Hello again! Pimped Europa.........

[fan_of_steel]

hello again, I first registered on here in 2013 and haven't posted since then, Semi-retired now so more time for my bikes.
I recently picked up this early 80's Europa on FB marketplace as you see it here. I doubt any of the components are original but I think it works (apart from the calipers). I love the drilled crankset, never seen that on a Raleigh crankset!?

 

[Nob]

Those are Sakae rings & maybe previous under upgraded the rings from the standard Raleigh style rings with chain guard.....

 

[fan_of_steel]

Re:

yeah good point, i forgot the Raleigh ones has chain guards, cheers...........

 

[allenh]

Looks like someone's done what I did with my BSA Tour de France and raided the Raleigh parts bin so quite a bit has been changed. The chainset looks like the one from an early version Raleigh Record Ace, I thought all Europa's had Huret mechs and shifters and your Europa has a mix of Shimano 500/600 and Suntour shifters (which were probably from a Raleigh). I also thought they all had steel seat pins, an SR bar stem and not as nice bars as that. The brakes look at bit late to me as well.

 

[fan_of_steel]

Re:

Thanks allenh. I love the BSA TdF (have had a couple of blue ones in the past) but was always disappointed that they weren't higher spec to justify the name. I have an all original BSA Prima, which was probably the highest spec BSA made??

Back to the Europa, yes I think you're right about the Huret parts and the seat pin looks to me like the ones fitted to the Team editions of the same era. When I saw the bike I has to have it as its a bargain way to own a Team replica. As its already been upgraded I'm toying with adding alloy rims although the chrome Rigidas do look nice. Those calipers have to go though, undecided what tp replace them with as yet..........................

 

[pigman]

Re:

From what I remember from bitd, my mates Europa had a single cottered chainset, huret mechs and the rear dropout didn't have the capability to hang a mech directly, it needed one of those additional hangers that fastened to the dropout

 

[Nob]

Re: Re:

From what I remember from bitd, my mates Europa had a single cottered chainset, huret mechs and the rear dropout didn't have the capability to hang a mech directly, it needed one of those additional hangers that fastened to the dropout

Single ring was a 49T steel one & was a 40/49 steel rings I believe if you had the double. I had a Europa as my first bike & it was a single 49 but I upgraded in order to ride to school as it was uphill so with a 14-24 five speed block needed the 40 to get up the long hill to school.

 

[allenh]

From what I remember and having had a bit of a google now there were at least two distinct versions of the Europa. The first being the mostly steel shod one that pigman and Nob describe (there's one hanging up in the reception of the Science Museum in London BTW). And then the later one that fan_of_steel has which had an integrated rear mech hanger and would have a had a little less steel on it like the Custom/SR cotterless chainset and Suntour mechs.

By far the most common one is the earlier steel shod 5 and 10 speed one so as yours is rarer and in pretty nice nick I think you've got a choice, put it back as catalogue which shouldn't be hard or pimp it all the way as its partly there anyway.

 

[allenh]

Re: Re:

Thanks allenh. I love the BSA TdF (have had a couple of blue ones in the past) but was always disappointed that they weren't higher spec to justify the name. I have an all original BSA Prima, which was probably the highest spec BSA made??

Back to the Europa, yes I think you're right about the Huret parts and the seat pin looks to me like the ones fitted to the Team editions of the same era. When I saw the bike I has to have it as its a bargain way to own a Team replica. As its already been upgraded I'm toying with adding alloy rims although the chrome Rigidas do look nice. Those calipers have to go though, undecided what tp replace them with as yet..........................

I've just finished my TDF (there's a link to it in my footer below) and fancy doing a Prima.

The seat pin will be from one of the slightly better gas pipe framed ones as it will be 25.4 (I used one on my TDF but can't remember which model it came from). Having had a bit of a dig your bike was made with lower spec Suntour mechs (not the ones Raleigh badged as their own) so the shifters are probably original and I reckon the brakes really need to be period Weinmann side pulls if you're going back to original or centre pulls if you're going to upgrade.

 

[pigman]

Re:

My mates steel shod one had weinmann centre pulls and suicide levers.
I distinctly remember this cos we all thought centre pulls were better than side pulls.