eBay find of the week... a Raleigh with 531 tubing
- Thread starter DrewSavage
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t47b
rBotM Winner
Re:
Go over the forks with fine wire wool and liquid polish to see how it looks before attacking it with emery cloth as the wire wool will not leave scratches if rubbed in a uniform way up and down the forks not in a circular fashion, try to 'clean' rather than remove/ sand down.
Go over the forks with fine wire wool and liquid polish to see how it looks before attacking it with emery cloth as the wire wool will not leave scratches if rubbed in a uniform way up and down the forks not in a circular fashion, try to 'clean' rather than remove/ sand down.
DrewSavage
Retro Guru
Re:
Thank you - very useful information!
Presumably if the surface rust proves not to be terminal. having the frame stripped and repainted will be the way to go? Cosmetically it looks beyond an easy repair. Would the chrome forks and stays make it more complex and expensive?
Looking at the original spec sheets from the 1984 catalogue (and the frame has a 1984 number on it) it seems that the Sachs Huret front mech, Sugino chainset and Raleigh Weinmann 610 centre-pull brakes are original (I assume those are Weinmann levers too - the bike's locked away in a garage now and the photo I took isn't clear) but the Cinelli stem and Giro D'Italia bars and Suntour AT1000 rear mech are not.
I know enough to know that a lot of people rate Cinelli equipment highly, but I've not come across the Suntour AT1000 rear mech so far. I remember reading Richard's Bicycle Book in that era, and he spoke of Suntour in the same breath as Shimano and Campag. Were they any good, or should I be looking for something else?
Am afraid that I have no idea how it rides, as the wheels were a) knackered and b) non-original so I've already binned them.
Likewise those centre-pull brakes. The logical thing to do would be to ride the bike and form my own opinion, but that's not possible right now. Unconventional, certainly. Any good?
Thank you - very useful information!
Presumably if the surface rust proves not to be terminal. having the frame stripped and repainted will be the way to go? Cosmetically it looks beyond an easy repair. Would the chrome forks and stays make it more complex and expensive?
Looking at the original spec sheets from the 1984 catalogue (and the frame has a 1984 number on it) it seems that the Sachs Huret front mech, Sugino chainset and Raleigh Weinmann 610 centre-pull brakes are original (I assume those are Weinmann levers too - the bike's locked away in a garage now and the photo I took isn't clear) but the Cinelli stem and Giro D'Italia bars and Suntour AT1000 rear mech are not.
I know enough to know that a lot of people rate Cinelli equipment highly, but I've not come across the Suntour AT1000 rear mech so far. I remember reading Richard's Bicycle Book in that era, and he spoke of Suntour in the same breath as Shimano and Campag. Were they any good, or should I be looking for something else?
Am afraid that I have no idea how it rides, as the wheels were a) knackered and b) non-original so I've already binned them.
Likewise those centre-pull brakes. The logical thing to do would be to ride the bike and form my own opinion, but that's not possible right now. Unconventional, certainly. Any good?
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Look pretty much like my 1985 Raleigh Clubman but you have got a triple crank :shock:
My knees are jealous
I have the same Weinmann centre pull brakes and find them fine, and my friend who has a modern giant brakes almost the same speed as mine, and once they are set up they are good for ages.
Look pretty much like my 1985 Raleigh Clubman but you have got a triple crank :shock:
My knees are jealous
I have the same Weinmann centre pull brakes and find them fine, and my friend who has a modern giant brakes almost the same speed as mine, and once they are set up they are good for ages.
Hillwalker
Retro Guru
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'Old' Suntour (prior to the SR tie up and labelling in 1987) was indeed good kit; Suntour held the original patent for the double parallelogram RD and both Shimano and Campagnolo had to wait until that patent expired before they could produce them. Like other manufacturers, Suntour had differing component levels, but their top of the line Superbe and Superbe Pro components are up there with Record and Dura Ace in terms of quality (and this from a died-in-the-wool Campagnolo enthusiast). Their Superbe Track and their MTB pedals are excellent.
Velobase should enlighten you as to where your Suntour gear sits in their pecking order.
