Recent content by S1m0nR

Hello chaps, I've just finished rebuilding a bike for a friend and am wondering if anyone can identify what the frame started out as. It's been sprayed to look like a Holdsworth Triathalon [sic] from 1987: However, the paintjob is clearly a DIY effort and I don't think the frame is right...

Re: Thanks one and all for your answers. I've done as suggested, and fitted a 3 mm spacer on the drive side which has solved the problem. Actually, I think I may need a 3.5 mm spacer as there's the tiniest bit of play now. Yesterday evening, I went and got a Tiagra 4603 triple crank out of...

Hello Retrobikers, I'm hoping someone can shed some light on a problem I've got because it's preventing me from finishing a new bike build :( Basically, I've bought a Shimano 5703 groupset to build up a frame that I built some time ago. Everything's come together nicely except I can't get the...

Re: Thanks for your replies, gents - you've confirmed what I thought. I'd love an RRA Moderne with Sante groupset sometime now you mention it. I'll continue looking for that one. This Road Ace is therefore a normal one onto which someone has rather optimistically attached the wrong label...

Hello chaps, I know that there are some very knowledgeable people with regard to Raleigh's lightweight output in the 1980's. I've got a late Road Ace in 531c tubing but I just spotted this: That's a 753 sticker. If I didn't know better I'd assume that someone's just stuck that over the...

Re: Thanks gents - very useful info. I think we're due to be over that way sometime fairly soon so if it's still listed on eBay I'll take a look and see how light it is before making a cash offer.

Re: Thanks Shaun - I thought it might have been spotted but didn't look too hard on here, I must admit. It's not far from the in-laws place so I might just take a look - you can tell a lot just by picking it up. The brake bridge on the seatstays intrigues me as I think it's pretty unusual -...

Re: Well I thought a fellow RRA enthusiast deserved some help! :-) The BB bearings are 1/4" aren't they? I never can remember. Cheers...

Hello all, I'm currently thinking of buying this bike, but as it's been refinished in the past by Bob Jackson, I can't tell if it's any good: What does anyone think? Worth a look? Cheers :-)

Re: That's a British threaded Tange bottom bracket. Parts are readily available - if you're lucky it's just a case of dismantling, cleaning, re-greasing and re-tightening it. Once apart, check the spindle shoulders for wear - uneven and pitted patches mean it needs to be renewed - bear in...

Re: Thanks for your thoughts chaps - I'd agree with you about ditching the drop levers or even the drops altogether but the lady in question likes the classic looks of the bike so wants to keep it looking more or less original. I think the double brake set up will achieve that for her, while...

Re: Aha - cheers for that :-) I understand how they work now - I'll have to replace the levers for Aero ones so that the cable routes along the handlebar and then these levers work by effectively making the outer cable longer in relation to the inner. The bit between the secondary lever and...

Hello chaps, I'm after a bit of advice, please - I've got a lady friend who rides a classic Raleigh Royale ladies bike from the 1980's but the brakes give her trouble. She's currently using the original Weinmann Safety levers which came with the drop handlebars - the type that has a standard...

Re: Thanks for the replies chaps - and I'll pass the advice about the small chain-ring onto its new owner, who is picking up the bike tomorrow. If need be, she can bring it back to me and get the smaller one fitted. Here's the bike finished - I'm really happy with how it turned out and I...

Had one of my friends' bikes in for a rebuild. It's an early 1990's Orbit step-through frame in 531c tubing which we found a while ago on eBay for not a lot of cash, but she's decided to take it touring around Scotland this summer so it needed some better gearing. I stripped it down and while...