New Project - Raleigh Sports

Picked up a Raleigh Sports in Lawn Ornament condition. I might have (maybe should have) held out for one in better shape. But I rarely see these at all and I've got no compunctions about making a project of it, so I jumped. I had one of these back when they were new. At the time I would've much prefered a race bike and I sorta punished it for it. I nonetheless rode it fast and far and had a tremendous amount of fun on it. So I guess it balances out - I rode one of these into the ground, and now I'll resurrect one.

The good news is it looks like the paint stays - on the frame, certainly, that will polish up nicely. The fenders and chain guard are a bit rough. Even those responded to a quick preliminary scrub in a way that makes me think they'll achieve the condition known as "patina." So probably won't get repainted. We'll see. Nothing is frozen and all bolts turn.

I've already started pulling parts and cleaning and de-rusting them as they come off. The handlebars and brake levers came out nicely. There's a crack in the bezel of the three speed shifter that someone had glued and the glue has yellowed (browned) and it ain't perfect but it'll work. Even that horribly rusted lamp mount looks okay with the rust removed. The headset isn't notchy and the drivetrain all turns and shifts.

The worst part is the rims - these are nasty, still relatively true but badly rusted.. I don't know how they'll turn out. The good news there is that Sun makes aluminum rims in this size in their CR-18 model. That's a damn fine rim and not expensive. It wouldn't bother me a bit to upgrade the wheels. Or anything else for that matter.

This is not going to be a restoration more of a repair and refurbishment. And like any bike I'll own it'll be for riding not looking at. So pulling a few pounds off and getting it to ride and work even better than new are all good things. Parts most in danger of replacement are the rims, seat post, stem, handlebar and brakes.

The seatpost in part because it's made to go with the springer saddle that's on it and the leather is simply gone. Damn shame because the frame is still in surprisingly good condition. Those guys at Brooks knew how to lay on the chrome. If I find someone who puts new hide on old saddle frames we've got a deal to make.

The rest of those possible changes would be for downweighting, style, fit and function. The brakes move smoothly enough and will probably work fine. But they are stamped steel and a bit ugly. The crank is safe, it's heavy and clunky, but it's got Herons on it and Herons are good. Besides the accumulated grease and oil protected it from rusting. I don't recall ever removing a cottered crank and I've got some trepidation about that. It will have to happen to service the bottom bracket.

Of course you all can look forward to voluminous updates as this project proceeds.