(Retitled) Vintage Raleighs!!

[balexander87]

I bought an older Raleigh road bike a few years ago. Found it on CL for $50. It is ridable, but definitely needs some work. The frame is in really nice shape, but wheels and components have suffered from being left to the elements. I'm curious how hard it is to source parts for older bikes. Have the BB, head sets, etc. changed much since the 70s? I'd guess they have, but I really don't know. I don't plan to race, but would like to start putting more miles under my belt than I am currently getting from my mtn bike since trails aren't terribly convenient here (St. Joe). Might even try commuting to work...who knows.

Has any one else done a fixer-upper project like this? I've not done a whole lot of work on bikes, but I have very strong mechanical background and live within walking distance of the LBS, so I think I should be alright. I just don't want to get halfway into it and realize I may as well have spent the money on something newer. Any and all advice, tips, or related comments are welcome!

[i69whitey]

not sure what you plan on upgrading but 700 c wheels will fit and you can find brakes long enough to reach. replacement bottom brackets are available but there are different size threads for some of the bb's. sheldon brown has all the detail, google his site.

enjoy the ride of that fine old steel frames

[RMXByker]

Best website for resource information. Start here!

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/

[SteveF]

Specifically here, for starters:

http://sheldonbrown.com/raleigh26.html

Old Raleighs sometimes have unique/proprietary parts and/or threadings/standards which may give you some trouble. On the bright side, it's not an old French bike, which would be even worse! (standards-wise)

[balexander87]

So from the sounds of it, Sheldon Brown's site is a wealth of information concerning a project like this. Thanks for the tip!

Has anyone here ever done it themselves? I'm just curious how common it is to do this sort of thing rather than just going for something new.

[SteveF]

So from the sounds of it, Sheldon Brown's site is a wealth of information concerning a project like this. Thanks for the tip!

Has anyone here ever done it themselves? I'm just curious how common it is to do this sort of thing rather than just going for something new.

A lot of guys convert old bikes to single speeds or fixies thanks to the horizontal dropouts. I've done one or two, geared and fixed--it can be a fun winter project and a great way to have a classy steel road ride without dropping tons of cash. Classic lugged steel bikes are great rides. Salvage what you can--if the headset and BB can be overhauled rather than replaced, you don't have to worry about odd thread or diameter standards. Check the frame and vital components (stem, bars, seatpost) for cracks and rust. Find a bikeshop that's been around for a generation or two and dig around in their old stock. I personally know of a stash of 6-speed indexed shimano downtube shifters at one local place--they'd probably give them to me if I asked!

[balexander87]

Thanks for the info, Steve. I was actually planning to do a single-speed or fixie conversion at first for cruising around town and such, and still may. More recently, however, I've been getting an itch to do longer rides where the extra gears might come in handy, so we'll see.

Good point on the BB and headset. I'll definitely give them a good looking over and make sure they are shot before worrying about sourcing replacement parts. I want to say the frame is essentially rust free. I'm waiting to get the bike back from my parents place where it has been for the last couple years since I got out of college, but the only rust I remember seeing on it was some surface rust on the plated seatpost. I love the look of the lugged frame, and it did indeed ride very nicely The one thing I am fairly confident I will be replacing are the rims. The ones that are on it are pretty severely pitted so the brakes are kinda rough. Hopefully I can find a donor bike with a set in better condition. I know wheels have come a long way, but I really do like the looks of the older bikes, and would like to try to preserve that look as much as possible

I'll let you know once I start tearing into the bike, but I might just take you up on those shifters if you can get them. Thanks!!

