Raleigh Banana Restoration Project Help

topbanana":linlf3p2 said:

...I need to replace the following parts:
- The gear levers in picture 1
- The front derailluer in picture 4
- The rear derailluer in picture 5...

Click to expand...

The best non-indexed shifters are Simplex Super LJ. They go for around £25 and work as beautifully as they look.

I'd second the advice above about servicing your mechs and fitting new cables before you dive in and buy new ones.

Likewise giving the frame a good clean-up before thinking about a respray: it's only original once and, although a nice bike, isn't really worth the price of a good respray and new decals.

As above, be careful the money doesnt run away with itself. Before you know it you could rack up £200-300 in upgrades/maintenance and a respray. And they arent worth a fortune in good nick, so you have to weigh up because add in the cost of your bike, and you could've bought a mint/modified banana or a higher model. I've spent a few bob on my kelloggs but its the sentimental value of the bike because i've owned it from new.

Keep any old re-useable bits in case you want to swap them back on the bike if you sold it in the future. I've overspent on my Eclipse but i'd de-mod some of it if i sold it on.

Back on the gears, if yours has the steel/chromed sachs hurret mech & chainset, they do rust (and are heavy) so it would be worth changing them to alloy sachs hurret or shimano retro bits, they cost peanuts on ebay.

ScillySuffolk":3ro46jrm said:

topbanana":3ro46jrm said:

...I need to replace the following parts:
- The gear levers in picture 1
- The front derailluer in picture 4
- The rear derailluer in picture 5...

Click to expand...

The best non-indexed shifters are Simplex Super LJ. They go for around £25 and work as beautifully as they look.

I'd second the advice above about servicing your mechs and fitting new cables before you dive in and buy new ones.

Likewise giving the frame a good clean-up before thinking about a respray: it's only original once and, although a nice bike, isn't really worth the price of a good respray and new decals.

Click to expand...

I tried to replace the hurret friction shifters on my 80's raleigh with (new old stock) hurret jubillee friction shifters. For a start the jubilees didnt like fitting without their own frame clamp (the raleigh has square frame shifter mounts), and no matter how i tried i couldnt get them tight enough so they would stay in gear. I also fitted new shifter cables?

The jubilee hurrets are very similar to the Simplex you have posted.

Theres nothing wrong with my old shifters, i'm just bored of them and fancied something more blingy. Am i doing something wrong, missing something, or are the older friction shifters not compatible?

I had the same problem with a pair of Campag Synchro II on a 1989 Peugeot: couldn't tighten them down enough.

I reckon it was because of the length of the bosses: they're only 7.5mm, as opposed to my 1985 Raleigh where they are 10mm.

I've been building up the Raleigh today and have just fitted a pair of Super LJ without any problems. The Super LJ also worked on the Peugeot.

The Super LJ use a conventional screw rather than the usual type of fixing with a D-ring handle, so I suppose they are more versatile.

Cool i'll get some of them, i prefer the ones with a screw, those D handles are a pain at times

...or shimano SIS downtube levers with the indexing turned off (just turn the adjuster on the lh lever) would be a cheap, easy to find on ebay solution too.

The derailliers are off and have been sprayed with some wd40, it seems the front is has the chrome flaking off but should be still be servicable and the same with the rear.

I need to source some levers still, would really like some metal ones but I want to keep the budget down.

However know comes the dilemma, the decals and paintwork have seen better days and there is some surface rust in places, so I am thinking about sending it to the shotblasters next time I send a load at work and reprinting it at work using a gun and compressor in a single colour possibly yellow to keep with the banana theme and put some raleigh stickers off eBay on it, so it should be quite cheap.

I know it's only a bottom spec banana but it will be another one gone?

I will then hopefully upgrade the wheels and brakes in due course.

The proper raleigh banana decals are only £18 on ebay which i dont think is bad, raleigh decals are very good quality and worth the money IMO, and it transforms a bike having a new original decal set IMO.

You should find that giving the frame a good scrub down with turps and wet wipes will bring the paintwork back to life. The new decal set might hide alot of sins aswell. But Don't use anything abrasive on the frame, like scouring pads

On my kelloggs bike i got away with just respraying the top tube, and i carefully touched up some chips on the rear chain stays where the chain had come off years ago. Zinc primer is good on rusty bits.

If you respray it remember to put bolts in all the bolt holes. Personally i couldnt be bothered with the faff of removing all the gears, cranks, bottom bracket etc when some good 'ol TLC done the job!

There is decent 2nd hand retro wheelsets to be had on ebay for peanuts, but the weinmann XR18's are quite cheap and tough, and they look the part, so hardly worth the risk if buying knackered/buckled/scratched 2nd hand rims.

Right update time!

I'm am going to shot blast the frame and forks, I have to send some parts to the shot blasters next week so I will bung that in with it as well.

I'm not sure if I will paint in Team Banana colours, or just go with a solid colour, maybe yellow to keep with the banana them.

I am thinking about purchasing these wheels:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yellow-Racing ... 4abe484f7f

Will they be ok? I know they are cheap but I don't really want to spend a fortune on this bike yet. The wheels have a 7 speed free wheel, the current set up is 6, I presume that it will be ok?

Will this have a effect on shifters required? I am also looking for some down tube shifters, it have brazed on lugs and I'm struggling to find any.

I think the derailleurs will be serviceable.

topbanana":2ic69pln said:

Right update time!

I'm am going to shot blast the frame and forks, I have to send some parts to the shot blasters next week so I will bung that in with it as well.

I'm not sure if I will paint in Team Banana colours, or just go with a solid colour, maybe yellow to keep with the banana them.

I am thinking about purchasing these wheels:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Yellow-Racing ... 4abe484f7f

Will they be ok? I know they are cheap but I don't really want to spend a fortune on this bike yet. The wheels have a 7 speed free wheel, the current set up is 6, I presume that it will be ok?

Will this have a effect on shifters required? I am also looking for some down tube shifters, it have brazed on lugs and I'm struggling to find any.

I think the derailleurs will be serviceable.

Click to expand...

First thing I'd want to know is whether the hubs will fit the frame - specifically the rear. I suspect your Banana would be 126mm, but what size are the hubs of those wheels?

Have a read of this Sheldon Brown article if you're not sure.