A Not So Royal Ride | Tech Tuesday #204

Calvin takes a look at a beautifully designed, classically styled bike that.... rides like a lead balloon. Not everything in the past was roses, and the brakes on this old Raleigh sure do stink! They are interesting however, and sometimes that can be worth the ride.

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[chrisbinch]

I come from Nottingham - the home of Raleigh. Lots of dads had one of these. I had a Raleigh Shadow in 1977 for my birthday...loved it!

[madefromscratch]

The bell thing is something I will definitely try. Calvin you are genius on many levels

[NelsonSherry]

I sold a few of those Raleigh DL1's working at a Raleigh dealership when I was in high school in the late 70's. I always liked them. Calvin, I think you did a good job of de-lionizing the "good old days". That being said, that bike also has a lot of up-sides that weren't shared that have made that design, by far, the best selling bicycle in history.

[RichsRidesandRestorations]

I’m currently restoring a very similar bike, a Raleigh Dawn Tourist from 1950. Rod brakes were very much obsolete by the 70s (the higher end ‘Superbe’ models in the 50s and 60s already had calliper brakes) and were reintroduced by Raleigh on some 70s & 80s models more for nostalgia than whether the local 1980s smithy could fix them.

Rod brakes are still common on Dutch bikes, but these are often paired with drum brake hubs rather than the rim stirrup.

[welisonsilva]

Parabéns meus amigos,
🔧🔧🔧🚲🚲🚲🙋👏👏😄
Calvin parabéns pelo seu trabalho
meu amigo!

[davidburgess]

I remember seeing that model new in a bicycle shop. It was dated by then, but gave the impression that it was very durable. I had the traditional English Racer with stamped steel side pull brakes. The women's model featured the rear cable pointed upward so water would collect and jam the cable with rust!

[HUKIT.]

That was the month and year I was born so I’d love to rock one of those from time to time.

[bodeans]

I love these Raleigh's, I have three of them in my collection

[axisludi]

Frame clamper! 😉 sorry couldn't help it. Love the video, love the bike, and you, Calvin, are one of my favourite people ❤️

[myself]

That kind of chainguard not only keeps you clean but also the chain and that I really like.

[freds]

We have seen these bikes as well as a lot of other cabled three speed Raleighs at our all-volunteer charity R Community Bikes in Rochester. They may not ride well, but they are practically bullet proof and can go forever even when severely beaten up. We’ve seen five-speeds but not the four speed that I coveted when I was a kid. Some history on those might be an interesting video. Thanks for a ride into the past.

[rudgespeed]

I rode one of these to work every day in Boston for about ten years, I put a lot of miles on it. Stopping in wet weather takes a bit of planning ahead, but the ride is really nice. It was a very reliable bike. I don't think flexible cable and compression housing was an option 100 years ago, very new tech then.

[billkallas]

Back when I was a kid, I had a 1950's Schwinn 3 speed with one of those springer, locking front forks. It had a double top tube with a motorcycle looking tank in-between them that mounted a button on the side to beep the battery powered horn. I believe it also had generator powered lights, front and back.

[saddleweary]

Someone has taken good care of a beautiful bike and did a terrific restoration job. Next year it will become an antique if they are like cars.

[roadiemuhsil]

these type of bike still sell in India and its tube and tyre and all most every spare parts are available in every local shop

[billabongoneill]

I’m still riding my 1968 Raleigh Dawn Tourist, looks pretty much the same but has a Dynamo hub and lights, I wonder how many carbon fibre bikes will still be rideable after 54 years?

[tettazwo]

Wonderful bike that I will always prefer over the hyper-engineered stuff of today!

[ricksmith]

I have never seen brakes like that. Very interesting.

[Thecrazyvaclav]

That’s a bike for gently riding around your small town or village, to the local shops for a loaf of bread, that’s why it’s basically unchanged for 50 years

[venkateshshanbhag]

Such bicycles are the most sold bicycles in India even today (2022), even though their share is slowly coming down.