Counsel on a ‘73 Raleigh

[Phife]

Howdy all—

Phife here, new to the forum.

I found a 1973 schwinn raleigh at my local goodwill for $25. I don’t know squat about vintage bikes but it was stamped ‘made in england’ and wasn’t rusted to a withered husk, so i went ahead and grabbed it.

I mostly bought it because it has a 3-speed internal gear hub that i thought would be a great hub for a different bike I’m building. The hub is a sturmey archer AW, which my quick in-store research tells me is a well regarded hub. Also like the saddle, but not drooling over it.

Thing is, I’m also kinda broke, and don’t have loads of space. Now I’m wondering if i should just clean up the bike and sell it, or sell the parts individually.

I saw a listing on ebay for a vintage SA 3 speed hub for $20+shipping, but then i watched a YT video where the guy is singing the praises of basically the same bike because you can get em anywhere for $50. So I’m torn.

If it takes months of ebay listings, or i have to restore it to showroom quality, just to make $30-$50, then I’d just as soon bust ‘er down for the bits i want.

Thoughts?

Edit: it occurs to me that maybe this was a marketplace question… but I dunno. If so, let me know

[Jesper]

(01-11-2022, 03:53 PM)Phife Wrote:  Howdy all—

Phife here, new to the forum.

I found a 1973 schwinn raleigh at my local goodwill for $25. I don’t know squat about vintage bikes but it was stamped ‘made in england’ and wasn’t rusted to a withered husk, so i went ahead and grabbed it.

I mostly bought it because it has a 3-speed internal gear hub that i thought would be a great hub for a different bike I’m building. The hub is a sturmey archer AW, which my quick in-store research tells me is a well regarded hub. Also like the saddle, but not drooling over it.

Thing is, I’m also kinda broke, and don’t have loads of space. Now I’m wondering if i should just clean up the bike and sell it, or sell the parts individually.

I saw a listing on ebay for a vintage SA 3 speed hub for $20+shipping, but then i watched a YT video where the guy is singing the praises of basically the same bike because you can get em anywhere for $50. So I’m torn.

If it takes months of ebay listings, or i have to restore it to showroom quality, just to make $30-$50, then I’d just as soon bust ‘er down for the bits i want.

Thoughts?

Edit: it occurs to me that maybe this was a marketplace question… but I dunno. If so, let me know

I would agree on the year of the bike; especially if the AW hub is dated "73". Even with a "73" date code it could be a 1974 frame with a '73 hub (not uncommon). Both years had essentially the same features. If your saddle is a Brooks vinyl "springer" than it may have been an alternate option (or replacement) for the bike since they usually had a Brooks "B.72" leather saddle.
These bikes (Raleigh "Sports" [DL22], et al.) are nearly a dime a dozen (especially in the UK); I think I have 3 or 4 of them (mostly for parts). Restoring will not earn a profit since the cost of any major restorative work (painting, chroming) is expensive compared to the value of the bike itself due to it being very common (in the mid 70s even more so). You would need to start with a near perfect condition bike and maybe only have to replace worn pedals and/or grips. My 1970 rider is nearly 100% (new tires) original with near perfect chrome and great paint (no rust); but it would still have trouble getting much above $300 on its best day. Your bike should have a chain guard, and tire pump as originally fitted equipment ('73 did, '74 may have been optional pump).

I would part it out; even if you sell parts super cheap you'll make more cash than trying to fix it up. Prices may vary, but US values are higher than UK because there's one on every corner there; prices would generally reflect parts in nearly unused condition as far as aesthetics and function. Parts in bold are the higher demand parts; but again need to be in very good to excellent condition. The rear hubs can fetch a decent price if the chrome is still in very good condition and it functions properly (good bearings, clean shifting), but year of manufacture also plays a part since older hubs bring a higher price for reasons that are and aren't obvious (older is harder to find and is also of higher quality), $50+/-, average condition hub $15-$25; "Heron" chainrings not rusty or worn $25-$50; pedals (good bearings with little rubber wear, English, not German) $25-$50; grips (near perfect) $10-$20; brake levers $10-$20/pr; brake calipers $10-$20/pr; front hubs $10-$30; rims (very good-excellent, no rust) $20-$40/ea; saddle (vinyl) $10 (Brooks leather saddles $25-$75); handle bar $10; left side crank (often needed due to stripped threads; left hand threaded) $10-$20; fenders $10-$20ea; shifter cable (not made aftermarket as far as I know, so has some value if someone is dying for one) $10-$30. The original pumps which are frequently missing are usually good for $25-$50 if operable. If you have nice condition "R" embellished hardware nuts they can go for $10 each; and headbadge $5-$20. An easy thing would be to remove the parts you need, and just sell the remaining thing for $25-$50; you covered your initial cost and have what you want in the end for your project without having a bunch of loose parts laying about (like me!).

Prices are estimates; depends mostly on condition, but also the regional market, and of course someone's specific needs. Most ebay prices are inflated. I find these bikes all the time on craigslist for $25-$75 in the cheap to reasonable range; but many folks think that because they have a vintage bike that it must be worth a lot being 40 years old or older. My photo in link shows my 1970 "Sports" with some custom mods; and a ladies 1941-43 "roadster" which is much rarer and worth about $300+ in its present condition and is worth having a full restoration. https://forums.bikeride.com/thread-6697.html?highlight=Raleigh+Sports
I regularly see medium condition bikes being advertised for $100-$400; they are probably basing their pricing on advertisements of near mint condition or rarer model bikes of earlier vintage and/or possibly deluxe models (e.g. "Superbe" [DL24]- the "Sports" model with more deluxe features).
If you want to sell it complete, I would just verify proper operation of shifting and braking systems. Clean it up and make sure tires hold air. It is in good enough condition to sell around $75; I would not expect much more. Probably asking price of $99; minimum sale price of $60-$70.

[Phife]

(01-12-2022, 02:55 AM)Jesper Wrote:  I would agree on the year of the bike; especially if …

Thanks so much for such a thorough response! I like your idea to take the parts i want and post the rest for cheap, though it does have some original stamped/marked hardware that I hadn’t considered the value of until you mentioned it. Probably won’t get to it soon, but thanks so much for your insight—really appreciate it