Raleigh Rapide 12 1983

Re:

Sweet jesus, you have luck

Re:

Crappy brakes :twisted: One is dated 1983, the other 1985.
Cross-threaded right crank arm
Cracked (ridden loose) left crank arm
Bottom bracket lubricated with grit :roll: that was a pain to get out

I got the lock ring off easy with the C-spanner then the pin tool wouldn't budge. I used PlusGas, then used a rubber mallet to beat the pins firmly in, followed by a whack with the rubber mallet on the end of the lever. Done. Same with the drive side cup, but with a flat spanner.

SP

Re:

BB threads look good.
Tyres on.
Time for clean!

The saddle and seat post came from my spares box, the seat post is a road one and at max height is just right.

Re: Re:

allenh":2nnedpyq said:

I did similar with a Holdsworth frame I picked up a few years ago that's a couple of years older than your Raleigh, it looks retro from a distance (especially as I can't do clipless pedals), I used what I had to hand (including the paint colour) and spent as little as possible (the only concession being the new decals and PlanetX Holdsworth chainset as they had them on sale at the time) but it's an absolute joy to ride and I've put a good few miles on it.

Click to expand...

Exactly! Yours is what I'm aiming for. I need a chainset too.

Re:

With the stuff you can get from your local tip I don't think it will be difficult.

Re:

Just something about polished aluminium components against white paintwork ... clean .. love it keep the pics coming

Re:

Saturday status....

I am a middle aged man that owns a road bike. I live in Surrey. I am a MAMIL. Saturday morning I took my 'modern' road bike (nudging 10 years old now) around the Farnham area and found a sportive running. I avoided the three-abreast numpties, near-the-white line speed merchants (12 mph average :roll: ) and settled into my own rhythm, enjoying the sun.

I was descending a section of single carriageway road at a fair pace, approaching a left hand bend, I moved out to the right towards the white line for better line of sight (no cars behind) and rounded the corner...... to find solid, stationary traffic both ways, caught by multiple riders climbing a hill at walking pace - NOOOOOOOOO! I hauled on my brakes, and with the back tyre chirping and hopping down the tarmac manged to stop, with very little room to spare before the back bumper of the car in front. Phew! Then I heard a terrible, terrible sound a flat-bed style tipper lorry banging down the road, then heard the lorry's brakes start to squeal and his tyres also squealing also as he skidded to a halt behind me. He stopped with 6 ft to spare :shock:

Lessons learned. Avoid roads where sportives are running, never assume the road is clear and, retro or not have good brakes on your bike.

Here's the bike's spec & status:

Frame: Reynolds 531 with Gipiermme ends.
Lugs: Has some.
Size: 57cm
Forks: Raleigh, Gipiemme ends.

Headset: Chromed something or other.....
Stem: SR alloy
Handlebars: SR alloy
Bar Tape: Unknown - ripped

Brakes: Weinmann, worn-out flexy tat

Gear levers: Campagnolo
Front Derailleur: Campagnolo
Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo

Cranks: SR 170mm - wrecked
Chainrings: SR 52/42
Bottom Bracket: Sandy, utterly worn out
Pedals: Shimano, bearings baggy as a wizard's sleeve
Cassette: 6 speed, worn out, greasy
Chain: Unknown, worn out, greasy

Rims: Wienmann, buckled
Hubs: unknown
Tyres: Schwalbe, looking 'tired'....
Tubes: Unknown

Saddle: Plastic, very uncomfortable
Seatpost: SR, scratched to hell, too short
Seat Bolt: Rusty, rounded off, already slung in the bin.
Cables: Jawire brake cables - though one had been replaced with a gear cable :shock: , now binned. Original gear cables.

Not great is it?

Re:

Sunday status:

- De-greased frame and forks
- Washed frame and forks
- Washed it again, rinsed
- T-Cut applied to every surface, buffed off
- T-Cut applied to every surface, buffed off with more vigor (I must have done something wrong the first time)
- Looked at the bike with a mixture of disappointment and resignation. Patina? No. Tatty.
- Slapped on some Mer polish, gave it a buff, felt better
- Fitted wheels to check alignment, found the wheel slightly tipped to one side
- Applied PlusGas to adjusters, one came free - yeah!
- Snapped off head of second adjuster :facepalm: cut slot in it, tried screwdriver, cracked off :facepalm:
- Cut slot in other end..... snapped off too :facepalm:
- Filed bolt flush with drop-out, centre punched it, drilled out gingerly with 1.5 mm drill bit. Spent ages trying to keep it straight, came out <0.5 mm off centre as it exited
- Opened hole out with 2 mm drill. Opened hole out to 2.5 mm. Tapped new thread in with Lidl tap set
- Found skanky M3 x 0.5 mm pitch bolt in spares box, fitted :mrgreen:
- Cleaned and re-greased headset

- Blew lots of money on eBay
- Used set of 34/50t chainrings
- 25.4 mm handlebars
- Shimano mid-90s 105 brake levers

- Raided parts box
- UN 55 bottom bracket
- 500 LX crank arms
- Unknown front brake
- part worn Ultegra 10 speed chain
- Cheap single-sided pedals
- Campagnolo seat binder bolt (I didn't know I even had it!)

Shots show it mocked up for sizing. I looks flippin' awful with the quill adapter! My phone camera struggles with the pearlescent paint too.

Re:

Proper mash-up this is...

The adjuster turned out better than I'd hoped. It'll be fine with the new bolts.

Re: Is it my old bike??

Hello again.
No, it's not my old bike. It is either at the back of my Dads shed or it ended up at the recycling station in Barry.
The interesting thing is how that bike ended up in deepest Surry? (for me anyway) It's a small world, they say and there is possibly a good story behind this one aswell, maybe.
Regards,
Richard Lees, a former inhabitant of deepest S.Wales.