New member with a new project

Jolyon

Dirt Disciple
Hi,

I was given this recently.

11imwpj.jpg


I wanted to put on something equally retro but nicer so went for the Mafac Racers

qx5r2x.jpg


But they don't fit so have to do some thinking and research. I am completely new to this so have a lot to learn.

The frame looks like it's worth keeping from what I can gather.

2roswno.jpg


Here's a picture of most of it.

11uc514.jpg


the stem's nice

2s797w5.jpg


Loads to do and find out.

I'm 44 and the last time I rode a bicycle was when I was 19 having been seduced by the petrol engine after that.

Yours,

J.
 
Looks to be a nice 80's Raleigh - the brakes are made for a bike with space for bigger tyres and mudguards, that's why they don't fit. The stem is lovely, but quite a bit older than the bike, looks like a decent start to a project.
 
Hi,

I thought the stem was older but I'll be keeping it as it looks so nice. I imagine the bike will end up a blend of old and older and I'm afraid to admit I have already fitted a 3 ring crank sprocket to help me drag my wheezing body up all the hills in Bath !

I aim to get all the bits right and working as they should and then think about painting.

Yours,

Jolly
 
Jolyon":10rmqjd2 said:
Hi,

3 ring crank sprocket
Yours,

Jolly

You mean 'a triple chainset' ;)

No matter, you'll get used to the terminology quite soon!

Welcome to the forum, that frame looks to be a good 'un. Do you have the frame number? Generally under the bottom bracket shell (the round pipey thing that the 3 ring crank sprocket axle goes into :D ).

Sorry, couldn't resist it :oops:
 
Jolyon, The MAFAC racer brakes should be OK, just point the brake blocks (old terminology) at the rims, by means of the adjusting nuts.
 
Hi,

Thanks for the steer. Important to get terminology right as it saves time !

I tried pointing the brake blocks up towards the rim but they'd have to be at nearly a 45 deg. angle so I'm not sure they'll work as well as they should.

I went to the Mud Dock bike jumble in Bristol on Sunday and my son spotted a pair dual pivot Shimano 105s for £12. Perhaps I should have exercised parental authority. Mind you, it's never worked before so there's no reason to think why it would have worked then !

J.
 
Wheel trueing

I took my front wheel into a local bikeshop as they told me it could be trued for a Tenner or so. Anyway i was called later that day and told it was beyond repair as it was out axially by 1/4 inch and it wasn't clear whether the problem was with the wheel or the hub.

Didn't have the money for a new one so I thought I'd have a go at it myself. Twisting the spindle in my fingers I could feel tight and loose places so I took it apart and saw damage in the form of pitting on one of the cones. I put the cone in the lathe and turned away the worn part and then polished the surface to a mirror finish. The races in the wheel are fine. Reassembled; the deviation was down to 60 thou (from 250) according to the jig I set up

153a39h.jpg


After 5 minutes of spoke nipple tweaking I got the deviation to 13 thou and the wheel spins quietly and freely.

Is 13 thou (0.3mm approx) good enough for a 30 year old wheel ?

Yours,

Jolly
 
Progress

Hi all,

Frame Number is WF9001228

other numbers
SN8
20F

Completely stripped down for powder coating.

What's the difference between Butted and Double Butted tubing?

Yours,

J
 
1974 - 1980's

In 1974, an entirely different numbering system was introduced for the higher end (531 and subsequently 753) Raleighs. Serial numbers should begin with a "W", which stands for Worksop, the facility that produced theses frames. This is followed by another alphabet. This alphabet indicates the fortnight in which the frame was built (i.e. A = 1st fortnight, B = 2nd, etc.). The third character is always a numeral. It indicates the year of manufacture, the decade being assumed (i.e. "4" could be '74 or '84; it is up to the interpretor to know enough to tell if the frame is from the 70's or 80's). What then follows is a series of numbers. At this point, these appear to be some sort of sequence, but this has not been substantiated.


sheldon.
 
Back
Top