If you are trying to determine the genealogy of your bicycle by it's features, go to our Vintage Bicycle Price Guide
which details bicycle features, wheel sizes, brake types, etc., as well as showing a price estimate for your old bicycle.
If you are trying to determine the make and model of your bicycle, go to our Vintage Bicycle Picture Database
which details bicycle features, wheel sizes, etc., as well as showing a price estimate for your vintage bicycle.
| Is a Raleigh Twenty the same thing as the Raleigh RSW? The Twenty is a folder, and I think the RSW is, to. ?? by: 205.179.119.99 |
| The Twenty came in both folding and fixed versions, with two wheel sizes (both nominally 20 inch). The RSW has smaller wheels (Really Small Wheel?) that are, I think, 14 inch. I'm not sure if RSWs fold or not. Watch Ebay. by: 65.78.2.207 |
| R.S.W. stands for Raleigh Small Wheel some of the RSW's folded and some didn't. Some even came with Dynohubs and lights. I have a 1968 that folds. It has a pivot just ahead of the bottom bracket and folds in with the wheel treads pointed towards each other. And they are HEAVY! Aaron by: 65.41.188.79 |
| OOPs forgot...the RSW has 16" wheels... Aaron by: 65.41.188.79 |
| Alex Moulton offered his revolutionary Moulton bicycle to Raleigh and they rejected it. Alex left good and mad at the Raleigh board of directors. So Voilla, he went out and got a building and tooling and made the bike and went off to the Earls Court Show and unveiled the bike. It was a huge, huge success. It stole the show. He stopped the decline and created new markets and it was really something. Then everybody got into small wheel bikes that copied the concept only they were shot down versions that cost less to make. Enter Raleigh who came in with their R.S.W. 16 that used 16 x 2 all white Dunlop tires that were balloonish and that (was supposed to) compensated for Raleigh's lack of a Moulton like suspension unit. Moulton's had suspension, Raleigh's did not. Raleigh had the non folding and then a folding version of the R.S.W. 16. Colors were Bronze- Green, flamboyant (candy) Carmine Red. Then the Raleigh R.S.W. 14 with 14 inch wheels. Then up to the Raleigh 20 with the 20 inch wheels. A 24 inch wheel version too. Everybody else (who was still around) got in on the game too. Daws and another brand that escapes me at the moment. I think it was Royal Enfield and their "Revelation" that was better than the Raleigh counterpart. If you watch the old British T.V. Show: "The Prisioner" with actor Patrick MaGooan you'll see The Raleigh R.S.W. 16 bikes in unique colors and the bikes had canopees over them! Quite a special set of props made especially for the show. The whole "village" set had these bikes being ridden all over in the show. Magooan in an interview calls them: "Stupid or silly little bicycles" (but personally..... I think they are bitchin cool as all hell please excuse my language) The British bicycle market was in a deep dive and I think that Moulton's actions saved Raleigh. Then............ after this Raleigh did some deal with Moulton and a Raleigh made copy of the Moulton was made by Raleigh but then in typical Raleigh fashion, they stopped making the bike. Moulton came back after an absence and today a Moulton bike is the coolest thing on two wheels but they are very expensive like $2,000.00! The new bikes are called Alex Moultons. Alex Moulton is a genius and well loved and respected. I have the old Cycling magazine articles with cyclist John Woodburn riding the bike. All the Raleigh made small wheel bikes are very heavy. Well, when I say this I am referring to the R.S.W 16'S and the Raleigh 20's One wit described the Raleigh R.S.W. 16 as like" "Waltzing in Gum boots" Also the Wisp was a R.S.W. 16 bike with a motor on it. It vibrated badly. All part of the swinging 60's. A mini bike to go with mini skirts. I call the R.S.W. 16 the "idiot sister" to the real star of the show............ The Raleigh Chopper. The Raleigh Chopper took the British market by storm. The Chopper and the R.S.W 16 share some few common parts. Raleigh made the Chopper in a Mk 1 and a Mk 2 ans then just very recently came out with a new version the MK 3 . The Raleigh Chopper is hugely sucessful and popular and as a collector of Raleigh's as a money aspect of this..........I wish I limited my collecting to just the Choppers. It would have paid off better money wise. I was into the Rod brake Roadsters and therefore the bulk of the parts inventory was these. Be sure to see: "Sheldon Brown's Raleigh Twenty page" The Raleigh Twenty is very popular with old models going up in value. Sheldon teaches us how to: Hop up your Raleigh 20! All of this was very big thing. Very popular. Very magical. To those of you who are old enough to remember this stuff and not just catch it on the re- run it was quite a wild party. Wasn't it?? by: 69.245.78.110 |
