-speed hubs are amazing because they work year round without fear of them being clogged with dirt or snow and ice like external gears.

An exploded view of the Sturmey Archer 3-speed hub.

The gears are changed changed from a selector mounted on the handlebar and a wire is routed from the selector to the back hub. To get the wheel off you have to disconnect the gear selector wire.

Gear selector wire.

Fine-tuning the gears on these 3-speeds can be frustrating but I learned a trick from an old Englishman...loosen the top bracket (mark its position with tape) then slide it back to loosen the wire. Then you can simply disconnect the wire from the back wheel. This way there is minimal readjustment needed when you put the wheel back on.

Gear selector wire bracket.

I couldn’t believe how much a simple tire change upgrades the look and the handling of this bike. Good tires are a great investment, they can make an average bike better and a good bike great.

The finished product.

Next on the list will be Brooks handgrips to match the Brooks B66 saddle and a NOS (New Old Stock) tail light retrofitted with an LED bulb.

I hope you've enjoyed this post. What are some of your hobbies?

*I am an American novelist, poet, traveler, and crypto-enthusiast. My newest book, The Perfect Pause, now has a 5 star rating on Amazon. If you’ve enjoyed my work please sign up for my author newsletter at my website. Newsletter subscribers will receive exclusive updates and special offers and your information will never be sold or shared.

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