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Here's a Raleigh you don't see everyday.

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Oilit

Cruisin' on my Bluebird
I've wanted one of these since I saw this one posted on Flickr (I can't link to it, but search on "Jack Hoyt's Raleigh Lancer" to see the pictures).

This one isn't quite as nice, but it will clean up close to it. I believe these were introduced for 1958 and maybe dropped when TI bought Raleigh. They don't turn up often, so I was glad to snag this one. The last two pictures are of a promotional postcard that's one of the few pieces of literature I've found. On the back it mentions a girl's version, has anybody ever seen one?

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Raleigh Lancer Postcard Front.jpg


Raleigh Lancer Postcard Back.jpg
 
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appears it may have been produced in a single frame size; is that correct?


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I haven't seen one before. That sure is a fine example. Should clean up really nice. You probably already know of the dreaded SW hub's ill reputation. I guess I would swap in an AW if you're making it into a rider.
 
I haven't seen one before. That sure is a fine example. Should clean up really nice. You probably already know of the dreaded SW hub's ill reputation. I guess I would swap in an AW if you're making it into a rider.
I've read the Brian Hayes article on Sheldon Brown's site, and since Raleigh owned Sturmey-Archer it makes me wonder if problems with the SW helped put Raleigh in a position to be bought by TI. The timing could have been coincidence, but then again maybe not.
 
I came across a thread a couple years back where the owner was looking for information on one of these. Can't remember if it was here or some other site. That was the first time I saw one of these and there was someone posting that had all the details and years they were produced. Interesting piece for Raleigh.
 
Are the tires 26 x 1 3/8? They appear to be wider, more like a middle weight (1.75).
 
Are the tires 26 x 1 3/8? They appear to be wider, more like a middle weight (1.75).
They're 26 x 1-3/4. This is the only bike I know of other than Schwinn to use the "S-7" 571mm bead seat diameter. Everybody else seemed to go with the 26 x 1.75 559mm tires.
 
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They're 26 x 1-3/4. This is the only bike I know of other than Schwinn to use the "S-7" 571mm bead seat diameter. Everybody else seemed to go with the 26 x 1.75 559mm b.s.d.
Thanks for that info, I thought maybe I needed new glasses. I think in my tire stash I have a couple Raleigh 26 x 1 3/4.
 
Raleigh and the various Birmingham brands exported bikes like these to the U.S. There was a great deal of pressure to export and sell bicycles in the mid and late 1950s in Britain. The US market offered a great deal of opportunity with more children coming to the age where they needed bikes by the late 1950s. Each brand seemed to have a different take on what should be offered on these bikes, and even what kind of shape the frame should be (though they all seemed to focus on the "cantilever" style overall). You'll see the differences in the frame styling if you set them next to each other. They all seemed to have a little different version of the cantilever. It did not help that the Sturmey SW plagued these bikes as it did so many others in the mid and late 1950s. If the Schwinn Racer and Traveler were American takes on a British design, the Lancer is a British take on an American design. Good find.
 
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