SirMike1983
Riding a '38 Autocycle Deluxe
http://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2016/08/1978-raleigh-dl-1.html
http://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2016/08/1978-raleigh-dl-1-tourist-on-farmington.html
A few pictures of the late model DL-1 Tourist (1978). By this time, Raleigh shifted to a modern, seatpost-type reflectors. The shifters had plastic faces, which often cracked or broke, leaving just the metal core. I have replaced the plastic face twice on the original shifter for this bike, and just recently decided to just convert to an earlier, metal shifter. It functions well.
The rod brakes remained similar to previous versions and functioned reasonably well, though stopping power was not great. Wet stopping could be improved through leather-faced brake pads, though it was still not very good. The front brakes used the anti-vibration extension arms, which usually were positioned facing backward into the fork. However, these could also be reversed to face front, and you sometimes see them this way. I found that these brakes vibrate less with them facing front, so I use them that way.
Raleigh also had reduced the thickness of the steel used for the rims, those they remained sufficiently heavy-duty to be durable and functional. The decals were of the modern, 1970s-style, though black with gold and red pinstripes remained the basic color scheme.
Overall this is very much an early 20th century bicycle with some 1970s-era changes. I think this style of roadster was the "Model T" of the bicycle world. The DL-1 and its relatives from other companies were built in huge quantities and sent all over the world, and even eventually license built in other countries. They provided basic but reliable transportation on almost every continent.
For those of you in the northeast, visit the Farmington River bicycle trail. The trail is recently paved, and offers a quite, scenic ride along the water. The trail is relatively flat and smooth, with connections to local stores and attractions.
http://bikeshedva.blogspot.com/2016/08/1978-raleigh-dl-1-tourist-on-farmington.html
A few pictures of the late model DL-1 Tourist (1978). By this time, Raleigh shifted to a modern, seatpost-type reflectors. The shifters had plastic faces, which often cracked or broke, leaving just the metal core. I have replaced the plastic face twice on the original shifter for this bike, and just recently decided to just convert to an earlier, metal shifter. It functions well.
The rod brakes remained similar to previous versions and functioned reasonably well, though stopping power was not great. Wet stopping could be improved through leather-faced brake pads, though it was still not very good. The front brakes used the anti-vibration extension arms, which usually were positioned facing backward into the fork. However, these could also be reversed to face front, and you sometimes see them this way. I found that these brakes vibrate less with them facing front, so I use them that way.
Raleigh also had reduced the thickness of the steel used for the rims, those they remained sufficiently heavy-duty to be durable and functional. The decals were of the modern, 1970s-style, though black with gold and red pinstripes remained the basic color scheme.
Overall this is very much an early 20th century bicycle with some 1970s-era changes. I think this style of roadster was the "Model T" of the bicycle world. The DL-1 and its relatives from other companies were built in huge quantities and sent all over the world, and even eventually license built in other countries. They provided basic but reliable transportation on almost every continent.
For those of you in the northeast, visit the Farmington River bicycle trail. The trail is recently paved, and offers a quite, scenic ride along the water. The trail is relatively flat and smooth, with connections to local stores and attractions.