[i69whitey]

..., but I really do like the looks of the older bikes, and would like to try to preserve that look as much as possible

+1 for the look, gotta love this:

1978 Raleigh Record Ace
i accidently found a Miyata in the trash while out riding that donated these 700c wheels
running 700x23 bontrager race-lite slicks with a nice small cassette, rolls nice and easy
plenty of old-school looking 700c wheels out there. 27 inch can be found, but the tire options can be limited.

also, i used an indexed shifter still mounted to the original gooseneck location, but there is plenty of upgrade stuff around, from an old-school you'll be amazed they had that soo long ago perspective. there are even "brifters" out there for 6 and 7 speed use, i just didn't want to tear off the original grab-on padding since it still had the decals showing.

be careful, the Raleigh can be addictive. i hardly ever ride my fancy schmacy TREK since this got built

[balexander87]

What a great looking bike! Hopefully I'll have some pics to post soon. Once things get going, maybe I'll put together a build thread. I wish I had the bike with me right now. I'm really wanting to find out what wheels are on it...should be getting it at Christmas when we go back home for the holiday.

The more I think about it, the more excited I get about this project! Sounds like there's a lot of potential, more than I initially thought, in This Old Bike

Anyone else have pics of their vintage rides?

[bh357]

This thread is as good of excuse as any for some vintage Raleigh *beep*...



I'm the 2nd owner of this 1982 Raleigh Super Course, genetically related to the original owner . My dad rode her up through the mid '80s, and then she sat in the garage until early 2007, when I pressed her back into service. My dad upgraded the brakes to Dia Compe, and the crankset to a Sugino Grand Mighty. I added the Brooks saddle and bottle cage. My dad had bar end shifters installed, but I replaced those with downtube shifters.
Heavy as ; got a few pounds on my MTB. But, she rides like a dream and the weight doesn't seem to slow me down.

P.S. you'll find most of what you need to know over on Sheldon Brown's site. Anything else just ask over on the "classic and vintage" section of "bikeforums.net".


If your frame was made for 27" wheels, the most difficult part of conversion to 700c is the brakes.
Short reach calipers, 700c wheel on a frame made for 27"... easy peasy with a bit of aluminum and some misc. hardware


For the front, either use a 700c fork as is on the yellow bike in the above photo (and get used to "quick" steering), or find a long reach caliper.

[i69whitey]

the original Raleigh center-pulls reached far enough for me,
rather be lucky than good any day

and bh, how can you call that bike heavy? it's gotta be double-butted crom-oly.
mine is a tank with fenders and all, and is still waayyy under 30 lbs.
sure, not fly weight like some of the new stuff, but not HEAVY.
(of course, your mtb is silly light)

[96m2comp]

I found an '82 KHS Turbo 12spd a few years ago for pretty cheap! I have "modernized" it a little. Had the rear dropouts spread to 130mm from 126mm, aero brakes, and a modern wheelset with an 8spd cassette, which works just fine with the original chainrings & friction shifters!

When I first got it. Gotta love the "Flick Stand"!



Looks slightly different than this picture, it now rolls on a set of Mavic Aksium's, has a different seat post & seat.



Have fun with the project!
Chris

[bh357]

and bh, how can you call that bike heavy? it's gotta be double-butted crom-oly.
mine is a tank with fenders and all, and is still waayyy under 30 lbs.
sure, not fly weight like some of the new stuff, but not HEAVY.
(of course, your mtb is silly light)

The Raleigh weighed arond 25lbs using the bathroom scale subtract your own weight method. Of course that was prior to adding the 500+ grams of butt-comfort.

Reynolds 531 main tubes. I can't recall the butting, but I believe they are straight gage.

[balexander87]

Time to bring this thread back from the dead! I'll have the bike by the end of the week, and I'm feeling super motivated to get it out on the road. Ended up having to leave it with the in-laws in St. Louis. Wind was blowing like crazy the day we were headed back and didn't really want to put a sail on top of the car...

Anyway, I have been able to confirm that it is a Raleigh Rapide from sometime in the 80s. I think the Rapide was a fairly high-end bike earlier on, but they brought it back as sort of a low-end model which is what I have. Still unsure whether I want to keep the gears or go singlespeed. Hoping to get some pics posted this weekend. Anyone know anything about this particular model?

[balexander87]

Finally got some pics