| Dawes. Dawes is spelled with an e. by: 69.245.78.110 |
| The Raleigh R.S.W. 16's had tartan bags on the rear racks. Very cool 60's magic. I encountered a very old lady in Windsor, Ontario Canada in a bike shop and she snapped at me in this nasty, tone. "No! It's not for sale." I remember her. You kinda would have to have- a been there! I dug in my heels and stubbornly decided to collect them.......... all! and wound up with quite a large number of these various bikes in all their varrying versions. Mad about everything Raleigh. Shipping these insanely heavy bikes over from England too. Yes the delightful madness.. It all comes back to me. I told this one shop owner how I loved the R.S.W. 16's. He had them around in the shop and wanted to dispose of them at top, top dollar prices and he already had my money. by: 69.245.78.110 |
| I advise you to buy a Raleigh 20 and then visit Sheldon Brown's page. That is a ridable, enjoyable bike. Forgive me, but to be honest, The R.S.W. 16 is just wonderful to look at. Not really practical to ride a R.S.W. 16. They are too heavy. If you have the money, buy a new Alex Moulton. by: 69.245.78.110 |
| As mentioned in another thread below, I have 2 tandems. One I can identify and the other I cannot. (Yes, I'll post pictures to help in id'ing it..!) The unkown tandem has a Bendix RB2 coaster brake and 26 x 1.75 tires. By the tires I'd guess it to be late 1950s up to the late 1960s. But does the RB2 narrow it down? by: 205.179.119.99 |
| I can't seem to find a serial number on the darn thing! by: 205.179.119.99 |
| the tires size tells me that they are not ballon type tires ... I found one posted message on a schwinn forum that said the same hub was on a 1966 Schwinn breeze model ... but that does not mean yours is a 1966 .... have you compared to the ones on the picture database ??? how about the serial number data .. does that help at all ??? CAN ANYONE ELSE OUT THERE HELP ANSWER THIS QUESTION ??? by: 4.152.117.16 |
| I just noticed this new forum. I have a Schwinn TOwn and Country, mid 50s, I think. One-speed with 26x1 1/2 (=650B) tires, Union drum brakes, English chain set, etc. A fun bike. I have vague plans to build a new wheel with a Sturmey AB hub and gain the ability to climb hills. by: 65.78.2.207 |
| this site was recently made for us thanks to Vin !!! Union drum brakes ??? new to me ... are they on front and back ??? any luck checking the serial number on this site for it's age ??? what shape is it in ??? how did you get yours ??? signed, fellow tandem owner ... by: 4.152.237.84 |
| I bought in on Ebay a few years ago. It was nearby so the prohibitive shipping cost was no prohibition. It's in pretty good shape for a 50-year old bike; shiny black with box lining and chrome fenders. Nashbar had whitewall 650Bs last year so I replaced the original tires. I swapped the mattress saddles for Brooks B66s which I consider more comfy. Union brakes are German and are much like Sturmey brakes. It's a fun ride and always gets some comments. It's a quality bike; fillet-brazed frame. My only real complaint is that the one-speed gearing is too high to climb moderate hills and too low to go down 'em! by: 65.78.2.207 |
| sounds like a neat tandem .... I have looked on Ebay myself for a tandem in my area but I can never find one, or in my price range ... have you sent a pic in for the tandem picture database ? I would enjoy seeing it ... I picked up our tandem from a guy not far from me ... I saw this guy having a bike sale and asked him if he had a tandem, he replied no but, just sold one to a friend of his ...he gave me his number and well .... that's how we acquired this one ... I am not too sure about the age of this one ... there are no serial numbers on the frame ... I called the company, and they estimated the age to be 1980 ? I will call them again and see if there is any other way to tell the age ... Our tandem is still being made, very close to the one I have in appearance as well ... the bet part is that any of the parts I need are still available ! the Worksman tandem bike I am working on now has a 3 speed coaster brake rear hub ... guess I will need it based on what you are saying ... my front wheel has a drum brake ... really cool to see inside ... it has shoes and springs like on a car by no hydralics ... restoring this bike is fun but, it takes alot of time to get things done ... this one is a long term ... I have spent about 8 hours just working on the front wheel and it is only half done ... the trick will be to take apart the 3 speed hub and put it all back together again ... never did that before ... well ... it can be a learning experience ... !!! by: 4.152.222.37 |
