Here I Go Again...Another Raleigh Sports...

[SirMike1983]

My first Raleigh was a tall frame 1974 Sports, same color, basically same equipment (even the incorrect mattress saddle, though mine said "Comfort" on the back). It was $30. I have a soft spot for these 1970s Sports bikes. Mine is still going strong, though I've upgraded a few things. Bronze green with white is a nice combination.

 

[jimbo53]

These old Raleigh’s are hard to pass up. My weakness is Tourist 28” rod brake DL1’s. I’ve got 4 and if another jumps in front of me for a ridiculous price, I’ll drag it home, too! It’s a sickness, I tell you!!

 

[HARPO]

I'll never sell it, but this 1960 Sports I bought three years ago on my birthday is one of my top Raleigh finds. (I posted this back when I got it). If I remember correctly, I paid $150 for it. Doubt if that will ever happen again.

 

[Sven]

Another great find at a great price. @HARPO ! You must have some magical gift to find these bikes.

 

[Pedaltherapy]

I keep looking for a bargain priced Raleigh but around Va they seem to price in gold spokes

 

[HARPO]

Another great find at a great price. @HARPO ! You must have some magical gift to find these bikes.

The bike had been listed originally a year ago (as it showed) for $300 on Facebook but was being reduced to $125. I stumbled upon it by accident a few weeks ago, it being listed as "Vintage Bike". No mention of Raleigh, just that it needed tires.

I "Saved" it on Facebook, but I kept saying to myself "you don't need another one"...then two weeks ago it dropped to $85...I held strong. Then last Friday I get the "ding" on my phone that it dropped to $50. I couldn't let it go and immediately contacted the woman. Of course I was shocked to see it was in much better condition than I had imagined.

Turns out one of her husbands clients had given it to him, so it was hung in their nicely finished garage and never used by him. He didn't want it, so off to Facebook it went...for over a year. I guess it was waiting for to come and get it.

 

[jimbo53]

I keep looking for a bargain priced Raleigh but around Va they seem to price in gold spokes

They’re out there-just gotta be patient, educate yourself on old Raleigh’s and have cash on hand for a quick buy. Check FB Marketplace and Craigslist often and stop by bike shops to see what they’ve taken in on trade. Be willing to travel. I scored a 65 Rudge but had to drive 8 hrs round trip to get it. Are you obsessed about old Raleigh’s? If not, gotta get on the train!

 

[SirMike1983]

I keep looking for a bargain priced Raleigh but around Va they seem to price in gold spokes

All I can say is set aside a short time each day to quick check the major online marketplaces for bikes. When you do a search, do it a couple ways. That is, try a couple phrases ("vintage Raleigh", "1950s Raleigh", "Raleigh 3 speed", "Raleigh Sports", etc.). If a nice, vintage Raleigh turns up for like $50, it will sell within a matter of hours, so if you want that kind of deal, you have to check a little each day. I once got a nice old DL-1 for about $100 because I was checking everyday.

The listings you tend to see the most are the ones that linger: people with absurd prices and nonsense descriptions. You'll see those listings run months or years on eBay, Facebook, etc. There are quite a few people out there who think that just because they it's an old bike, that it must be worth several hundred dollars, at minimum. If you're near a major city, then sometimes that gets involved too. Because those are the ones you keep seeing, your frame of reference are these ridiculous listings where it takes $500 to buy a Raleigh Sports.

I used to fix up bikes in my garage in Fairfax County. The ones I did not ride, I surplus off by selling on eBay (fees) or Craigslist (lots of flakes contact you) or CABE (generally good) or RatRodBikes (also generally good).

 

[vincev]

Not a fan of foreign bikes but if it has rod brakes I will try to get it.......

 

[JoNy]

BTW...I pumped up the tires hours ago and they're still holding air!!

Nice surprise! Cuz if u need to use tire irons to change a flat, those old tires tend to crumble.