# 71 Raleigh DL-1



## 3-speeder (Mar 11, 2020)

Starting on my next project.  I like to stay busy with bikes. This makes my third Raleigh in a row. Not a first time for this occurrence. I love Raleighs.

I picked up this DL-1 last August and was very excited to get it. I've always wanted one and this one is really quite clean. Nice paint, nice chrome, and no big dings or spots on the frame. One small dent on the fender should pop out, hopefully, and  I'm hoping all the dust had a preservative effect.  Haven't seen the reflective Raleigh tape on the fork before.

I'll start with the before pics. Sturmey Archer AW hub dated 7_     2.  Serial #2064693.
I believe the hub is just a lightly stamped 71 due to the SN chart here: http://www.jaysmarine.com/TH_raleigh_serials.html


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## 3-speeder (Mar 11, 2020)

Wanted to see my 37 Dutch built Gazelle roadster next to this DL-1.


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## 3-speeder (Mar 12, 2020)

Got started on this one. This big beauty barely fits in the pit. I have never seen fenders that were this clean underneath. They look almost new.  Except for the one small dent on the rear and a tiny patch of rust on the front I'd say they were perfect. Should be a fun rehab.


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## 3-speeder (Mar 14, 2020)

Making progress. Working at the scrubbing station today. Pulling parts outta the soak and brushing em clean. Getting others ready to plop into the drink.


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## JLF (Mar 14, 2020)

Nice project bike!


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## 3-speeder (Mar 21, 2020)

I've got the bike completely torn down. There are alot of parts to those rod brakes. A little spit shine revealed that the paint underneath the dust stayed in good shape and kept the pins golden. Should clean up really well. Got my headset cleaned up too.


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## 3-speeder (Mar 28, 2020)

I decided to go with a 22 tooth cog on the SA hub. The 16 tooth original looks really small in comparison. The hub spins really nice with the freshly cleaned and greased bearings. Now I'm working on the tedious task of cleaning and detailing all the smalls.


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## 1951 C.W.S (Mar 31, 2020)

@3-speeder What does a cog change do exactly?
I've heard of people doing it but i dont know what it does
Thanks


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## SirMike1983 (Mar 31, 2020)

Larger cog lowers the gearing to make it easier to go up hills. Because you're modifying the input gearing into the hub, all three gears are lowered at once. You'll gain hill climbing ability but lose some top-end in high gear for going down hill. If you find you're chugging up hills and don't need/want to go high-speed downhills, a swap is usually a good idea. Sturmey's advice many years ago was not to go past 1 tooth in back to 2 teeth in front because of advanced wear to the hubs (e.g., 48 front, 24 rear). I've never verified this, myself - I haven't felt the need to go past 2:1.


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## 3-speeder (Mar 31, 2020)

As a casual rider this gearing should be great for me. The front is a 48 tooth so my direct-drive middle gear will be a lot easier than if I kept the 16 tooth rear cog.


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## 3-speeder (Apr 9, 2020)

Got a little more work done.  The frame, fork, fenders and chainguard cleaned up well.  Now I need to polish and wax them. Pictures of these later. The chrome parts cleaned up really well. After trueing the wheels and minimizing the hop as much as I could I had to file down some of the spoke ends that came through. Still more to do. More pictures soon.


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## Mr. Monkeyarms (Apr 9, 2020)

This is really cool. Now I don't have to detail my '77 bobbie bike to see what it would look like.   

Keep on truckin'!


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## Sven (Apr 9, 2020)

Looking good!


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## 3-speeder (Apr 12, 2020)

Every last part has been scrubbed clean.  The chrome has been polished and the painted parts have been cleaned, polished and waxed. Now for my favorite part, the reassembly, and hooray hooray that started today.


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## fattyre (Apr 12, 2020)

Bigger cog is the best upgrade for these bikes!   But beware too big of a cog will result in the chain slapping the underside of the guard and chain tension will need to be precisely adjusted with larger cogs.  Mine is in storage so I don't remember the exact cog size, but you can only go so big.  These bike came geared ridiculously high from the factory.  Especially for the large wheels and overall weight.


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## 3-speeder (Apr 12, 2020)

Thanks for the heads up. I noticed there isn't any room for adjusting that chainguard in the back as it's attached at the bolt holding the seatstay to the chainstay. I have a 19 tooth I can use if the 22 turns out to be too big.


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## 3-speeder (Apr 21, 2020)

Getting close. The original tires were flexible and showed no cracking so I mounted those up. Front wheel is on and sitting pretty. The front fender mounted nicely too, even-steven with the wheel right down the center. I had the chainwheel crank mounted but needed to pull it out flush to the end of the spindle to clear the chainguard. Talk about minimal clearance. So far everything is spinning free and easy and adjusted just right with minimal play. Hoping to wrap this baby up and get it on the road in the next few days.


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## 3-speeder (Apr 22, 2020)

The parts holding bins are almost empty and that means one thing...... I'm almost done with this project. Yeehaw!  All that's left is to put on the brake shoes and then position and adjust the brakes. Easier said then done with these rod brakes. 
I had to go to a smaller cog on the SA hub. I had a new 112 link chain to use but it came out a bit short with the 22t cog and I didn't want to have two master links with a short couple links in between.  I thought that I had a 19 tooth but the only other one I had was an 18 tooth. It'll do for now. 
Things came out nice and tight but every step was delicately adjusted multiple times....Augh!  Super fine spinning and minimal play on all fronts. Sure to be a smooth ride. I'll let you know soon and post some ride pics with the finished product.


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## 3-speeder (Apr 24, 2020)

Well my like for this bike turned to love.   This bike fits me well and rolls smooth and silent like a hawk coming in for a kill. The 18 tooth cog on the SA hub wasn't too bad. I'll probably order a longer chain and whenever the og tube gives out in the rear wheel I'll try to swap in the 22t cog at that time. Too much of a pita to mess with otherwise. The brake adjustment took a few tries but I feel they are dialed in now.
I had the Brooks B135 stashed away after buying it on sale and was waiting for the right bike to install it on and I think this one fits the bill. The small bag came with the bike and it has a couple of tools in it.  The burger bell was a Christmas present from my brother and added the perfect finishing touch.
Really enjoyed riding it today and look forward to riding it some more.


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## HARPO (May 3, 2020)

_BEAUTIFUL_ job! Worth every ounce of perspiration. 

But...isn't the saddle angled a bit to far back...?


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## BroCraig (May 3, 2020)

he's got some heavy tools in the back. Lol. Love it!!! 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## 3-speeder (Jun 19, 2020)

Well I finally had it with the slow leak in the rear tube. I had kept the original in there because it had the threaded metal valve stem but I didn't like finding it flat every week. I want to try and keep the og tires in good shape. While I changed the tube I also swapped in a 20 tooth cog on the SA hub. It is so smooth. I love it.


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## Goldenrod (Jun 19, 2020)

I love them also.


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