# Hercules Raleigh Roadster



## Big Fat Whitewalls

I'm curious to know the date of this bike. It doesn't have a Sturmey Archer rear hub, instead it has a 3spd hub with Hercules A type O made in England on it, and no date. It has rod brakes, when did they stop using those? I didn't see a serial number on it, I checked the left side of the seat post with no luck. It's all original, paint,tires and all, well maybe not the seat. Thanks, Dean


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## phillips1952

*im guessin 50s*

most likely 50s ,,by the  shape of the fenders and handlebar trigger shifter,although alot were put on.. the top bar shifters broke alot.is the rear brake rod bolted through the bottom bracket?i cant see from the pics.shes a nice bike though it will ride great with some mechanical and elbow grease..i dig it..


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## zuissjw1

My guess is that this is late 40's to early 50's.  I have a similar looking bike made by Hercules (branded Churchill Deluxe) and mine was 1953.  I could date mine as it has a Sturmey Dynohub front hub dated 534.  I also have a matching women's bike of the same era.  

Mine have the Hercumatic B Type 4 hub.  The bicycle serial number should be on the non drive chain stay tab where the rear hub/axle bolts into the frame.

Regards, John


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## sailorbenjamin

Judging by the Beetle it's propped up against, I'd say it's a 67 or a 68.


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## Big Fat Whitewalls

sailorbenjamin said:


> Judging by the Beetle it's propped up against, I'd say it's a 67 or a 68.



You're a little off, the Beetle is a 66.


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## SirMike1983

That looks like a true Hercules to me, not a Raleigh-produced Herc. Those are not all that common here in the US. The quality is the equal to a Raleigh in most cases, which is quite good. Raleigh-made Hercules bicycles are lower grade.


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## Coreyk

*From what I understand*

Soon after Raleigh bought TI in 1960, they changed the head badges to say   "Nottingham" on all the brands they bought. I have a 1960 Hercules  
with a Sturmey Archer AW dated 2 60, that still has the Birmingham designation.
It is probable that mine is a carryover, and was assembled by Raleigh from existing Hercules parts.

Chances are good that the crossover to "Nottingham" badges was done by 6/1960. The fact that yours has the Hercules hub makes it much more likely to be a pre-Raleigh model. Check the left rear dropout for the serial number. That's where mine is.

All in all, a great find. I really like the geometry of that frame...probably a really nice stately ride to it. Are those 26" wheels?

CK


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## Big Fat Whitewalls

Yes the wheels are 26". I bought this bike from an older gentleman, that bought it from the original owners estate. If I remember right, he bought it in the late 60's, and he remembered the original owner riding it all over the neighborhood. I've had it about two years. It was learning against a mailbox, with a cardboard hand written for sale sign, on a rural country road that I don't take very often. It wasn't locked up or anything. When I knocked on the door, the guy was napping. It could have been stolen from him very easily. I actually drove past it, went down the road a few miles, then turned around and went back. I was unemployed at the time, and didn't need it. The kicker is he was asking $10.00 for it, which I gladly paid, even though I didn't know what it was, or if it was anything special. Dean


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## SirMike1983

Big Fat Whitewalls said:


> Yes the wheels are 26". I bought this bike from an older gentleman, that bought it from the original owners estate. If I remember right, he bought it in the late 60's, and he remembered the original owner riding it all over the neighborhood. I've had it about two years. It was learning against a mailbox, with a cardboard hand written for sale sign, on a rural country road that I don't take very often. It wasn't locked up or anything. When I knocked on the door, the guy was napping. It could have been stolen from him very easily. I actually drove past it, went down the road a few miles, then turned around and went back. I was unemployed at the time, and didn't need it. The kicker is he was asking $10.00 for it, which I gladly paid, even though I didn't know what it was, or if it was anything special. Dean





It's worth well-more than that.

These bicycles, while not as well-known as the Raleighs are every bit as good in quality of manufacture. They do take some oddball parts that are hard to find in the US, as they're much more common in Britain than the US (where we see mostly just Raleighs and re-brand Raleighs). You made an excellent find. It must have been an odd sight to people back in the day when the original owner was riding it-- something very different.


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## Doohickie

That is definitely a pre-Raleigh Hercules.  As was said upthread, Raleigh bought out the Hercules brand in 1960.  

I have a 1960 Hercules.  It's an odd bike in that it has a Montgomery Ward Hawthorne nameplate that says Made in Birmingham, England, but has the Hercules coat of arms on the downtube and says HERCULES very prominently on the seat tube.  So that points to a true Hercules.  Then, there's the hub which is a Sturmey Archer AW with a date code of 60 4.

And the kicker is that it doesn't look like an English roadster at all.  It is more of a 50s cruiser style, with a unique twin toptube that's really a continuation of the seat stays all the way to the head tube.


