1989 Raleigh Banana Team Bike - Dave Rayner

[citrixccea]

From this thread viewtopic.php?f=12&t=245791

What do you do, when an old friend, in the form of a bike, reveals a secret history that you knew nothing about ? That's how I felt this weekend, when I discovered that 'that old yellow bike in the garage' as my wife would refer to it turned out to be what TimColnago kindly referred to as the "Jewel in the Crown" of Raleigh Banana's.

Well, being an IT geek, you probably start to google it !

So, let me start by telling you a little about it's previous owner.

This bike was made in '89 by the SBDU (Specialist Bike Development Unit) of Raleigh, for Dave Rayner, a promising young rider from Bradford, West Yorkshire. Riding for the Raleigh Banana team, he won the under 22 award for the Milk Race in three consecutive years, 1987-89. In both of the two latter years he combined this with an 8th place overall.

As a result of Dave's untimely death, the Dave Rayner Fund (http://www.daveraynerfund.co.uk/) was setup, supporting up and coming young riders. A worthy cause, I encourage you to take a look, and support them.

The purpose of this build, is to restore the bike to as close (as is humanly possible) to it's 1989 specification, to preserve it, and ensure that the end result is a fitting tribute to Dave's successes.

Your comments are encouraged, whilst I'm not originally a yorkshire man it is my adopted home, and we do like plain speaking.

Specification
Frame: Raleigh SBDU Reynolds 753 with Cinelli Lugs/Spoiler BB
Fork: Raleigh SBDU Reynolds 753 with Cinelli
Headset: Campagnolo Corsa Record
Stem: 3TTT 8cm Alloy
Handlebar:ITM
Bar Tape: Cinelli Black/White Camouflage Cork
Brake Levers: Campagnolo Corsa Record (with Quick Release integrated into Levers)
Brake Calipers: Campagnolo Delta
Brake Pads: Campagnolo
Brake Cables: unknown/ non original
Shifters: Simplex Friction
Front Derailleur: Campagnolo Corsa Record Braze-on
Rear Derailleur: Campagnolo Corsa Record
Derailleur Cables: unknown/original
Cassette: 7sp 13-21
Chain: unknown
Cranks: Campagnolo Corsa Record 172.5
Chainrings: 53/42
Bottom Bracket: Campagnolo Corsa Record
Pedals: Campagnolo Chorus Look Compatible (not original)
Rims: Campagnolo Sigma Pave
Hubs: Campagnolo Corsa Record
Hub Skewers: Campagnolo Corsa Record/Tacx Rear (!)
Nipples:Unknown
Spokes:Stainless Steel
Tyres:Vittoria Corsa CX Tub(front) Unknown Rear
Tubes:NA

Saddle: Selle Italia Turbo
Seatpost: Campagnolo Corsa Record
Seatpost Binder: Alloy Hex bolt

Bottle Cage: Elite (original)


Paint work appears to be original, but needs attention, and transfers (Raleigh/Banana) on the Front Fork, and the ("Banana the Energy Fruit!") Top Tube.
There's also no Raleigh Head Badge.

 

[mAdam]

Super bike, great history, and a genuinely interesting thread! Looking forward to the progress on your Banana, best of luck, its going to be epic. Be sure to post loads of photos...........

 

[Matt_wood55]

Super bike, great history, and a genuinely interesting thread! Looking forward to the progress on your Banana, best of luck, its going to be epic. Be sure to post loads of photos...........

Agree with that!

 

[stedlocks]

Good work!

I'll be watching this one, for sure :0)

 

[citrixccea]

So one of the first jobs I figured was to check that I could remove the seat post, and the stem. My fears were unfounded - after getting a seat post stuck in a mountain bike many years ago I'd liberally greased the seat post at some point in the past.

Next up, I need to make a call on which components are staying, and which are going ? I'm concerned that a yellow turbo saddle wont be easy to come by - but this does appear to be an original component based on the (cracking) pic Chris Walker emailed me.

I'll save the what constitutes Patina for another day - but I want to see how 'good' I can make the existing saddle look, and then make a call.

There are scuffs to the rear, that I think are best left just the way they are for now - right now the idea is to get rid of some of the dirt.

Here's before ! (and I think the iphone is very flattering in this case)

 

[mattr]

TBH, thats what turbos always look like after a few months proper use. Especially the light coloured ones.

Glad to see you doing this BTW. I was living and riding locally at the time and quite a few clubmates were out on that particular night.

Have you contacted the Dave Rayner Foundation? They might have some more info/pictures for you.

 

[citrixccea]

As I say on a wet dark day, taking these pics with a flash, the iphone is very kind, the saddle doesn't look as good in the flesh!

I have been in touch with the fund, and got a very prompt response back from Chris Walker, who in a very modest way told me he was one of Dave's old team mates. He sent me this image, which aside from being a stunning picture in it's own right also will be very helpful with getting some of the details right.

 

[cloonaghpat]

You could try a leather repair kit on the saddle. I got one from the "Furniture Clinic"

It worked out ok on an Avocet Saddle I used it on, They have various coloured dyes to mix with the repair compound they supply. Definitely improved the look of the saddle.

Pat

 

[citrixccea]

You could try a leather repair kit on the saddle. I got one from the "Furniture Clinic"

It worked out ok on an Avocet Saddle I used it on, They have various coloured dyes to mix with the repair compound they supply. Definitely improved the look of the saddle.

Pat

Was your saddle scuffed ? It's probably those parts that concern me the most - I think that any sort of elbow grease is likely to make them worse not better!

 

[citrixccea]

Small Steps - As keen as I am to make a tangible difference to the condition of the bike, I'm keen to ensure I take a series of small steps, avoiding dashing through points of no return as I can.

Whilst stripping off the bottle cage, I was thinking how perfectly the colours matched the frame. No coincidence I think... Hence I've got the perfect 'sample' to try to get a decent colour match - and also something small and far less valuable than the frame itself to practice on.

This time I've take the photo with flash off, and on a piece of paper for clarity.