# 1978 Raleigh Sports



## piercer_99 (Aug 28, 2019)

I picked up this 78 Raleigh Sports tall frame mens touring bike, because it had a tool bag that I wanted for my 56 BSA.

Got it from the original owner, who after buying it in 1978, rode it twice.   He didn't like it because it was to tall, so it spent the next 41 years slowly sinking down on rotting tires and being left to die.  The original tires still had all the nipples on the tread, so sad.

Well, new tires, lube the Sturmey Archer S3C, wash and wax it and viola, it is a wonderful bike.   Rides smooth, really a fun bike to ride.   I am selling it locally, probably one of the many thousands of students at UNT or TWU will pick it up to ride it around campus and downtown Denton where all the cool college kids hang out.    It was really shocking to find such a nice bike, that had just been tossed aside for no reason at all.

Aside from the 22" frame, it is a really fun bike to ride.   A well built machine that should last for many years.


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## PfishB (Aug 29, 2019)

Nice bike.  The Peddler is still in business here in Memphis, I get tubes small parts from them from time to time.  I've picked up a couple of vintage bikes here with a similar background as yours - purchased, ridden a few times and then set aside for the next few decades.  Although I did find a dozen dead wasps in the bottom bracket of one, so it was getting some use...


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## piercer_99 (Aug 29, 2019)

Yes, I was looking at their webpage last night.   Seems that they have moved onto Trek.


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## SirMike1983 (Aug 29, 2019)

That's a good bike. The Sports bikes from the late 1970s are after Raleigh dumped the white-tipped rear fender, but before Raleigh went to the oddball two-tone paint jobs of the early 1980s. They are plainer than the bikes that came before and that came after because they have the monotone paint. But the construction is still Raleigh - pretty solid, if a bit heavy by that time period. It's a 1930s-40s era design still, but with cost-cutting and some of the consumer products safety stuff (the reflector, for example) thrown in. I prefer that larger frame size, even at 5ft 7in tall. There are snobs in the bike hobby who look down on the 1970s Raleighs, but I think they're just fine - I have a '74 Sports and a '78 DL-1 that are great utility bikes, and I like my '74 Grand Prix 10-speed as well.


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## piercer_99 (Aug 29, 2019)

SirMike1983 said:


> That's a good bike. The Sports bikes from the late 1970s are after Raleigh dumped the white-tipped rear fender, but before Raleigh went to the oddball two-tone paint jobs of the early 1980s. They are plainer than the bikes that came before and that came after because they have the monotone paint. But the construction is still Raleigh - pretty solid, if a bit heavy by that time period. It's a 1930s-40s era design still, but with cost-cutting and some of the consumer products safety stuff (the reflector, for example) thrown in. I prefer that larger frame size, even at 5ft 7in tall. There are snobs in the bike hobby who look down on the 1970s Raleighs, but I think they're just fine - I have a '74 Sports and a '78 DL-1 that are great utility bikes, and I like my '74 Grand Prix 10-speed as well.




I am very impressed by how well built this bicycle is,  it is a joy to ride.

I did service the S3C, actually oiled it and adjusted the indicator shaft to the proper position,  the bike shifts seemlessly,  such a smooth ride.  Aside from the paint fade and minor chipping,  it's like a new machine. 

If I could justify keeping it,  I would.   However the 1956 BSA wins out because I like it more. 

Took it for a 3 mile loop just now, it really doesn't feel tall while in the saddle.


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## piercer_99 (Aug 29, 2019)

Another impressive detail on it, are the double wall rims, a very nice touch, not really that heavy, yet the structure of them is superb.


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