# DL-1 Frame Sizes.



## blackhawknj (Jan 29, 2017)

I drove all the way to Duxbury MA to get the 22' frame Raleigh DL-1 I found on Craigslist. I had a 24" Royal Scot, simply couldn't ride it,  it was not meant for my 30" inseam  and 5"10" height. I recall Raleigh catalogues from the 1970s advertising the DL-1 as designed for "tall people" yet I gather they were often working men's bikes
and as a general rule we in the US have generally been taller than our European cousins. Anyone have any insights  as to why more 24" frames were manufactured?


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## bulldog1935 (Jan 30, 2017)

No specific insight, but it looks like 28" DL1 was imported in 2 sizes, 22", 24", 
and 26" Superbe in 2 different sizes, 21", 23"
These sizes go back to postwar with the Tourist and Dawn tourist.


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## ccmerz (Jan 30, 2017)

Here is one I had. Close to NOS. Road it once, years ago. 

 

 

 Too big for me (5 10). Finally sold it after months for sale.  A tough sell at $450.


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## sam (Jan 30, 2017)

At the time the DL-1 was first made in the teens or earlier High wheelers were still in use---streets were not paved smooth maybe brick or stone if paved and people still used horses a lot.(even in England) so a tallish bike frame was not out of the ordinary. And very large rims rolled smother over cobbles than smaller wheels. Riding a 24" roadster is very nice --like riding a horse--and I'm only 5-9"---but the gearing needs to be lowered and the pace needs to be very layed back. I had one and rode it several miles ---killed my knees---I have a franken bike dl-1 with a 5 speed block---a true pleasure to ride.


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## SirMike1983 (Feb 4, 2017)

Looking solely at the Model 1 (also called the "Popular" model), it came primarily in the 24 inch frame size and a 26 inch (!) frame size with 28 inch wheels. These bicycles were ridden in a somewhat archaic way by our standards today.  In earlier times, stand over height was much less important than today. The bikes were tall, and many people could not touch their feet to the ground while in the saddle. The bikes were mounted with a push forward and swinging the leg over and onto the saddle in one motion. The tall frame allowed the rider to get the full leverage of the leg while the tall stand over height provided clearance for rough road and ground obstacles. The riding style of the time emphasized constant movement, and there were fewer cars/stop-and-go traffic to deal with in the early part of the 20th century. The DL-1 is very much a holdout from that era.

The whole "tall people"-specific advertising for the 24 inch frame came later and as a contrast point to the Raleigh Sports bicycle (DL-22). Technically, the advertising is true in that tall people would like the DL-1's size, but it's misleading to say the DL-1 got its dimensions specifically because tall people wanted to ride it. Its design is a relic of the early 20th century.

If you didn't like the very tall stand over, you could buy what was called a "safety" roadster - say, the Raleigh Dawn series. These bikes had lower bottom brackets, included smaller sizes, 26 inch wheels usually, and you could easily touch both feet to the ground with your backside in the saddle. Hercules also offered a "safety" roadster model, and even a "compact safety" model. Hence, the "safety" term - you could stop the bike in traffic while bringing both feet down and keeping your backside in the saddle. 

The Raleigh Dawn series often used the same frame dimensions as the Raleigh Sports, so the Sports was a "light" roadster with a safety style configuration and a couple frame sizes in the 26 wheel pattern.


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## TR6SC (Feb 4, 2017)

SirMike1983 said:


> Looking solely at the Model 1 (also called the "Popular" model), it came primarily in the 24 inch frame size and a 26 inch (!) frame size with 28 inch wheels. These bicycles were ridden in a somewhat archaic way by our standards today.  In earlier times, stand over height was much less important than today. The bikes were tall, and many people could not touch their feet to the ground while in the saddle. The bikes were mounted with a push forward and swinging the leg over and onto the saddle in one motion. The tall frame allowed the rider to get the full leverage of the leg while the tall stand over height provided clearance for rough road and ground obstacles. The riding style of the time emphasized constant movement, and there were fewer cars/stop-and-go traffic to deal with in the early part of the 20th century. The DL-1 is very much a holdout from that era.
> 
> The whole "tall people"-specific advertising for the 24 inch frame came later and as a contrast point to the Raleigh Sports bicycle (DL-22). Technically, the advertising is true in that tall people would like the DL-1's size, but it's misleading to say the DL-1 got its dimensions specifically because tall people wanted to ride it. Its design is a relic of the early 20th century.
> 
> ...



Thank you SM. Always a pleasure to hear your Take.


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## bulldog1935 (Feb 5, 2017)

I would be interested in seeing bike photo or a catalog listing for a 26" frame size.
This is the only prewar catalog in Sheldon's database, 1939



never mind, found it myself - 1925


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## SirMike1983 (Feb 5, 2017)

They also made it in a double top bar frame, which became a popular style of tall bike in Asia. I can only imagine limited demand for that 26 inch frame on the 28 inch wheels... big bike.


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## bulldog1935 (Feb 5, 2017)

Even today they make 67 cm to 71 cm frames for really tall people (e.g. Bill Walton).  They could probably use 28" wheels.  
I ride as tall as 64cm frames myself.  I'm 6'3", but all limbs, and tall frames with shorter top tubes, like Carlton and Italian geometry, fit me perfectly.  
A lot of folks will do 650b conversions to get wider tires on bike boom or contemporary framesets.  
I think they look weird in tall frames, and I stick with 700c on mine.  

Here's one of Bill Walton's bikes, btw


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## sam (Feb 5, 2017)

Check this one out!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-V...058607?hash=item33c5c07d2f:g:CdYAAOSw241YVaCb


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