Hello hedgesteeper, and thanks focomat 1c.for flagging this up to me
It's great to see this bike and in particular the fact that it is still fitted with a Leleu drum-brake at least on the front. The presence of this brake indicates that this is an early model because later models were fitted with Sturmey Archer Elite drums. The SA Elite brakes first appeared for sale in 1985, though I don't know without further research when English Cycles started to use them. My guess would be that this bike dates from somewhere between 1983 and 1986. The width of the front hub flanges or a picture of the brake from the front would help to date the bike more precisely.
If it has Hakka stickers then the original tyres were most probably 650x54b. 26" Hakkapeliittas were never made and I have not heard of an English Cycles Range-Rider being originally fitted with 700c wheels. However, next time I contact Jeremy Torr I will ask him whether if he ever fitted that size.
Originally the 650b bikes used Super Champion rims which were not the strongest of rims and might have been damaged and then replaced by 700c. Alternatively, its owners might have found it difficult to find replacement tyres and so changed to a 700c because that size was commonly used on hybrid bikes from 1985 onwards.
The Leleu brakes though crudely constructed are easy to maintain and have a patented self-centering mechanism that mimics way that hydraulic drum-brakes function. They brake more powerfully than the SA's and are not effected by the build up of dust and uneven shoe wear that can hamper the SA's