Advice/help old raleigh 3 speed

[sully992]

Hello
I have literally just found a 1979 raleigh sport 3 speed

This old beaut was leaning against some bins with a cardboard notice for the bin men to take away!!!!
So, in the boot of the car it went!!!

I've given it a rinse off and apart from the seat, stem and bars it seems all original!
I've managed to work out its year from the hub but that's about it as far as my limited knowledge goes.
Is it worth me cleaning up the wheels ( presumably original but dirty/pitted) trying to source original bars seat etc, refurbish gears, etc etc or should I leave it as it is ( except making it rideable)
I don't want to spoil it if its worth keeping original, so should I leave well alone or would a raleigh enthusiast appreciate it more as it is and restore it to its former glory?

Ideally I'd like to have a go at "restoring" her myself so Any help is really appreciated

 

[tyred]

Oh lovely, a decent sports roadster is a lovely bike to ride and very useable, very practical and a lot faster than many people realise.

Personally, I would make it rideable - service the headset, bottom bracket and front hub. Don't bother opening the Sturmey unless it's not working properly in the first place. An idea is to fill the Sturmey hub with diesel and let it sit for a day or so and then drain it out (most will have run out anyway) to free out any sticking parts and then apply some fresh SAE 30 engine oil (commonly sold as lawnmower oil in garden centres). I'd be surprised if you find any great wear in the BB or headset but bear in mind they are non-standard threads.

Replace brake cables if they seem sticky or rusty (be careful here - the original Raleigh pattern calipers needed a special cable, not sure when they stopped using that design but it's easy to recreate if you buy non-stainless steel cables and are handy with a soldering iron).

Clean up the wheels the best you can, check spoke tension and trueness. If rims are bent or seriously rusty, I'd replace with alloy. I would expect 36 holes back and front in 1979 and 26 x 1 3/8" rims are available from SJS in 36 hole.

The sad reality is that Raleigh build quality went into free-fall towards the end of the 1950s and their bikes of the 70s and especially the 80s will ride very well if set up correctly but paint and chrome plating can just fall off it in chunks.

It all depends on what you want to spend. It's not old enough to worry too much about originality so if you want - alloy wheels, allow North Road bars (easily available from ebay ~£11 when I bought mine), alloy seat post (probably 1" in diameter, should be cheap enough online), Weinmann made very nice alloy brake levers for North Road bars back in the day and I'd surprised if they make any great fortune on Ebay. It would all prevent corrosion and lighten the bike substantially but as a skinflint, I'd make the best of what I've got with the exception of replacing the front wheel with an alloy one - much better braking.

 

[sully992]

Thanks for your advice. I'm planning on getting her home, giving her a good clean and see what's there. Although it looks like its been left outside the paintwork and chrome seem to look ok ( t first glance at least ) there is certainly no obvious rust etc, nd I'm hopeful that the rims etc will clean up quite nicely with a little effort

Sadly, the cables all seem a bit beyond repair/serviceability but once they're stripped off ill be able to see properly. The sturmey hub seems fine, but the "shifter has seen better days, so again, I think that needs stripping of, servicing and then see what's going on.

Other than that, I really think with a clean, general service and an oil up I could ride it tomorrow

Thanks for your advice, I shall more than likely be hounding ou for some more!!! Haha

 

[biggs682]

sounds a real good find , but we need some pics please

 

[sully992]

I've put some up in the pics thread mate. Well pleased with my find

 

[biggs682]

I've put some up in the pics thread mate. Well pleased with my find

cant see any ?

 

[sully992]

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/todays-bin-find-rescue.143074/

Here you go mate

 

[sully992]

Ooh Wellingborough huh? I'm From earls Barton! Haha

 

[biggs682]

http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/todays-bin-find-rescue.143074/

Here you go mate

looks good , just get it mobile and give it a clean

 

[RWright]

I just got my old LTD 3 back on the road. My cousin gave it to me a few years ago, I took it apart and just put it back together. I also bought a Raleigh Sports from the same era. It is still torn down. On the LTD I replaced the shifter cable with a Sturmey Archer replacement. I tried briefly to make a regular shifter cable work but there is a lot of stress on it and the crimped end would not stay on, so rather than try and weld it on or something like that I just bought a new one.

The only thing I should have bought that I didn't is the shifter fulcrum sleeve. The ones on both my bikes were old and cracked. I thought a small wire nut cut and fitted would work but it is pretty tight tolerances with more stress than what I would have though on it so I will have to order one. The wire nut keeps popping out. I could probably tinker with it and make it work but it is just going to be easier to bite the bullet and buy some replacements. They are not very expensive. New shifters are not that expensive either. I bought the entire shifter with cable just to get the cable.

