1978 Raleigh Stowaway

I've got to the point of being able to do a first sizing test since stripping down the original bike and I'm cautiously optimistic.



I've misplaced the single-speed chain ring bolts for this, so rather than keep hunting through my over-full garage I'm going to have to buy some more. The only ones I could find were some aluminium KCNC ones that are barely usable, thanks to the poor, weight-saving design.

Hopefully, that's all I need to buy to finish it off, so it should be on the road very soon.

Next hurdle is that, as I knew might be the case, the drop on the CLB brakes is not quite long enough. Ideally, I would like something like bmx rollercams (Odyssey Pitbull) or maybe a u-brake adaptor to use, but given both options seem pricey I might use a modern long drop brake, such as the Dia-Compe BRS202. I might even end up buying a cheap single brake just so I can start riding it if I get everything else sorted, while I look for a better solution.

Also, the bullhorn/brahma style bars narrow after the normal hand positions. I was intending to mount the levers and shifter on the forward position on the bars, but obviously the smaller diameter makes this difficult, as it also does for putting grips there. Any suggestions? Shims or tape the bar underneath? Or should I have the controls on the main bar, even if I am more likely to be in the forward position most the time? That's something that's also difficult to judge until I can start riding it.

I've managed to get a Dia-compe BRS202 brake. It's not European like the majority of the parts, but it does have a long enough reach:



I still have plans for something cooler for the rear brake, so plan to use this on the front (with a longer recessed nut and drilling out the rear hole in the fork) but I now also have the option of getting a matching one to use.

Looks fun!

I built something similar (less shiny) a few years back



Earlier incarnation

Cool! How did you find it to ride?

You must be pretty tall too, looking at that setup.

I got my bars wrapped and mounted last night. I need to get some cream cabling next I think.

Re:

I have one of these for me, and a fixed version for my other half. It is a hoot, and I've decided mine deserves better parts and a rebuild (OH wants hers to stay original, so that will just get cleaned, regreased and polished over winter). So far I have acquired some nicer rims, and an alloy seatpost. I am using a Tektro R559 caliper at the front, and either a 3 speed hub with drum brake at the back or a fixed gear/singlespeed with the original caliper at the back (not decided yet). The dual pivot and alloy rim will stop it beautifully.

How did you find the BB installation? Could you go over what you did, and provide some details of the BB you used?

Me? I used a threadless bottom bracket
Something like this

https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bottom-brac ... d-threads/

How did it ride? A bit like a barge, the very long front end was great in a straight line but a bit difficult for small manoeuvres

not so tall, 6ft

Cool, that sounds good Chris, do you have a build thread yet?

The bottom bracket solution was almost easy! Haha, I decided upon using a Mavic bottom bracket, there are a few models they made that all look similar to this:



They do not thread into the bottom bracket shell, so it bypasses the different pitch threading. I borrowed the proper bottom bracket tool from danson67 to chamfer the bottom bracket shell to 45 degrees so that the lockrings sit flush and that was easy enough. Then I found the diameter of the bottom bracket was just too larger to fit in. I started trying to file down the inside of the bottom bracket to make it fit, but after many hours I asked DanD whether he could do it with his tools at work and he kindly did. I have one other frame with the same style of Mavic bottom bracket fitted and that doesn't appear to have needed the same work, so it might be that the Twenty shell just gets a little narrower in the middle.

Once that was done, the bottom bracket can easily be fitted and the lockrings tightened, which also gives you some chainline control. I have a few of the bottom brackets, which also gave me a couple of different spindle lengths.

Would I do it the same way again? Probably, though I didn't investigate how much it would be to get the bottom bracket shell re-threaded 24tpi, so that might be an easier alternative.

I hope that helps.

I was tempted by drum brakes for mine and wonder whether that might have been a better alternative. I also thought about getting canti studs brazed on. Maybe next folder will have a different braking solution!

I'll look forward to seeing what you do with yours.

If the bottom bracket Frank used fits more easily then that might be a better option than the Mavic if you want to make things easier. Did you file down the width from 76mm to 68mm yourself Frank?

Hopefully the shorter steerer on mine will make it more maneuverable. The stem and bars is a similar setup to on my (too small for me) S-Works, so hopefully the forward length should be alright.

No, sorry, that was just an example, i'm not sure what width i used but I didn't need to file it down. It really as a very simple fit. I can't quite remember, but it might be that the cup was long enough to secure the BB.