I've been thinking a lot about what bike I should have as my do-it-all bicycle and I looked into Raleigh and found this Sprite which I absolutely love. I wanted a nice sized touring frame, 5 speed with strength to support a cargo box and pull a child carrier while not weighing a ton. Sorry Schwinn...your all-steel frames are beautiful and indestructible but they are WAY to heavy when fully equiped.
Chain guard was in pretty good shape. I canabalized a gyro unit and lights from a Schwinn Varsity.
Love the green powered lighting!
Woven cable housings from Velo Orange!
No old man bike is complete without a cup holder and "Bing-Bong" bell.
Don't mind the handlebar grips...I'm working on some custom leather ones to match my brown Gyes spring seat
Velo Orange hammered fender set...Ultra Cool.
I found this old wine box that was just the right size and light weight. I added a U-lock holster and bored holes for a cargo net. I'm find the time this summer to stain the wood and mark it with the "Shin Schwinn" Logo.
Gyes is a nice alternative to Brooks at half the price of similar models. I have yet to see that the Brooks brand is better in any way. As long as you give the leather proper care, it should be just as comfortable and long lasting.
One final shot of my Super Custom English Cruiser. It's a VERY smooth ride with a big low gear. I did have to swap out the original brakes for Wienmanns so it could handle the extra weight and add a stabalizer spring to the front wheel. (It's that funny looking black contraption under the bottom tube in case you were wondering) Along with the center stand, this bike is as stable as you're going to get!
Happy Riding!
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