1984 Raleigh Rapide

[slomax]

Hello,
just bought a 1984 Raleigh Rapide. I bought it not knowing anything about them and just wanting a dirt cheap bike for a single speed conversion. I have just looked into it a bit more and it seems its a fairly decent bike!

Is it worth me restoring it to its former glory/updating it with decent parts, or continue with my plan and build a cheap as chips single speed?

Not collected it yet, so no pics. Collecting it this evening.

Any help/guidance or suggestions will be appreciated.

 

[tiermat]

You have two choices, which you have alluded to in your first post.

1) restore, which might be a pain but you will end up with a nice bike which you might ride (do you like using DT shifters?) OR
2) convert it to SS/fixed.

Is it that you are looking for a SS/fixie? If so then go this way, otherwise go for the resto job. As it has 700C wheels you will be able to use the original brakes. The chainset can be reused (get the outer ground down to use as a bashguard), so all you would really need to buy is a wheelset and a chain. £110 would see you with a decent pair of hoops and a chain. You could do it even cheaper with a SS conversion kit, but they just seem to be a bit of a pain to fit/line up, so best putting some wheels designed for the job on it.

If the paint is rough, one or two tins of hammerite will fix that, to give it that "rat-bike" look, if that is what you are after, and Bob is your Aunty's live-in lover!

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[slomax]

Thanks for your reply. I'm tempted to restore it to be honest. I want a bike that is nice to ride and is fast. I have heard that the down tube gear changers can be a bit of a pain.

This will be my first road bike as all of my others have been big heavy mountain bikes. (Pinnacle evo, Haro Sonix comp, Scott YZ)

The bike looks very complete and original. I guess i will gauge the project on the condition when i find out later today. I can't complain too much though as so far it has cost me less than a good night out!

 

[tiermat]

Restore it then, but keep an eye on costs, they can soon sky-rocket (BTDTGTTS)

If you are hankering after a fixie then getting hold of a frame and working from there is sometimes a good start. Good for sharpening up your handling skills too, especially during winter (I spent a whole winter commuting on my previous fixie and found my skills learnt whilst MTB racing had improved dramatically)

 

[slomax]

I think i might. I will have a look and see what needs doing. It might be that when i pick it up it is like new anyway. I will do most things myself as I'm a fairly competent mechanic and can restore many parts unless they are physically broken.

I have ridden several fixes for short amounts of time and really don't like them. I think a SS would be okay, but I'm not a fan of the fixie.

My budget for this build is pretty neglegable so it might have to be a rolling restoration.

 

[al-onestare]

Well well well! I put out a similar thread for help not that long ago:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... t=#1585358

I think my Dad's is a later model that 84, more like 87 and he's pretty sure his has campy stuff on it. I get to pick it up next month where I'll be able to shed some more light on it.

There's very little about the model anywhere so any info is welcome! Did you get this one off ebay the other week?

 

[nammonk]

If it is in good condition, and mostly original, I would recommend keeping it as it is. They are nice well built frames.
Nick

 

[slomax]

Just come back from collecting it. Absolute bargain at £45!!

Its getting dark and its raining so i will post some pics tomorrow.

Its just about as original as you can get!!

There is a little bit of paint bubbling and a few surface rust spots and it will need a repaint. It has pretty much everything original, and by judging by the rims i would make the assumption it is on its original brake pads too. Very very minimal brake wear to the original wheels.

Obviously at some point someone decided they didn't like the down tube shifters and changed them to SIS bar mounted thumb shifters, and the saddle has been changed along with the bar tape. Other than that though its all there!

The Original front wheel is as true as you can get but the rear one has seen some damage at some point and is a bit buckled. It might be repairable, but i think ill just replace it. Overall i am VERY pleased with it and i am looking forward to restoring it to its former glory.

Does anyone know where i can get some new graphics made along with a Reynaulds 531 sticker a vintage raleigh badge for the head tube?

 

[nammonk]

Lloyd's might well have the Raleigh stickers you want (they have RRA from the same time), and certainly the 531:
http://www.hlloydcycles.com
It might be worth just touching the frame up if the rust spots aren't too bad. You might end up paying more for a good respray than you did for the whole bike, and the quality of the finish on these was pretty good I think. Nothing wrong with a bit of patina.

If it looks like the back wheel needs replacing, you might consider getting the rear end cold set to 130mm spacing rather than 126mm (which it will be now). This is easily done by any good LBS, or even at home. Nearly all modern road rear wheels are built for 130 spacing, and then you could fit a wider range cassette and put some combined brake lever/gear shifters on if you don't like the thumb shifters and don't want to go back to down tube shifters.

Nick

 

[slomax]

righty, here are the pictures as advertised!

advertised locally for £60 and a cheeky offer of £45 was accepted

More pics to come as soon as i upload them!