Saturday, March 6, 2010

Return of the Superbe!



The newest addition to the bike family came home from a brief stay at the Davis workshop of Theo and his high school shop class, where it was thoroughly cleaned and overhauled.  It looks as good as the day it was bought, something like 35 years ago.

It rides and shifts smoothly and while it's never going to be mistaken for a lightweight, it is comfortable enough to ride for hours and is more than quick enough for my needs.

I replaced the failed B72 saddle with a new one, but kept all the other original parts intact.

I didn't know it, but this was the Raleigh I was waiting for.  I like the Sports and Roadster models, but this design and color scheme makes me feel like one of the guys in this video.
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6 comments:

  1. 2whls3spdsMarch 7, 2010 at 3:37 AM

    Beautiful clean up job! I love the way my Superbe rides too, but I am going to have to upgrade the rims.

    Do you have a key for the fork lock? If not it may be possible to get one if you can read the code off of it. Let me know, I am also in seeing if we can find a hub date.

    Aaron

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  2. 2whls3spdsMarch 7, 2010 at 6:41 AM

    Geeze that should be "interested" in seeing...

    More coffee or better proofreading ...pick two

    Aaron

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  3. MikeMarch 7, 2010 at 7:11 AM

    Thanks, Aaron! I could use your expertise on both counts. The fork lock code is NGN 5 and I was thinking of looking for a local MG club, as I've heard those blanks were used as glove-box keys on older MGs... But any suggestions or leads are welcome.

    On the hub, I'll post photos later today. I'll be darned if I can decipher the few marks that are there.

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  4. 2whls3spdsMarch 7, 2010 at 1:00 PM

    I will check my lock code when I get home, that sounds familiar. I also know where to get key blanks. A good old fashioned locksmith will have them. Not sure if the MG blanks are the same or not...I had one of those too, probably still have a spare set of keys around for it somewhere.

    Here is a picture of what the date code typically looks like. This one if off the 1964 AMF Hercules I have. You will find the occasional hub with a partial date and even some with no date. I have a no date code one, but that is an odd bike, it is a 197? Raleigh Sports Standard that was build under license in Malaysia. It is even lower end than the regular Sports.

    Aaron

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  5. 2whls3spdsMarch 14, 2010 at 8:43 AM

    Mike,
    Checked the lock codes...mine is NGN 49

    Key blank is K1122D BN1.

    There is someone somewhere that has the key codes and was making spare keys. IIRC out of Texas? I will see if I can find the information for you.

    Aaron

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  6. MikeMarch 14, 2010 at 4:49 PM

    Aaron,

    Your expertise and help is very much appreciated! Thank you!

    Mike

    ReplyDelete

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