Posts tagged with vintage

Raleigh Rebuild (Part V)

July 18, 2010

The original parts that were refitted were the stem, handlebars, bottom bracket cups and spindle, upper headset …and the lamp bracket. All the rest were sourced from local, on-line and ebay stores; some found in used, some in new and some in NOS condition.

Several problems had to be resolved along the way mostly due to uncommon sizes and lack of standardization (e.g. 110mm rear hub, 90mm front hub, 26tpi headset, 72mm long bb). Fortunately, the web is an endless resource.

When this project started, I was not exactly sure what the outcome would be.

Meet Ralph.

raleigh rebuild part v
raleigh rebuild part v
raleigh rebuild part v
raleigh rebuild part v
raleigh rebuild part v
raleigh rebuild part v

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Raleigh Rebuild (Part IV)

June 1, 2010

British racing green was Jason’s idea. The tone that was finally picked is a Triumph 1965 variation. Thumbs up to the neighborhood garage for providing amazing color swatches and doing a great job.

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Raleigh Rebuild (Part III)

May 24, 2010

It seems that 40 years ago they used to use real steel, not recycled soda cans. All traces of surface rust have disappeared. I used an angle grinder with a flexipad and fine grits for the tubes. The lugs were sanded manually.

In retrospect, it would have been much easier (and tons quicker) if I had it sandblasted. Though, I did not know anyone who has experience in sandblasting bike frames and doing it safely with fine mixes.

raleigh rebuild part iii

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Raleigh Rebuild (Part II)

April 10, 2010

Disassembling was straightforward (for the most part). Big exceptions were the seatpost, the cranks and the drive-side bottom bracket cup.

I finally managed to save the cup, but had to sacrifice the seatpost and cranks. It took days, substantial amount of WD-40 and several tricks. The bike is now ready for color stripping and sanding.

raleigh rebuild part ii

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Raleigh Rebuild (Part I)

March 26, 2010

This was my dad’s 1973 Raleigh. Not any special or high-end model, but of very special sentimental value.

I recently decided to (try to) rebuild it. I am going to pay for leaving it outside to be beaten by the elements for the last 8 years. This is the “before” state.

raleigh rebuild part i

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