# 1956 Humber Sports find



## PJ311foo (Oct 17, 2022)

Another great local (sort of) find! Made a day out of going to pick it up. Visited a state park on the way back and ate at a Taco Johns! The brooks saddle is from my stash, but that’s all I’ve done to it. It came with the original Raleigh Industries pedals and John Bull brake pads. I have never seen this style rack in all my years collecting, but it looks period correct and is in great condition. I usually always take them down and clean every part meticulously, but lately I’m liking the sweaty greasy look to these bikes. So I may just wipe it down and leave it as is. Happy to have another great ride in the collection 😎


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## juvela (Oct 17, 2022)

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thank you so much for sharing this new arrival!   😃 

each time see the "dancing men" chainwheel it brings up a faint memory of a Sherlock Holmes story where there is a code used to communicate in plain sight between the members of a group

depending on how each man is drawn indicates what letter of the alphabet he represents

shall look forward to seeing it with the correct pedal set mounted 😉


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## PJ311foo (Oct 18, 2022)

Now I will also think of that when I see the chainwheel 😄

Taking the pedals apart today for new grease and a cleaning.


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## jimbo53 (Oct 18, 2022)

What a beautiful, rare bike, esp on this side of the pond! A Humber Sports with duplex fork and dyno hub lighting is one of my holy grail bikes to find. The condition is fabulous-a real time capsule!  I'm narrowing my Brit bike collection down to non-Raleighs (well, mostly) and am keeping and eye out for an affordable Sunbeam, Royal Enfield, Norman and of course a Humber. Thasnks for sharing your find-mighty chuffed you must be!


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## juvela (Oct 18, 2022)

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forgot to ask earlier -

what make are the lamps?

appears fitted with a steel propstand

wonder if a nice Shuresta or Trygg wouldst be in order...


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## PJ311foo (Oct 18, 2022)

Yes, I was ecstatic to find it! I had to drive a bit to get it but it was definitely worth it. If I find another one I will let you know!
I do have a Trygg dual prop kickstand I might put on it today as well. I think it will look great on it. The lights are Sturmey Archer. The rear is missing it’s lens so I’ll have to try to find a replacement for it


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## Mercian (Oct 21, 2022)

Hi, @PJ311foo

A nice bike. The name always reminds me of driving to work up the Humber Road in Coventry each day for several years.

The 'By Appointment to the Late King George VI' is great, and brackets this bicycle into the 1951 to 1959 timeslot nicely.





It seems that around 1959 the new warrants for Queen Elizabeth II were being issued, as in this example for Mitchells and Butlers' brewery.






						Royal Warrant of Appointment to H.M. King George VI, awarded 2 Jan. 1950 and stamped... | The National Archives
					

The official archive of the UK government. Our vision is to lead and transform information management, guarantee the survival of today's information for tomorrow and bring history to life for everyone.




					discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk
				




Best  Regards,

Adrian


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## Allrounderco (Oct 21, 2022)

Wonderful bike! I have a '56 myself. I appreciate the numerous detailed photos, as mine came without the original grips or rear reflector.





Yes, those are film shots (taken last April). Leica M1 with adapted Summar 50 lens, Kentmere Pan 400 film, home developed in Cinestill df96 and scanned with Nikon Coolscan IV.


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## Allrounderco (Oct 21, 2022)

Also, @PJ311foo, is that an alloy bodied AW rear hub I spy? Mine's the common steel one.


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## SirMike1983 (Oct 21, 2022)

That was a deluxe standard frame bike - electrical system, midlands add-on rack, alloy hub, matte-center westrick rims. The midlands rack was an alternative to the Raleigh-made (identified by its round bars and usually paint-matching) and the subsequent Prestube Minor (identified by its one-sided stamped metal construction and inscription). The midlands is a good, sturdy rack and a nice add-on. The duplex fork was ultimately a victim of 1960s cost-cutting, when a more conventional fork replaced it to reduce production variety and costs.


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## PJ311foo (Oct 21, 2022)

Wow, thank you all so much for the great info! As SirMike stated, yes it’s an alloy shell on the hub. Also, I think the seat post is alloy as well. It feels lighter than usual. I don’t think the rear reflector was OEM as there’s a rub mark on the fender like the solid rubber lights are. So I ordered a NOS Raleigh Industries light on eBay. I got the OEM pedals all cleaned up and new bearings installed. And I found my Trygg prop stand as well.
And I couldn’t leave well enough alone and it took it apart to clean it. I have all the chrome bits polished up and they look brand new. The bike seems to either barely been ridden or very well taken care of. I’ll post more pics when it’s all back together. Thank you all again 😎


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## PJ311foo (Oct 25, 2022)

I’ve never seen this one before. A letter “Z” stamped on the bottom bracket. And a cool picture of the oil fill cap


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## juvela (Oct 25, 2022)

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...maybe it was built by Zorro...

is shell width 71mm?


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