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Great work. Keep going.
Raleigh Super Lenton 1956 22" frame
- Thread starter Craigmount
- Start date
MartinB123
Senior Retro Guru
Great work!
Really coming up lovely.
It's such a nice frame now it's cleaned and keeps it's patina. It just wouldn't look as nice with a fresh crisp paint job, I think it would lose it's character which shows it has a long history.
Looking forward to seeing this progress. keep up the good work.
Jamie
It's such a nice frame now it's cleaned and keeps it's patina. It just wouldn't look as nice with a fresh crisp paint job, I think it would lose it's character which shows it has a long history.
Looking forward to seeing this progress. keep up the good work.
Jamie
Craigmount
Old School Hero
Many thanks for all your feedback - I’m reporting some progress with the bike’s ancillaries. I spent some time cleaning up the chain wheel and cranks, and the pedals, and the chain. I also dismantled and re-greased the pedals: 11 ball-bearings each side, 22 per pedal, and I didn’t lose any! See pics.
What surprised me was: there’s been some chrome loss, however there wasn’t that much wear apparent on the original components, despite the bike being in fairly regular use by the first owner over 62 years.
Guess a lot of stuff was built to last way back in the 1950’s !!
Even the original RENOLD Elite chain wasn’t that worn, and will be going back on the bike. It has 107 links, 5 or so more than standard, to accommodate the Benelux derailleur. I notice that the split chain link was deleted, when fitting the derailleur, as per guidance at the time.
Anyway the above stuff is now looking a bit more “presentable” and has been re-fitted to the frame, the front hub is dated 56 8, and the rear 56 9.
I’ll get both tyres replaced in due course (sensible
) … guess I’m being a wee bit impatient but I just want to get the thing back on the road first !!
What surprised me was: there’s been some chrome loss, however there wasn’t that much wear apparent on the original components, despite the bike being in fairly regular use by the first owner over 62 years.
Guess a lot of stuff was built to last way back in the 1950’s !!
Even the original RENOLD Elite chain wasn’t that worn, and will be going back on the bike. It has 107 links, 5 or so more than standard, to accommodate the Benelux derailleur. I notice that the split chain link was deleted, when fitting the derailleur, as per guidance at the time.
Anyway the above stuff is now looking a bit more “presentable” and has been re-fitted to the frame, the front hub is dated 56 8, and the rear 56 9.
I’ll get both tyres replaced in due course (sensible
) … guess I’m being a wee bit impatient but I just want to get the thing back on the road first !!Attachments
Great progress, lovin' the way this looks already!
Craigmount
Old School Hero
Yeah a reluctant sale, the original owner had stopped using the bike on account of health reasons.
Thanks for the encouraging comments.
Re the wheels, the rear had a lot of rust, and could probably still do with a bit more work from me.
Whereas the front was mostly grime (old oil and grease) and cleaned up reasonably well.
Going forward, the philosophy I’m now using is: if it’s not too worn, clean & rebuild it and re-use it.
So I’ve been working on the original drop handlebars and stem. The chrome handlebars have come out reasonably okay, a bit pitted in places, and loss of chrome at the right-hand side. The Raleigh Industries stem is a bit pitted and not in the best condition (to say the least). I might hunt around for a like-for-like replacement. However they’re both straight and true, and back on the bike. See pics.
The ‘bars originally had a couple of green rubber “shock stop” bar-ends, although one went AWOL a long time ago – I’ll see if I can track down something equivalent.
One of the rivets on one of the sides of one of the quill pedals was a bit loose, however I managed to sort it with a cold chisel and lump mallet … the subtle approach ….
Next project task: the combination Sturmey Archer and Cyclo gears!
Thanks for the encouraging comments.
Re the wheels, the rear had a lot of rust, and could probably still do with a bit more work from me.
Whereas the front was mostly grime (old oil and grease) and cleaned up reasonably well.
Going forward, the philosophy I’m now using is: if it’s not too worn, clean & rebuild it and re-use it.
So I’ve been working on the original drop handlebars and stem. The chrome handlebars have come out reasonably okay, a bit pitted in places, and loss of chrome at the right-hand side. The Raleigh Industries stem is a bit pitted and not in the best condition (to say the least). I might hunt around for a like-for-like replacement. However they’re both straight and true, and back on the bike. See pics.
The ‘bars originally had a couple of green rubber “shock stop” bar-ends, although one went AWOL a long time ago – I’ll see if I can track down something equivalent.
One of the rivets on one of the sides of one of the quill pedals was a bit loose, however I managed to sort it with a cold chisel and lump mallet … the subtle approach ….
Next project task: the combination Sturmey Archer and Cyclo gears!