Hope this helps
HW
DrewSavage":4yxsgi7u said:
'Old' Suntour (prior to the SR tie up and labelling in 1987) was indeed good kit; Suntour held the original patent for the double parallelogram RD and both Shimano and Campagnolo had to wait until that patent expired before they could produce them. Like other manufacturers, Suntour had differing component levels, but their top of the line Superbe and Superbe Pro components are up there with Record and Dura Ace in terms of quality (and this from a died-in-the-wool Campagnolo enthusiast). Their Superbe Track and their MTB pedals are excellent.
Velobase should enlighten you as to where your Suntour gear sits in their pecking order.
Hope this helps
HW
Hillwalker
Retro Guru
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Midlife":2f37zxom said:
Yes, very sad. Some of it was down to their being a very small company with limited R&D being outthought by Shimano, but I can't argue that there were some terrible commercial decisions made (and products released before they were ready) as well.
Still, if you know what you are looking for, they made some great stuff. And its really underrated.
HW
DrewSavage
Retro Guru
Well, this is all very interesting... all I've been able to find about the SunTour AT1000 was this scanned brochure - http://equusbicycle.com/bike/suntour/ca ... 200008.pdf which suggests that it was originally a mountain bike derailleur and is heavier than the rest of SunTour's range at the time...
It also gives it another model name - the Suntour RD-AT10-GX - but googling for that doesn't seem to help either.
It doesn't seem to be on Velobase under either name.
The logical thing to do, I suppose, would be to ride it and form an opinion that way - but there's so much that needs doing (and I've thrown the wheels away) that it's probably going to be a question of deciding which bits to put back on the bike once I've had the frame sprayed.
It also gives it another model name - the Suntour RD-AT10-GX - but googling for that doesn't seem to help either.
It doesn't seem to be on Velobase under either name.
The logical thing to do, I suppose, would be to ride it and form an opinion that way - but there's so much that needs doing (and I've thrown the wheels away) that it's probably going to be a question of deciding which bits to put back on the bike once I've had the frame sprayed.
Hillwalker
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Totally agree. Although if you elect to keep the triple crankset then you'll need a long cage RD with plenty of chain wrap.
I've come to realise that, like Sheldon Brown, the distinction between 'road' and 'MTB' gear isn't a real distinction but more of a marketing ploy. I completely accept your point about component weight, but there are some nifty bits of kit than can be used beyond their marketed audience.
For example I'm currently using a Campag Olympus OR crankset on my road bike as a compact. Was dirt cheap (£7 just for the cranks last year on eBay), takes a nice 34/48 chainwheel combo (not possible with a road crankset and great for the hills up here) and even looks good!
So yes, ride and see how it works/feels.
HW
I've come to realise that, like Sheldon Brown, the distinction between 'road' and 'MTB' gear isn't a real distinction but more of a marketing ploy. I completely accept your point about component weight, but there are some nifty bits of kit than can be used beyond their marketed audience.
For example I'm currently using a Campag Olympus OR crankset on my road bike as a compact. Was dirt cheap (£7 just for the cranks last year on eBay), takes a nice 34/48 chainwheel combo (not possible with a road crankset and great for the hills up here) and even looks good!
So yes, ride and see how it works/feels.
HW
DrewSavage
Retro Guru
Finally a bit of progress on the Raleigh front! I've managed to unstick the stem and remove the handlebars at the weekend, and last night I removed the wheels, brakes and gears. Only snag is I can't get the cranks and pedals off yet, maybe Plus Gas has worked its magic overnight.
Anyway, I'm not far off taking the frame to be painted now - which brings me on to decals. There seem to be plenty of places online that do decals, but I can't easily locate anyone doing them for a Raleigh Classic 15.
Does anyone have any tips?
Or indeed recommend a frame sprayer in the Manchester area?
Anyway, I'm not far off taking the frame to be painted now - which brings me on to decals. There seem to be plenty of places online that do decals, but I can't easily locate anyone doing them for a Raleigh Classic 15.
Does anyone have any tips?
Or indeed recommend a frame sprayer in the Manchester area?
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