I didn't care for the handlebars so I put some cheap risers on with some grips I had laying around. I wanted a rear rack and found a cheap one on either Ebay or Amazon. I put on a new rear sprocket, new stainless chain, and put the Brooks saddle from the Raleigh Sport on it. It also needed tires so I got the gum wall with reflective stripe just because I though they were cool. The tires also hold up to just over 80 psi. I took the bike completely apart except for going inside to the gears in the rear hub, one of these days I may do that.

This bike had the alloy rims and they were still in pretty good shape. One spoke was broken, but I just ride without it. I also found the chain guard to get in the way and sometimes catch the heel of my shoe and make cleaning the chain more of a chore, so I left it off. I just got back from a 10 mile ride on it, in top gear. It did fine. I only have to get rid of an annoying rattle coming from the front fender and put the fulcrum sleeve on and hopefully I will be ready for cool, wet weather riding, as well as have a bike I can do some light shopping on.

The Rain Unit

 

[biggs682]

that looks great and correct

 

[sully992]

Ooooh
That looks really nice
If I can get my new found brown machine ( she still needs a name! Ha ) looking like that I'll be really pleased

Thanks for the info. I think I'll be buying the sturmey shifter and cable as the existing one is pretty grim, going to try my best to clean up everything else, I'm hoping that the "silver" bits will come back to life. Already found a replacement seat and some bars on eBay just need to order them! Ha

 

[Teuchter]

I sold my '79 Raleigh 3 speed earlier in the year while going through a process of fleet reduction and I had to accept that it was a bit small for me and as a result, not getting used as much as my other bikes. I'd happily have another though (with a larger frame). I used it for occasional commuting (including during winter) and for local rides and it was a very nice, comfortable ride that as has been said, can be surprisingly quick. It was very rattly when I first got it (especially from mudguards and brake levers) but once I'd sorted that out, my progress was silent except for the faint, rhythmic ticking of a well oiled Sturmey Archer hub.

The steel wheels are nowhere near as bad for most conditions than they have a reputation for among modern cyclists. In heavy rain and town centre traffic you do need to plan well but in the more usual damp conditions, they are just fine. If I'd kept mine, my plan had been to fit an aluminium rimmed front wheel (about £25 on eBay) to improve wet braking but I'd just keep the steel rear. I used mine in some fairly extreme conditions and the only issue I had was the gear cable freezing solid! These bikes were intended to be used as daily transport in British weather and while traffic may be heavier than when they were popular, there's no real reason not to use them for their intended purpose today.

 

[sully992]

I can't wait to get stuck into it and try and restore some life into her.
I haven't tried her for size yet but held up against my waist the size seems ok.

Looking forward to cutting around on get when she's feeling better and using her for shop runs and stuff

 

[RWright]

The steel wheels are nowhere near as bad for most conditions than they have a reputation for among modern cyclists. In heavy rain and town centre traffic you do need to plan well but in the more usual damp conditions, they are just fine. If I'd kept mine, my plan had been to fit an aluminium rimmed front wheel (about £25 on eBay) to improve wet braking but I'd just keep the steel rear. I used mine in some fairly extreme conditions and the only issue I had was the gear cable freezing solid! These bikes were intended to be used as daily transport in British weather and while traffic may be heavier than when they were popular, there's no real reason not to use them for their intended purpose today.

The Raleigh Sports I have disassembled has steel wheels. I am probably going to sand down the rims and paint them. I have not decided if I want to remove the spokes and learn how to lace wheels back but still considering it....would be a good learning experience I guess. One of the first things I noticed was the poor braking on both the old Raleigh bikes. I am not on the brakes very often but when I got on the brakes on these in the wet it was definitely an attention getter. I put new brake pads on my LTD3 with the alloy rims and they still leave a lot to be desired.

I came up with a bright idea for painting the steel wheels on the Sports. I may not keep it quite as close to original looking as the LTD3 so I am considering painting the rim brake surface with rough texture bed liner for a pick up truck. It can be bought relatively cheap in a small can. I may even tape the rims and paint them two tone with just the brake surface area painted bed liner black and the center something a little flashier, like bright red or orange...with a matching color chain and handle bar grips. It just depends on how inspired I am at the time.

I know it might not work well and may be hell on brake pads but I am not on the brakes enough to worry much about pad wear, just wanting something with more bite, especially in wet conditions. Still just an idea at present. I am going to do a little more Googling to see if anyone has tried it before.