Show us your "Royal Enfield" Any love out there
- Thread starter Piperdave
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Re:
Dave,
All I could see was a small picture, and it had the effect intended. It seems RE made a bike as close to the Raleigh as possible. They were wasting time and money though because the rod brake roadster by the 1960s was in very small demand. I does seem they made their own rod brake parts.
Raleigh had to accumulate loads of names, some with niche export markets, and concentrate on making childrens toys like the chopper. Carlton achieved about 50,000 bikes a year for them mainly to the schoolboy and teenage market, but Raleigh needed 1,000,000 a year.
By 1958 I was retailing to the more specialist market, having about 1,000,000 people within a 20 mile radius, but still only about 300 active recreational cyclists.
Keith
Dave,
All I could see was a small picture, and it had the effect intended. It seems RE made a bike as close to the Raleigh as possible. They were wasting time and money though because the rod brake roadster by the 1960s was in very small demand. I does seem they made their own rod brake parts.
Raleigh had to accumulate loads of names, some with niche export markets, and concentrate on making childrens toys like the chopper. Carlton achieved about 50,000 bikes a year for them mainly to the schoolboy and teenage market, but Raleigh needed 1,000,000 a year.
By 1958 I was retailing to the more specialist market, having about 1,000,000 people within a 20 mile radius, but still only about 300 active recreational cyclists.
Keith
Re:
Keith, here are some pics of the upper headset. The top half of the race is in the knurled adjuster, the bottom is concealed in the chrome head tube insert, but is a separate piece. Never seen that before.
Brakes...the bottom linkage for the rear brake is mounted differently to Raleigh ones. It is on a vertical bracket which is clamped to the bottom of the seat tube.
Keith, here are some pics of the upper headset. The top half of the race is in the knurled adjuster, the bottom is concealed in the chrome head tube insert, but is a separate piece. Never seen that before.
Brakes...the bottom linkage for the rear brake is mounted differently to Raleigh ones. It is on a vertical bracket which is clamped to the bottom of the seat tube.
sherlylock
rBotM Winner
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Resurrecting an old thread here......but thought I'd add in my Royal Enfield project that I picked up a few months ago. It's in a right state but I think it's interesting enough to persevere with.
Can't find a lot of info on Enfields from this era, which I believe to be the 40's......I've found some images of a Firefly Deluxe mans frame online (shown previously in this thread) which shares the same decals (and I can just about make out an "F" and "luxe" on the seat tube of mine).
531 tubing and is surprisingly light. Bayliss Wiley threadless oilbath bottom bracket, clip-on headset swaged into the headtube, Bayliss Wiley hubs and Dunlop 27" rims.......Raleigh crank and lamp bracket which are incorrect. Blumels Lightweight mudguards.....
It's stripped, cleaned and I've protected the frame for now - but tempted to give it the re-finish it deserves. Gradually working through the components - I've just rebuilt the front wheel with new spokes.
Wondered if anyone had any more info as to the year of manufacture and whether it is actually a Firefly Deluxe?
Can't find a lot of info on Enfields from this era, which I believe to be the 40's......I've found some images of a Firefly Deluxe mans frame online (shown previously in this thread) which shares the same decals (and I can just about make out an "F" and "luxe" on the seat tube of mine).
531 tubing and is surprisingly light. Bayliss Wiley threadless oilbath bottom bracket, clip-on headset swaged into the headtube, Bayliss Wiley hubs and Dunlop 27" rims.......Raleigh crank and lamp bracket which are incorrect. Blumels Lightweight mudguards.....
It's stripped, cleaned and I've protected the frame for now - but tempted to give it the re-finish it deserves. Gradually working through the components - I've just rebuilt the front wheel with new spokes.
Wondered if anyone had any more info as to the year of manufacture and whether it is actually a Firefly Deluxe?
Land_Raver
Dirt Disciple
@sherlylock Your Royal Enfield does look like an early 50s Firefly Deluxe, I had the male equivalent in a bronze/red colour. It had the same lug cut shapes and of course the baylis wiley oilbath cartridge bottom bracket. The headset was head clip style and it had the collet type seat clamp. Got no pictures but unfortunately the crossbar had rotted through under the fulcrum clip and I scrapped the frame.
I have recently sold a Silver 1949/50 RE Mayfly that was their top of the range bike...full Reynolds 531 please see attached pictures
I have recently sold a Silver 1949/50 RE Mayfly that was their top of the range bike...full Reynolds 531 please see attached pictures
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