Frame Restoration
- Thread starter Rockn Robin
- Start date
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EltonFrog
Legendary Member
S’nice though innit?
Fab Foodie
hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
- Location
- Kirton, Devon.
Indeed, I did build a modern old bike...with large flange hubs etc. But wan’t too fussed about lugs.
A proper fitting custom do-what-you-want bike is a wonderful thing.
A proper fitting custom do-what-you-want bike is a wonderful thing.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
With some canny moves it may be possible to do a dedent resto with not much dollar. A fine quality podercoat, dressed up with repro decals might not be an exact replica, but to the casual eye will look period, keep in fitting with the character of the bike, be hard wearing and very cost effective.
I bought a Carpenter frame about a year ago (£75 on eBay). It had been hand painted, but the lugs looked good and it is a classic British hand built frame.
Madgetts of Diss arranged for it to be stripped and painted with lug lining included by Bob Jackson of Leeds, Decals supplied by H Lloyd were also fitted (total cost about £150).
I haven't managed to keep it "period correct", although I did manage to buy some Birmalux rims with Sunshine hubs for about £10 which cleaned up beautifully and I think complement the frame well.
There has been the satisfaction of putting together a vintage bike and the pride in keeping a frame from about 1956 on the road, total cost around £350 which to my mind has been money well spent.
It has been my bike of choice this summer although I will have to ride my (powder coated) Falcon as the weather gets wetter as I couldn't bring myself to fit mudguards on the Carpenter.
My advice would be try a few bikes to find out which frame size you generally feel ok with, spend a bit of time trawling through eBay then enjoy the whole restoration process
Madgetts of Diss arranged for it to be stripped and painted with lug lining included by Bob Jackson of Leeds, Decals supplied by H Lloyd were also fitted (total cost about £150).
I haven't managed to keep it "period correct", although I did manage to buy some Birmalux rims with Sunshine hubs for about £10 which cleaned up beautifully and I think complement the frame well.
There has been the satisfaction of putting together a vintage bike and the pride in keeping a frame from about 1956 on the road, total cost around £350 which to my mind has been money well spent.
It has been my bike of choice this summer although I will have to ride my (powder coated) Falcon as the weather gets wetter as I couldn't bring myself to fit mudguards on the Carpenter.
My advice would be try a few bikes to find out which frame size you generally feel ok with, spend a bit of time trawling through eBay then enjoy the whole restoration process
roadrash
cycle chatterer
- Location
- sitting on the edge of wigan pier
ooohh... did someone say Raleigh twenty....
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/restoration-twenty.148038/#post-2888250
fossyant
Ride It Like You Stole It!
- Location
- South Manchester
It ain't cheap to do it properly so look for a quality frameset first that deserves the work.
FolderBeholder
Senior Member
- Location
- Inland Southern California
Don't get me started...
roadrash
cycle chatterer
- Location
- sitting on the edge of wigan pier
Go on....you know you want to 
rogerzilla
Legendary Member
I've had loads done over the years, usually at Argos in Bristol. Minimum cost with decals will be about £200 but this is a lot cheaper than a new steel frame of the same quality!
EltonFrog
Legendary Member
You don’t want a Raleigh Twenty, you need the far superior, better built, smoother riding, classier looking, cooler drooler Dawes Kingpin.
FolderBeholder
Senior Member
- Location
- Inland Southern California
Im in the US....even the Raleigh Twenty is few and far between in my neck of these woods.
rogerzilla
Legendary Member
The US ones have BMX sized wheels and rather ineffective 100mm drop brakes. My Twenty also has BMX wheels (451 size is pretty dead) but a rear Duomatic hub with coaster brake and a BMX fork with V-brake, so it stops.
woodbutcher
Veteran
- Location
- S W France
I would definitely have a go ! Patience is the key especially if you repaint the frame . If you are wanting quality vintage components you will spend a lot of time searching and a lot of money when you find them. The photos attached are what l did with a frame and forks l got from Italy .
I would say that the build cost at least double what an existing bike would have cost. The plus side is that l ended up with something l love riding and that l really enjoyed the process of building. Best of luck
OP
OP
Rockn Robin
Senior Member
- Location
- Arizona
I would definitely have a go ! Patience is the key especially if you repaint the frame . If you are wanting quality vintage components you will spend a lot of time searching and a lot of money when you find them. The photos attached are what l did with a frame and forks l got from Italy .
I would say that the build cost at least double what an existing bike would have cost. The plus side is that l ended up with something l love riding and that l really enjoyed the process of building. Best of luck
View attachment 434421 View attachment 434422
Wow!!! That is absolutely gorgeous. New bikes don't even come close to how great that looks. My opinion, of course. Maybe it did cost more to a comparable new bike, but that has your signature on it, so to speak, and when you ride it, you ride it with pride. Can't put a price on that.
