How to Disassemble and Recover a Vintage Raleigh
Finding an old Raleigh., Take notes!, Simple disassembly., Loosen brakes and wheel nuts to slide the wheels out easily. , Remove all brackets, gear and brake levers...make notes... , Most cranks on old Raleighs, are held in place with cotter pins...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Finding an old Raleigh.
Raleighs are all around us, either in a skip for free or in a trendy London bike shop at a huge premium.
Keep your eyes open! A good starting point is e-Bay or Gumtree.
One recent acquisition was a 1970s 3-gear ladies.
Raleigh 65 quid, not bad at all. -
Step 2: Take notes!
This may sound silly, but old bikes are held together by a perplexing system of brackets, screws, rivets and other fiddly bits, it is highly recommend taking detailed notes, or better yet photographing the order of brackets, cables screws and where they belong.
Taking apart is one thing, but putting back together can be a nightmare! , Wheels and brakes are pretty standard, much like modern bikes.
Get rid of all the cabling first, it'll ride much better with a fresh set of cables (again especially if you have a three gear hub system make notes, the spotty oik in Halfords is not going to know what a three gear system is, let alone advise you on how to sort out the small pile of bits and bobs that a three gear cable consists of). ,,, You'll need to unscrew the top (at the base of the crank) and knock the pin out with a hammer.
If your bike is pushing 20 years these pins will be VERY stiff.
Persist, it will eventually fall out and the cranks will slide off easily. ,,,, Cosmetic rust also responds really well to sanding, make sure all your surfaces are even and wiped clean before the next step. , You will need a good primer, your new snazzy color and a sealer, or lacquer to finish. if you do a re-spray at home it can cost as little as 20-30 pounds for a whole bike.
Avoid spraying too close (this creates 'runs') and spray in even strokes to get good all over coats.
Always follow directions on cans. , It costs peanuts and really makes a bike feel like new. , A sanding, a re-spray or a new set of tires make wheels look really good.
If you can get hold of them white wall tires, they will always make a vintage Raleigh look ace! , Leave your paint job to dry for as long as possible, and use your notes/photos to re-assemble you new rad-mobile! , -
Step 3: Simple disassembly.
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Step 4: Loosen brakes and wheel nuts to slide the wheels out easily.
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Step 5: Remove all brackets
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Step 6: gear and brake levers...make notes...
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Step 7: Most cranks on old Raleighs
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Step 8: are held in place with cotter pins.
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Step 9: As with a modern bicycle unscrew the handlebar mount at the bottom of the headset and remove.
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Step 10: You should now have a stripped frame ready for for the fun bit
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Step 11: the revamp.
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Step 12: Nitromors is an excellent product for stripping paint off frames
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Step 13: follow the instructions and you can strip a frame in well under a day.
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Step 14: Make sure all surfaces are completely sanded down to remove all traces of old paintwork.
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Step 15: Any car or bike shop should have a good range of products for a re-spray.
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Step 16: Replace all brake cables
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Step 17: gear cables and brake pads.
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Step 18: Heavily corroded hubs respond well to sanding
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Step 19: and in extreme cases re-spraying can make them look like new
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Step 20: you really don't need to buy new wheels.
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Step 21: Re-assemble.
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Step 22: Show off to all the east London fixed wheel losers.
Detailed Guide
Raleighs are all around us, either in a skip for free or in a trendy London bike shop at a huge premium.
Keep your eyes open! A good starting point is e-Bay or Gumtree.
One recent acquisition was a 1970s 3-gear ladies.
Raleigh 65 quid, not bad at all.
This may sound silly, but old bikes are held together by a perplexing system of brackets, screws, rivets and other fiddly bits, it is highly recommend taking detailed notes, or better yet photographing the order of brackets, cables screws and where they belong.
Taking apart is one thing, but putting back together can be a nightmare! , Wheels and brakes are pretty standard, much like modern bikes.
Get rid of all the cabling first, it'll ride much better with a fresh set of cables (again especially if you have a three gear hub system make notes, the spotty oik in Halfords is not going to know what a three gear system is, let alone advise you on how to sort out the small pile of bits and bobs that a three gear cable consists of). ,,, You'll need to unscrew the top (at the base of the crank) and knock the pin out with a hammer.
If your bike is pushing 20 years these pins will be VERY stiff.
Persist, it will eventually fall out and the cranks will slide off easily. ,,,, Cosmetic rust also responds really well to sanding, make sure all your surfaces are even and wiped clean before the next step. , You will need a good primer, your new snazzy color and a sealer, or lacquer to finish. if you do a re-spray at home it can cost as little as 20-30 pounds for a whole bike.
Avoid spraying too close (this creates 'runs') and spray in even strokes to get good all over coats.
Always follow directions on cans. , It costs peanuts and really makes a bike feel like new. , A sanding, a re-spray or a new set of tires make wheels look really good.
If you can get hold of them white wall tires, they will always make a vintage Raleigh look ace! , Leave your paint job to dry for as long as possible, and use your notes/photos to re-assemble you new rad-mobile! ,
About the Author
Janet Anderson
Specializes in breaking down complex cooking topics into simple steps.
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