Raleigh Banana 🍌

[alice_barber]

Hello!
I have a late 80s raleigh banana - i know alot of people arent a fan of these but i love the colours and thought would be a good way of teaching me more about bikes. I would like to change the groupset on it from its original which has clearly had more than its fair share of riding.

I have some questions if anyone can help:
1. The rear freewheel (when i manage to bloomin remove the thing)- is it compatible with a different rear hub ? Or alternatively, is the back wheel compatible with a different rear hub? I would like to keep the original wheels that are in good condition.
2. Is there a low range / cheap (but not necessarily bad!) shimano groupset that someone would recommend to fit instead ? Like 8 or perhaps 9 speed.

I will probably have more questions as i fiddle with it. Also i know i am a beginner to this so will get it safety checked by a mechanic before taking it anywhere.
Any advice very welcome ! Thanks , Alice

 

[alice_barber]

The brakes are also really stiff- i was going to replace with campagnolo veloce dual pivots - this may be dumb are any brake levers compatible ?

Also after having a thought if possible would really love to keep the rear/front mechs - is that impossible if i have to change the freewheel?

 

[Jesper]

Hi Alice, I think that the spacing/OLD (outside locknut dimension) of your rear fork is too narrow to accept an 8 or 9 speed. Compact 7 speed probably okay. If it measures 130mm between the drop-outs you can use the 8 speed and up; 125/126mm is generally 6 speed or compact 7 spd. Some frames from late 80s to early 90s were spaced around 128mm due to the increasing number of cogs, and you just manually pull it apart by hand without "cold setting" or drop-out re-alignment.You can "cold set" the rear fork, but it should be done by someone with experience since the drop-outs need to be aligned and the frame can be damaged if done incorrectly. Not all shops have that experience; ask first before handing it over to someone unless they specifically say they have done it. I generally do not recommend the "cold setting" fork alteration unless you are dead set on having a larger cluster.

Brake levers will be okay if keeping the originals. Different levers might be closer or farther from the bar which may make it harder to reach depending on hand/finger length. Veloce brakes are decent, but you need to make sure the pad can adjusted to reach the braking track on the rim. The brake calipers might just need disassembly and cleaning. Replacing cables and cable housings might help the movement some, but they should be replaced and all are fairly inexpensive and low labor cost if you do not do them yourself.

I am not sure of the movement range of that rear derailleur, but you can usually get substantial movement beyond the cluster's original capacity. Just turn out the limit screws and see how far it will go. You would probably have to remove the cable to check its outward travel. Front derailleur should be fine. Looks like the jockey pulleys need replacing.

The old Shimano 105 group (model 1050) is from the '87 model year and a very good lower cost group if you can find one. Refer to Velobase.com for a reference.

Freewheels need to have same thread as hub. 9 spd, most 8 spd are freehub design.

 

[sjcprojects]

Welcome to the Forum. I think the answer most of the questions depends what you are looking to do with it, but if you’re thinking of keeping it as original as possible (which it sounds like), you just need to replace the freewheel with another 6 speed one, compatibility is not really an issue if you stick to 6 speed.

Replacing the brakes is a good idea, though, as the original ones are pretty poor. I doubt the Veloce ones will fit unfortunately, because the frame is designed for ‘nutted’ brakes, not ‘recessed nut’ ones (which nearly all more recent ones are). Tektro do make some which would fit, specifically to solve this issue.

 

[alice_barber]

Omg you are both amazing thanks so so much!!!
so - i have had at shimano 105 to see if available, it is a bit too expensive from what i can find. If i keep the rear and front mech- then could i get a new cassette (from what you guys are saying keep it 6 or possibly 7 speed) and then i would need a compatible chain / rear hub (i still dont quite get the rear hub/ rear wheel compatibility thing maybe i need to have a look closer)
I really need to change the brake levers as well they are so stiff - would you recommend a lever / caliper set thats fairly inexpensive or does it not matter too much? Will look at tektro!
Thanks again

 

[Gtpulse]

Omg you are both amazing thanks so so much!!!
so - i have had at shimano 105 to see if available, it is a bit too expensive from what i can find. If i keep the rear and front mech- then could i get a new cassette (from what you guys are saying keep it 6 or possibly 7 speed) and then i would need a compatible chain / rear hub (i still dont quite get the rear hub/ rear wheel compatibility thing maybe i need to have a look closer)
I really need to change the brake levers as well they are so stiff - would you recommend a lever / caliper set thats fairly inexpensive or does it not matter too much? Will look at tektro!
Thanks again

I’d have a go at replacing all of the cables both brake and gears. You’d be surprised how much that will improve everything. I’m making the assumption they may be a bit gummed up. Super cheap/easy option would be to give them a liberal dose of wd40 or gt85 at all points where you can see cable inner and outer and work the levers back forth then a drop of 3 in 1 oil or similar.

What’s the reason for replacing the freewheel?

 

[sjcprojects]

Just make sure you get a freewheel, not a cassette. Pretty much any new 6 speed freewheel will fit (like this Shimano one). But it is probably worth just cleaning the current one and getting a new chain and seeing if that is fine, anyway (as @Gtpulse might be hinting at). Some people will say a new chain and old freewheel won't go together well, but generally I've never had an issue with doing that (it's more of an issue with higher end modern stuff than vintage parts in my experience). Worth a try unless there is a specific reason to replace the freewheel.

And @Gtpulse is totally right about the cables. I'd be surprised if the levers are stiff themselves. First thing is always to get some spray lube in there first and see if that frees stuff up - it often will to the trick without the need to replace any parts. Basically give everything a good clean unless you know you definitely want to replace a part.

 

[Nabeaquam]

Do it right the first time, replace the chain and freewheel, otherwise you might have to take it apart and replace it anyway. Try dripping oil in the cables, turning the bike on end and then upside down so gravity moves the oil from front to back or back to front. Takes a day or two, depending how much salt got in there. New stainless cables with liners are nice but the gravity oil seeping method almost always works. I replaced a worn French freewheel with a Shimano + new chain. Try quality brake shoes to see how much that helps. Nice looking bike.

 

[jim haseltine]

Huret mechs are bomb-proof until they get damaged so try giving them a deep clean, fit a new chain and freewheel, new cables and some metal gear levers as those plastic ones were never really any good. If the brake calipers are Weinmann or Dia-Compe then cleaned up, lubricated with new blocks and cables they'll be fine - OTOH, if they're Chang Star or unbranded it's best to replace them as they'll likely be next to lethal.

 

[bikeworkshop]

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Huret mechs are bomb-proof until they get damaged so try giving them a deep clean, fit a new chain and freewheel, new cables and some metal gear levers as those plastic ones were never really any good. If the brake calipers are Weinmann or Dia-Compe then cleaned up, lubricated with new blocks and cables they'll be fine - OTOH, if they're Chang Star or unbranded it's best to replace them as they'll likely be next to lethal

Stiff brakes can be fixed.
New shimano cables and some cleaning lubrication and adjustment - new chain and 6 speed freewheel, shimano 14-28, and then just change the gear levers, as Jim says above.

- your banana looks clean and restorable.
It will never have decent brakes as it has chromed rims, so you just live with it.
If you want something better, you need to start with something better.

If you don't want to spend
much money, keep what you have -

Take your bike to a (real) bike shop and ask their advice. They will sell you the correct parts - otherwise you will spend loads of money on parts that don't fit.

God luck! The banana is a design classic, a good starting point.