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## simran

*Hercules Roadster*

These seem to be considerable newer than the one I just picked up.


Need lots of parts fro this bike.
some good Dunlop rims would be wonderful.
I also need a Sturmy Archer 3spd shifter from the mid 30's era.
I think I may have found a Bottom bracket and Crank for it though.


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## jackomeano

*old bicycle*

I would say early 50s maybe late 40s, what happened to the  lights and stator ? are there any signs of it having them or not?


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## simran

jackomeano said:


> I would say early 50s maybe late 40s, what happened to the  lights and stator ? are there any signs of it having them or not?




No sign of ever having lights and stator. I' pretty sure the wheels are original as the front hub has the Herc. Emblem on it. with a pair of Dunlop steel hoops. You will notice that there is no chrome on this bike either. I believe it to be one of the more inexpensive models they sold in the US market after the depression.
On another forum someone nailed the year to 1937 because of the seat post and the numbers on the Sturmey Archer hub. Like I said, the front hub is a Hercules hub.

On a side note, I've begun to gather the parts to restore it to running condition. I doubt I'll do a repaint as the finish isn't all that bad. I'm still missing the top tube shifter and the bottom bracket; and of course the seat. The seat is still sold new by Brooks as Brooks bought out both Wright and Dunlop's saddle division at some point and they still make the very same saddle. I also found a fellow that could rebuild the saddle that is on it for about the same price as a new one. Just depends on what a fellow wants to do.


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## jackomeano

*Rod brake parts*

Well, If you need soon rod brake parts They still offer rod brake bicycles here in Italy.
Although You have to check the threads on it Proly English On second thought try a british ebay uk...


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## simran

jackomeano said:


> Well, If you need soon rod brake parts They still offer rod brake bicycles here in Italy.
> Although You have to check the threads on it Proly English On second thought try a british ebay uk...




I believe I've got all the brake parts I need now. Yes, the UK is where I found them. Ebay for sure.


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## Rus Tea

A Type O hub is 1950


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## simran

This bike was made before Hercules was building their own hubs. It has a Sturmey Archer hub on it. I don't have  the numbers now but on another site a fellow with a couple of these said the hub is a 1937; that, with the "7" shaped seat post and Dunlop saddle  he was quite sure it was a 1937 model.


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## MikeG41

*Hercules 3-Speed hub*

Yes! An A Type 0 hub is definitely from 1950. They changed to the B Type in 1953 (hence B Type 3, etc.).


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## MikeG41

*Chainguard*



Doohickie said:


> That is definitely a pre-Raleigh Hercules.  As was said upthread, Raleigh bought out the Hercules brand in 1960.
> 
> I have a 1960 Hercules.  It's an odd bike in that it has a Montgomery Ward Hawthorne nameplate that says Made in Birmingham, England, but has the Hercules coat of arms on the downtube and says HERCULES very prominently on the seat tube.  So that points to a true Hercules.  Then, there's the hub which is a Sturmey Archer AW with a date code of 60 4.
> 
> And the kicker is that it doesn't look like an English roadster at all.  It is more of a 50s cruiser style, with a unique twin toptube that's really a continuation of the seat stays all the way to the head tube.




You need this guy's chainguard!! - http://thecabe.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?19191-What-Year-Is-It
Your bike is an export model made by Raleigh in England, for the U.S. market. Some of them were made as a 
'Trio-Tube Model', with a cantilever tube between the seat-tube and the down-tube - http://www.ratrodbikes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35531
The Raleigh Javelin is a similar model.


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## John Ebert

Just came across this site. I just picked up a 53 Churchill with a Sturmey-Archer Dyno-hub marked 10 53 which is why I am assuming it is a 53.  The rear hub is Hercules but it is L-N-H.  Got new tires,tubes and rim strips.  Going to mount a Trojan Mini Motor on it and use it at swap meets to get around.  Here are a few pictures of the old girl.
Got more questions than answers but your site is the first to let me know it is a Hercules badged as a Churchill, must be a story there.  Still for $20 I can't go wrong.
More and better pictures will be coming.  I am more into older British motorcycles.


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## John Ebert

The one on my Churchill is a B 3 made by Hercules.


MikeG41 said:


> *Hercules 3-Speed hub*
> 
> Yes! An A Type 0 hub is definitely from 1950. They changed to the B Type in 1953 (hence B Type 3, etc.).



  Need to repack the wheel bearings but that might involve opening up the hub.  Not sure of the availability of parts or interchangeability between Sturmey Archer and Hercules?   Been looking for a parts breakdown and maybe a service manual?
Did repack the front wheel bearings yesterday.  The Sturmey Archer Dyno hub was a mess. Lots of rust!  Had to work hard to get it apart then I soaked the whole thing in Vaporust for hours, flush it with clean water and soak it again.  It is charging again!  Will miracles never cease.

John in Texas


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