Approximately a year ago I took a chance on ordering a bicycle that intrigued me. Raleigh had, the previous year, released a retro styled cruiser bike that was inspired by the pub hoppers of Britain.
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Officially dubbed the
PUB, or Public Utility Bike, the Raleigh retro ride had an beefy aluminum frame, period track ends, and a plate inside the camel back style frame. The color is what Raleigh calls "Stout", basically a brown with school bus yellow scheme. The pin striping is limited to the chain guard and is minimal. Along with a sturdy Schwinn style springer front end, a springer seat, a crank forward geometry makes it a relaxed and stable bike to cruise on. It is, in fact the bike I selected to
ride with Ilsa.
I am the type of guy that just can't leave "store bought" alone, so immediately on the bike's arrival, I swapped out the pedals to a more retro style. Next, I ordered a rear rack for the bike, but I was dismayed to find it would not mount to the rear track style drop-outs. Not to worry.......With a stiff upper lip and Scot ingenuity, I mounted it to the front. It looks better that way anyway.
The Raleigh PUB has, over the past year, become my favorite bike to cruise on.
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It is a simple velocipede, a utilitarian looking contraption that cleverly hides it's effective design. One thing I felt the bicycle needed to be complete was a set of fenders.....
Waterskirts if you will. I ordered up a set of gloss black ducktail fenders, and they bolted right on. The finishing touch was a Columbia rear reflector, attached directly to the fender. The addition of a bell, a kid's license plate, and a front axle tag occurred sometime along the way.
The Raleigh PUB is a retro cruiser that never existed before. Sadly, Raleigh decided to drop it from their bicycle line after only one year. I suppose it did not translate into making alternative versions very well. That is fine with me I suppose. I was lucky enough to get one, and it is often my first choice when I decide to take a long relaxing ride about town.
Labels: Bicycles in my Stable
2 Comments:
NICE!
You have such killer style!
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