| love to talk here with anyone who has an ol' tandem .. I am having fun restoring mine right now ... I can give some tips to anyone doing the same if they need advice ... "KEEP THOSE OLD WHEELS A MOVIN" !!! " by: 4.152.222.182 |
| Hello ! THANK YOU Vin for making this discussion area !!! I have purchased an old Worksman Tandem bike back in October. Someone left this bike sitting outside for probably 2-3 years or more, and I am in the process of bring it back to life, (with my son's help!). ( a good winter project!) I have already spent countless hours stripping the bike, and working on the frame. It now has 2 coats of primer, and will be painted candy apple red with the a silver metallic undercoat. The last step will be to clear coat the whole frame. Nice ! I will send a pic to old roads when this project is completely finished. I have seen one other post a few years ago that said the same, restoring a Worksman tandem, and was wondering how it came out. I tried to e mail the person but they no longer have the address linked to the post. For anyone who may have a Worksman bike, these bikes have been made since 1898, and are made in the USA ... well they are assembled here ... They do not make many tandems, but specialize in the type of bikes that have the cart in the front ... like the ones used to sell ice cream from ... remember those ??? some of their bikes now are being sent to Iraq ... most of the parts for any of their bikes are still available, and can be ordered easily over the phone. I have found a few sites on the internet concerning these bikes, but only a few. Is anyone else out there into Worksman tandems ???? My tandem has a drum brake for the front wheel, but was missing parts to secure the brake mount to the fork. I have asked Worksman how this is done but they have only indicated that a strap that is used for a coaster brake was the part to used to attach the brake mount. does anyone have one of these bikes ? A picture will tell a thousand stories, and I could use a picture if anyone can supply one. Next, there isn't a bike club for tandems in my area ... But there was one some time ago called "RATS" . I have tried to contact these people but the phone numbers do not work, nor do the e mail. I am thinking about trying to start a TANDEM bike club located near Richmond, Virginia ... anyone interested ???? Anyone interested in communicating about these bikes, please post a reply ... thanks a bunch ! by: 4.152.237.185 |
| Hi Peter, I dont live in the Virginia are ... but I wish I did ... I live in Long Island, NY. I understand your excitement about the tandem bikes. I was at my Aunt and Uncles house ... inwhich they are in their 70's ... helping them reorganize the garage. My Uncle asked if I would take a bike out of the garage and take it home. I said ... sure. This bike had to be in there for the past 45 years. It was covered by a blanket and protected by an old dresser standing in front of it. There is not a scratch, ding, dent, or slight mark on it. No cracking or fading of the paint or anything. All original safety stickers ... unfaded or peeled. It was like I just pulled it out of the bike shop. What a blast from the past. I am in question to selling it ... but I am affraid if it stays with me ... I will end up putting a scratch into it. My garage is a work shop. I wish I had adequate storage for it. I can probably take the bike to the Adirondacks. I have a second home there ... I can probably get some use out of it there. I dont know. I just thought I would say hello and tell you my story. Craig - Ctupot@aol.com by: 68.195.113.253 |
| Ipurchased a worksman tandem in 1981 and am beginning to restore it. I admitt that I've not taken good care of it, in fact it's been outside for the last 10 years or so under a tarp. The project is staggering at this point and I'm wondering if it's worth it. I have pic's if anyone's interested. by: 72.66.14.184 |
| I have a couple old tandems, a Schwinn and a mongrel - I don't know what brand. Both are single speeds with a coaster brake in the rear and a caliper brake in the front. Man I find it really hard to ride in the back. I can ride in the front just fine but can't keep my balance in the back, probably because the handlebars don't turn. Both of these tandems have metal fenders and the bikes weigh a ton! by: 205.179.119.99 |
| do you have any pictures ??? by: 4.152.117.183 |
| I don't have any pix, but there are a lot of tandems in the picture database. I'll try to take some pictures soon. by: 205.179.119.99 |
| cool ! by: 4.152.222.182 |