A proper old lady

My plans to have a beautiful stable of restored vintage bicycles has begun!



Here's my first acquisition, a classic three speed Raleigh Lady's Sports.



She came from TradeMe, all packed up in a box.



The Sturmney Archer hub says that she's from 1963, but this doesn't seem to match up with the list that Sheldon Brown provides (see here for the definitive word on classic Raleigh bikes).




Also, the distinctive 'arrow' paint job seems to be a classic feature of the Sports models that come up for sale in NZ. This makes me wonder whether this kind are somehow unique to NZ, and does make me doubt the 'Made in England' declaration... There were import restrictions on bicycles from the 1960s to 1980s, during which time Raleighs were made in NZ from NZ steel. Apparently a similar thing happened with Fender amplifiers. Due to import restrictions on whole amps, they were assembled in NZ with a combination of local and imported parts - yet still marked 'Made in USA'! I have a lot of questions about the manufacture of bicycles in NZ and I intend to get to the bottom of it. Watch this space!



Original tyres, which will need to be replaced. Possibly with cream ones?



And just in case you weren't sure what to do with your tyres...



Mattress saddles were a feature of some of the cheaper models. Look, you can see the horsehair underneath!



She needs a bit of work, but these bicycles were solid machines designed to be repaired at home. I'll post the restoration process up here; hopefully it will be helpful to people considering buying a vintage bicycle! I'm going to derust the chrome, touch up the paint, repack the front hub, take a good look at those cables and connect up the three speed hub to the right wirey bit.



My plan is to ride the old lady while I'm doing up my main transportation bike, a 1970s Morrison Concorde. I look forward to getting her ready to ride so I can go for a spin! First up, polishing the metal.