Reader Project: RB's Raleigh Superbe

Long-time reader, first-time "Reader Projects" contributor, RB of A Balanced View brings us his most taxing (and interesting) current project, a 1951 Raleigh Superbe Dawn Tourist. I've excerpted a very small amount of text from his blog below, but it's really worth following the link to read RB's more extensive description of the work he's doing on this bike and his other projects.  

As far as I can tell, this is a Raleigh Superbe and the frame number - a “P” number stamped at the top of the seat tube -  suggests it was built in 1949 or 1950, at least according to the online sources here and here. The rear hub is a Sturmey Archer DynoFour -the date code appears to be “5T” which suggests (to me, at least) 1950 [editor's note: since writing the original post, RB has tentatively dated this bike as a 1951 Raleigh Superbe Dawn Tourist]. When I acquired it, it looked as if it had been attacked by a maniac armed with a floor mop and a bucket of green household paint.

There are lots more pictures of RB's Superbe at his blog, including some really horrifying close-ups of the paint "job" and some really wonderful ruminations on the chicken-shaped spoke reflectors that somehow found their way onto the bike.

Posted in: 1951 Raleigh Superbe,English bikes,reader projects