Over the last couple months, I have been very active working on bicycles - to the detriment of many other projects around the house.
I now have 4 (four), yes, you read right, four Raleigh Twenty's. I've been searching for a folder that was in crappy enough condition that I could modify it, strip it down and re-build it. The third one was it.
You can see the bike in original condition in a prior post - it was a blue single speed coaster brake. There were many problems with this bike. It lacked brakes. The headset had been modded already and was missing the nylon bushing (as well as the headset top nut). The wheels were in horrible shape... essentially, it was just a frame. A rusty frame to boot. The decals were a mess
The work took place over the last few months. Here was the process:
- Frame stripped, sanded, naval jelly to rusty spots, degreaser, primer x2, paint x3, clearcoat x2
- Wheels from an old Specialized kids bike fit perfectly. Rear is single- speed coaster brake. New tubes and tires.
- Headset replaced with 1" threadless after cutting 9mm off top of head tube (based on a post here)
- Weinmann 1020 long reach brake block found on eBay installed on the front with some old salmons that I had.
- Saddle is a Brooks B- 66 on a Kalloy post. (I swap it between bikes)
I have to say, the headset replacement was a fearful moment for me. I've never "cut" a bike frame before, but it went off without a hitch. And, the steering is soooooo smoooooth. I really want to ride this into work, but I'm a bit worried about the single speed and the hills. I might be walking a bit.
charles
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