Raleigh bomber

[Cosmic Jr.]

Hi guys, long time lurker and finally joined up. I got a raleigh bomber frame yesterday and looking to turn it into a cruiser to cycle round town, go shopping/ to the pub. I'm not super experienced with assembling bikes (still learning) but I was just about a few things, namely parts compatibility. Can I slap regular 26 inch wheels on it? I know Raleigh has done some strange sizing over the years. And are the hub/axle sizes the same or different from 'regular' 26 inch MTB wheels? I havent really had time to spend with it and I don't think I will do until the end of the week but would really like to get some parts so I can hit the ground running this weekend instead of it sitting in my basement and taking longer to build.

Any guidance with the wheels and general Raleigh Bomber advice would be great, thanks.

 

[xerxes]

Re:

I think you'll be OK-ish wheel-wise, standard axle diameters, but you may need to check the width between the dropouts though, the Bomber originally had a 3 speed Sturmey Archer hub gear, which has a spacing of 114mm, whereas a mountain bike wheel is 135mm.

However, given that it's a steel frame, you can bend the frame to fit a wider hub: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

Raleigh did use some odd threads and bottom bracket sizes on some bikes, so you'll need to check that too.

Some links you may find interesting:

https://deadrats.co.uk/2012/11/26/ralei ... -part-one/

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... p;t=231787

 

[legrandefromage]

Older MTB wheels come in at 130mm rear spacing but as the 'Bomber' was always a gash rehash of a 3 spd town bike, 3spd Sturmey Archer wheels would be best.

 

[Silvergoat]

Re:

Alternatively, go to "Raleigh Bomber Vintage Cycles" or "Raleigh Bomber Fan Group" on Facebook.