1940s Raleigh rescue - Should I or shouldn't I?

[ChrisEyles]

Haha, I take your point! My favourite 80s bike fashion crime is the camo pattern bar tape, usually in day glo colour on black - boring grey would be a distinct improvement there!

I quite like the brighter cardinal red on your frame btw, looks a bit "zingier" than the original colour.

 

[robsa]

I've already ordered a set from cycles of yesteryear... they didn't specify the material, so fingers crossed. In the end they weren't as hard to set up as I feared, so can always replace if necessary down the line. I'll see how effective they are on a few test runs first!

Rod brakes are pretty bad so anything to help in retardation of 50lb of sit up and beg bike will be needed

 

[ChrisEyles]

The 1950s bike is finally properly finished

I'm pleasantly surprised with the effectiveness of the rod brakes so far, after a few laps around the block - but will avoid taking them out in the wet to be safe (we live at the top of a steep hill!).

Tomorrow is going to be the first proper outing, weather permitting - I've selected a nice stretch of cycle path along the river down to the coast - Exmouth esplanade will be perfect for a celebratory lap of honour at the end of the maiden voyage Pics to come if it goes ahead!

The 1937 bike is still where I left it, in pieces in the corner of the shed... but I've now finished moving house and kitting out my "workshop", so I'm ready to sink my teeth into it! Plus my wife has said no more bikes until I've fixed this one up and got rid of one of the others, which is a good incentive!

 

[mrbikerboy73]

Good work and a great thread too. Enjoy!

 

[robsa]

Top work chris any pictures? Ive got the rudge stripped and ready fir paint, bought 2 tins of deco gloss black metal protection from aldi, got good reviews on the net so we'll see how it goes

 

[ChrisEyles]

Pics to come, hopefully tomorrow if I get the bike out to the seaside. Otherwise I'll wait for a sunny evening and pootle off for a photo shoot

Have fun painting your Rudge, hope it comes out nicely! It's supposed to be rather cold around here over the weekend - if it's the same where you are you might want to paint indoors if possible, since I found it was much easier to get a nice finish with the paint in the warm (or at least the not cold!).

 

[robsa]

Made a start on the mudguards today, it wazzed it down all morning but dried up 3ish so risked it. Did one outside the garage and one in, as a bit of an experiment. The one I did outside has bloomed quite badly whereas the one in hasn't. Also, id say the paint is more of a charcoal grey than deep black.
Hohum I'll leave them a few weeks to harden off so I can flat em off and give them a few more coats to see if that darkens them up.
Might get a tin of that rustoleum for the frame. Are you happy with the rustoleum finish on your bike Chris?

 

[ChrisEyles]

Nice work! Agreed that its a good idea to leave it a few weeks to harden up before hitting it with the wet+dry and recoating. I also found the rustoleum I used tended to bloom a little in the damp or cold.

On the whole I'm very happy with the finish on my frame, and would definitely use the same stuff again. It looks a lot better than I thought it would for a brush-on job, though I guess it remains to be seen how durable it is.

 

[ChrisEyles]

I managed to get out to Exmouth today - here are some photos

Heading off from home:

Stopping for a breather along the Exe:

Exmouth seafront:

Sea views:

On the way back home, through the port at Topsham:

Nearly back home! I had to raid the bag in the picture for all the goodies my wife baked last night

Bonus glamour shot:

I'm definitely feeling it in my legs right now though... Forty miles on a ten speed is one thing, forty miles on a 1950s single speed quite another!

In spite of that, I was very pleased with how the bike rode. It felt very sure-footed, and trundled happily through the mud, gravel, and potholes of the back lanes and cycle paths en route. The gearing is also rather nice - around 64 gear inches - and allows a comfortable cadence for flat cruising. The frame is perhaps a touch small for me, but not so much that it spoils the ride. Haha, and maybe its just that I'm really not used to riding a single speed, but the few short sharp hills I had to negotiate felt a lot more challenging than usual!

Time to get back to work on the 1937 bike now.... well maybe after a well deserved tea & cake

 

[ChrisEyles]

ps - Just looked at the original thread title - I think this particular Raleigh now counts as rescued

 

[robsa]

Chris, that looks absolutely cracking. Nice job.Hope mine looks as smart as that when I'm done.
Btw how did you get on with the saddle??? Any good?

 

[ChrisEyles]

Thanks Robsa! Looking forward to seeing some pics of yours when you're done.

The saddle was unarguably a great buy for the price. It looks cracking on the bike (not at all like the cheap nasty rip-off it is ), especially after a little buffing with some black polish.

Comfort-wise, I don't really have much basis for comparison... for one thing I've never owned such an upright posture bike before, and for another I've never encountered a saddle I've found seriously uncomfortable (being on the light side maybe helps). I certainly wasn't as comfy on the ride as I would have been on my ten speed (with B17 saddle), but on the other hand I wore regular trousers and didn't get any chafing/numbness, which I guess counts as a success on a forty mile ride.

Other than that, I enjoyed boinging around and bouncing up and down over the bumps

 

[roadrash]

brilliant job on the bike, and cracking photos

 

[User42423]

After closely studying both images, it would appear that the second machine is complete. The first could easily be a breaker!.

 

[ChrisEyles]

@User42423, the second machine is currently all sanded down and ready for re-painting when I get the time It is the more interesting of the two - a 1937 model, with 28" wheels rather than 26", and nice old bolt-on seat stays.

Unfortunately it also needs its rear wheel rebuilding! It was badly buckled when I acquired it, and I had to cut the spokes out (nipples were rusted solid) to straighten the rim. Needs a trip to the LBS for a bit of advice, hopefully I can just order some new spokes and get cracking!