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Need to KNOW model of Old Raleigh bicycle
#1
Question 
Trying to identify the MODEL and DATE of this OLD Raleigh bicycle. Any ideas, please?
NS9021483
21" frame
Official Raleigh tires
Saddle Wrights 66


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#2
@allicsirp I will try to help with your identification. We just lost an experinced Raleigh guy here in the past week. I think he could have gotten you into the ballpark with a year and model since he has similar Raleigh models dating from the 40s and newer. Refer to posts by member Jesper. He is a sometime coworker and cycling associate so I will contact him with your query and see what he has to say.
My quick guess is one of the "Sports" or "Tourist" models. Probably pre-1960.
I can say that those style bikes with roller/rod braking have been around for a very long time (pre-WW2), and even though it is an extremely outdated design was still being built well into the 80s and possibly into the 90s (apparently in India).
Where was the "NS..." serial number located? Location of it might help with identification. Not sure if you can ID the model from it, but year of manufacture might be possible and thus narrow down possible models. Is it a 3 speed?
If you can provide good photos of all decals and script on the frame, as well as components not shown in detail (shifter, hubs, chainwheel, pedals, chainguard, seat post).
The Wrights saddle may not be original (unless you have other info); Brooks saddles were used almost exclusively on early Raleighs. Otherwise we may be able to date that model saddle and hope it was only made for a couple years.
If the rear hub is original you can generally date the Sturmey Archer hub due to a date code stamped into the hub barrel. Use a little fine steel wool clean it up if to rusty/dirty to make out the stamp: 2 numbers for last two in the year and 2 numbers for the month built; example 64 05 would be May 1965. I believe that will apply to most newer hubs (post-WW2). I learned from Jesper that they would stamp hubs beyond the range of the numerical month. He has an original 1970 Raleigh Sports bike that has a hub dated 69 13; meaning January 1970 (13th month of 1969 does not work!). Be advised that the date on the hub is not the manufacture date of the frame, assembly date of the bike, or model year in a catalog; it only relates to hub manufacture, and hub years frequently pre-dated the year of the bike's manufacture and model years (yes confusing, but true). The general rule though is that the hub date is probably either the same year or one year earlier than the frame and model year. If your hub dates from early in a year it probably is the same as the bike's manufacture year; if hub date is from late in the calender year it most likely puts the bike date forward into the next year. It kind of depended on how many hubs were in stock; with older stock generally being used first. This same component vs. frame dating congusion is prevalent among the industry even to the present day. Even an original owners purchase date has nothing to do with the model or manufacture year; they may have bought last year's model without knowing it, or possibly received a coming year's model prior to the the change of the calender year for that model; none if which is uncommon.
From what I have learned here is that many of these bikes are being sold as much older due to their brake system even though they are essentially modern by collectors standards; yours is not one of them. Raleigh made many models per year even back in the day, but most of them were essentially the same frame with different components, accessories, and finishes.
Ride Fast, Be Safe!
Howard
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