Last fall I relocated our offices to the Laurelhurst neighborhood in Northeast Portland. Now, I commute to work in a lovely and historic part of Portland’s awesome east side, leaving behind the stressful and gnarly traffic surrounding our old Victorian on SW 5th near PSU. I usually commute on one of my daily riders, but also keep extra bikes on hand at the office for errands and lunchtime rides through the neighborhood, including my two favorite 3 speeds: a 1950 Raleigh Sports Tourist, and a 1947 Peugeot PH55. I restored both bikes many years ago, but the Peugeot was a more involved process because many of its original parts were missing.
The restoration process involved sourcing a vintage 650b wheelset and fenders, as well as handlebars, stem, brake levers, saddle, dynamo, lamps, and saddle.
My goal was to come as close as possible to the bike featured in this 1947 Peugeot catalog, and to err on the higher quality side when possible.
I think I achieved this objective and am happy with the way the build came together. The NOS Ducel dynamo lights work well without excessive drag. The bike is much lighter than its Raleigh counterpart, weighing in at a respectable 28 lbs. compared with the Raleigh’s 45 lb. bulk. This is because the tubing is high quality Rubis, and the bike features many alloy components.
The Peugeot’s drive train is all original, with a 19-24 “Twister” freewheel, Simplex TDF rear derailleur and Peugeot 46T crankset. That puts the gear inch range, with its 650b wheel size, at 50 to 63. Very narrow and with no low or high gears. The Simplex TDF shifts just fine, but needs a bit of correction both shifting up and down the gear range.
The Raleigh’s drive train is, of course, a Sturmey Archer internally geared hub, mated to a 46T Raleigh crankset, which is fully enclosed in its full length chain guard. The AW hub with its 19T cog gives a gear inch range of 47 – 84. A much wider range than the Peugeot, but mostly very high, especially given its bulk.
The Raleigh has steel rims, as compared to the Peugeot’s lightweight alloy Super Champion rims. Both wheel sizes are similar, and both bikes feature full length fenders. The Raleigh’s are steel (of course!) and somewhat mangled from years of use, and the Peugeot’s are lighter weight alloy. All of these elements contribute to the significant weight difference between the two bikes.
1950 Raleigh Sports Tourist
So, what bike wins my vote? Believe it or not, it’s the Raleigh. While it is MUCH more challenging to conquer hills on the Raleigh, the comfort and quality of this machine is no match for its highly competent counterpart. The bike kind of self-propels once it gets going, due to the inertia of the heavy wheels. And, the convenience of shifting whether stopped or not adds to this bike’s appeal. It’s the bike I most often select for neighborhood jaunts, even though I may have to stand up and stomp to get it up the hills. It’s a pleasure to ride and gives me a great workout. And, it’s a reminder of what it’s like to experience the quality and craftsmanship of this era’s legendary Raleigh marque.
