1939 Raleigh Sports Model 31 High End Restoration

[Land_Raver]

Dear All,
Here is my 1939 Raleigh Sports Model 31.
I bought this bike as a complete unloved forgotten wreck and decided to bring it back from the brink.
The bike had languished in a garage for the best part of 75 years.
It still had the War Grade tyres on it that had melted!
I stripped the bike down and cleaned up most of the chrome parts that came to life under a heavy layer of grease.
The Frameset, Bars and Mudguards (Mudguards welded up) were bead blasted by myself and sent to Argos Bristol for Re-Enamelling.
The hub gear was checked and serviced by myself and the rear rim that had corroded though was replaced by a Palmer 26x1 1/4 rim.
None of any of the bearing surfaces were pitted all were smooth.
The replacement parts that I fitted were new rear wheel spoke nipples, bearings all round, brake cables, tubes & Tyres and Pinkerton Bar grips, Saddle, Bar Stem and brake blocks.
Comments please

 

[Nob]

Very nice restoration & worthy of BoTM

 

[Ideale]

Wonderful!I have the same model/year Raleigh waiting for restoration.My problem is suitable wheel replacements.I have the originals but rims totally shot.Everything else is battered but ok.
Yours is an inspiration and lovely to see on this rainy day.

 

[Land_Raver]

Very nice restoration & worthy of BoTM

Thanks Nob, how would I go about registering this for BoTM

 

[Land_Raver]

Wonderful!I have the same model/year Raleigh waiting for restoration.My problem is suitable wheel replacements.I have the originals but rims totally shot.Everything else is battered but ok.
Yours is an inspiration and lovely to see on this rainy day.

Thanks Ideale,
Glad it brightens up this rainy day for you
Yes, finding good 26x1 1/4 rims are about as hard as finding tan wall tyres for them.
This bike was a no expense spared restoration. It took me the best part of a year to complete.
The longest wait was for Argos to complete the frame repairs, bent right rear seatstay due to dynamo/lamp overtightening and fork crown lack of brazing. The Frameset was heavily pitted in places so they brazed up the pits and smoothed off.
The handlbars were heavily pitted so again were brrazed and smoothed.
The mudguard trailing edges had corroded through so I cut out sections and welded in fresh steel and smoothed off.
Argos re-enammeled the Frameset/Handlebars in black and Mudguards in Old English White. Transfers were applied to seat tube, rear mudguard and the whole lot was laquered.
I rebuilt the rear wheel with a 50s Palmer Jointless Rim and retensoned/trued the front wheel...no spokes were siezed either!
Spent hours cleaning up all the chrome and about 95% of it was good. Didn't bother doing any rechroming as I wanted some originality.
This was a nice project to do as I wanted a nice 30's bike.
ATB,
Nick

 

[velofrog]

That is lovely

 

[Land_Raver]

Many thanks velofrog

 

[3wheeler7]

Lovely job!

 

[keithglos]

large manufacturers always built wheels with the spokes from the inside of the flanges in opposite directions, for the fastest lace-up times, if spoke stagger and angle allowed.
The rear wheel would have had 11 1/4 inch spokes crossed 4 times in a 40 hole rim. You obviously had difficulty with the spoke lengths. Many of these Raleighs had the front wheel radial spoked, which is always weaker, not sure about this model.
Keith

 

[Land_Raver]

large manufacturers always built wheels with the spokes from the inside of the flanges in opposite directions, for the fastest lace-up times, if spoke stagger and angle allowed.
The rear wheel would have had 11 1/4 inch spokes crossed 4 times in a 40 hole rim. You obviously had difficulty with the spoke lengths. Many of these Raleighs had the front wheel radial spoked, which is always weaker, not sure about this model.
Keith

Hi Keith,
Thanks for your comments.
The rear wheel retains almost all the original spokes and I copied the original lacing pattern.
The front wheel spoke pattern is original and all i did was a deep clean and retensioned the spokes.
I have seen quite a few RRA's with the front wheel radial pattern.
Regards,
Nick