For the Raleigh enthusiast, a Bucket list bike

[Schwinny]

It wouldn't do for me to live in England. The prices over there for the goodys are downright sensible compared to the same over here.
I'd have every inch of my "flat" stacked with bikes and parts.
A Record Ace with ASC hub for under a grand?
Shipping puts it on the stoop for 12-1300.

Just the ASC will cost 750 minimum in the US if we go by the prices on eBay. And good luck finding the bike itself.
I have to put my nose down on what I have and quit looking around.....

 

[Alan Brase]

It wouldn't do for me to live in England. The prices over there for the goodys are downright sensible compared to the same over here.
I'd have every inch of my "flat" stacked with bikes and parts.
A Record Ace with ASC hub for under a grand?
Shipping puts it on the stoop for 12-1300.

Just the ASC will cost 750 minimum in the US if we go by the prices on eBay. And good luck finding the bike itself.
I have to put my nose down on what I have and quit looking around.....

View attachment 1614074

What is the attraction of the ASC? I've seen a few listed. Always 40 hole. What rims would I get to use modern tires?

 

[Schwinny]

It is a fixed gear 3 speed, no free wheel.
A three speed fixie.
It is for those that like that stuff. I don't have any use for it either as far as riding it goes but the panache' of the esoteric is a strong pull for me. An original Raleigh Record Ace is the same, and them together......
Pretty much a collector bike, but 40 hole aluminum narrow rims are available used.
Us yanks dont realize it, or know much about it in general, but the fixed gear thing was alive and well in the 30's in England. I have an original 38' Armstrong with its OG steel flip flop hub.
It came full circle and now the fixie is a thing here in the U.S. again. I dont see the attraction but some folks like it. If I were to get that Ace, I would most likely keep the rear wheel assembly on the wall and put a different set of period wheels on it with a more usable set-up for riding.
Maybe a close ratio three speed with bar end shifter. Also rare, but doable.
With the current obsession of fixed gear here in the US, fully ready to go, that bike would demand top dollar here in the US.

 

[FICHT 150]

No fixed hubs, here, but, I did build a wheel with a Sturmey Archer alloy AM just to say I had one.

Very cool old hub, narrower range than the AW. Yea, I’d be crazy on bike stuff if I lived in England, too.

Not sure what is going on in England. You can get a boxlock Birmingham built non ejector shotgun, built between the wars, for 150-300 euro. The same gun, pretty much the world standard double barreled hunting implement, is $2500-3500, here. Same deal, importing it here kills the value.

Ted