$10 Flea market find

[uforgot]

And I don't consider this a project for uforgot's DH.

No DH in the picture. When he WAS in the picture I wasn't allowed to pursue activities like this.

a) The $10 didn't go towards something that could be put on the table.
b) Biking is not golf.
c) The guy couldn't even change the oil in the lawnmower. We HIRED someone, even though I knew how to do it. (I'm not a man, how could I know how? Well, here's how...my father thought women should be able to make their own repairs on vehicles and homes. HE taught me)
d) As the years went by, I grew more bold, even to the point of putting up paneling, replacing a door, etc. Of course, it was always wrong. The power tools that he liked to own only had MY fingerprints on them.
e) Oh, don't feel sorry for me, I had my revenge. I'm a lousy cook.
He married a Martha Stewart wannabe after I woke up and decided he should leave.

So you see, this is a project for ME. You guys have always been an inspiration. I always suspected, but now know for sure that you don't need a set of testicles to work on bikes, homes, cars...

Okay, now back to the wonderful input and suggestions.

[DebW]

I took a look at your additional pictures on bikeforums. The crankset is steel and cottered. If you wanted to turn this into a bike for distance riding, I'd replace the crankset with a cotterless alloy model, which would save weight and add stiffness. The front derailleur is the old pushrod variety. There's a reason those were replaced with parallelograms. Pushrod derailleurs hold the cage at the same height no matter which chainring you are on, so you'll get a lousy shift on anything but a narrow-range double (which that bike has). And to adjust that model, there is a screw for the outside stop, but the inside is adjusted by moving the cage on the pushrod, which requires you to readjust the outer stop screw. This is the same design as the old plastic Simplex front derailleur, which was in widespread use through the early 70s (Simplex must have copied the Campy Gran Sport). If you want to keep this vintage, I'm sure you could just repack all the bearings, clean it up, and have a great bike (or sell it for a good profit).

[Zen]

I looked at some of the other bikes on the site where your Raleigh was featured.
This one really caught my eye.

(i wonder what "dh" and Martha look like now)

[smilingcat]

Hi DebW,

I guess I'm getting up there in years. I never like the mess with tubulars or fixing it on the road. I've been told handling was much better on the tubulars. I used to see guys with tubulars in their back pocket.

Center pulls, sidepull brakes. Going to clipless. Mostly Look I think.

5 speed then 6 speed, ultra 7 and 8. Problems with the spread of the rear triangle to accomodate all those extra gears. Worries about rear wheel. Not enough dishing because of the wider clusters... Regina, Maillard hmm forgot about those names until you mentioned.

I remember back in '85? or was it before then ... to have local LBS to remove the elliptical chainrings on my new purchase. They were in vogue then. Couldn't spin properly though.

Anyway, I think uforgot is going to have some fun time cleaning up the bike. It really isn't that hard.

Oh, the ball bearings in the hubs are not sitting in a squirrel cage (is that the right terminology?) so they can drop out. Taking apart the hubs should be done on a concrete floor so you don't lose the bearings. Same with the BB.

smilingcat

[Wahine]

I love this thread. I'm learnign a lot. I know nothing about all this stuff.

Lots of triathletes run tubulars. I've always been afraid of not being able to change a flat if I had one.

[margo49]

Wow, Claudia. What a lovely old bike!
And DebW again showing us what a Mechanic she is
Another trip down Memory Lane to my Glory Days just reading about it all

[DebW]

Hi DebW,

I guess I'm getting up there in years. I never like the mess with tubulars or fixing it on the road. I've been told handling was much better on the tubulars. I used to see guys with tubulars in their back pocket.

Center pulls, sidepull brakes. Going to clipless. Mostly Look I think.

5 speed then 6 speed, ultra 7 and 8. Problems with the spread of the rear triangle to accomodate all those extra gears. Worries about rear wheel. Not enough dishing because of the wider clusters... Regina, Maillard hmm forgot about those names until you mentioned.

I remember back in '85? or was it before then ... to have local LBS to remove the elliptical chainrings on my new purchase. They were in vogue then. Couldn't spin properly though.

Anyway, I think uforgot is going to have some fun time cleaning up the bike. It really isn't that hard.

Oh, the ball bearings in the hubs are not sitting in a squirrel cage (is that the right terminology?) so they can drop out. Taking apart the hubs should be done on a concrete floor so you don't lose the bearings. Same with the BB.

smilingcat

Yeah, hub bearings are probably loose, not in a retainer. But it's cheap and good insurance to replace them when you repack the hub. (18) 1/4" in the rear hub, (20) 3/8" in the front hub, (50) 5/32" in the headset, (22) 1/4" in the bb (those are the norm but exceptions exist - # in () is # of bearings needed).

I always preferred sewups for flats on the road. Don't need tools to change them, can't pinch the tube, if the tire was slashed you're replacing it anyway. Often quicker to change than clinchers (but sometimes it's tough removing a well-glued tire). Only big issue is that you have to go home and break out the glue. I did a charity ride last year where I flatted the first day, and I got quite an audience while I glued that evening.

[Eden]

I love this thread. I'm learnign a lot. I know nothing about all this stuff.

Lots of triathletes run tubulars. I've always been afraid of not being able to change a flat if I had one.

I run tubies on my TT bike - since I'm not doing an IM distance (ours are generally short, 40K is the longest and they are more likely to run 10-12K) if you get a flat during a race you're screwed anyway so I've never worried about it. The wheels are wonderfully light - I bought my front wheel off of ebay, when I picked the box up off of my porch I was afraid the person had forgotten to put the wheel in it - felt like an empty box!