Is this a silly idea or what? Cycling London to Paris on a battered 1985 Raleigh Record Sprint.

[Crankarm]

This has really annoyed me. I wouldn't have the nerve to write such a post as this idiot has to me when people are clearly considering what the OP has asked. Even if I didn't agree with some one I wouldn't write something so unpleasent. He is just being abnoxious and there is no need for it.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

"CycleChat - A fun and friendly online cycling community"...

 

[vernon]

"CycleChat - A fun and friendly online cycling community"...

For those who want it to be....

 

[willem]

Hey guys,
Let me tell you a nice and relevant story. Last week my thirteen year old son needed my pretty crude Dutch style town bike because he now has a job as a newspaperboy. Rather than buy something modern I decided I was really lusting after a nice classic upmarket town bike from the past. I was lucky within a day, and found a 1988 Koga Miyata Country Touring, a lightweight five speed derailleur bike with hub brakes, nothing but quality parts, and a glorious lugged frame with thin walled standard diameter tubing. It had only been used on nice summer days, and it showed.
I paid all of 50 euro for this beauty. It had a good Brooks B66, but I replaced it with a Champion Flyer that I still had and that I prefer. I obviously had to replace the tyres (the front one was still the original tyre I think), the tubes and the knackered pedals, and I still need to replace the brake cables, the chain and the worn freewheel. By the time I am done the total outlay will have been some 200 euro, for a glorious bike that one could only get new these days by going to a custom frame builder.
Willem

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

Koga Miyata?

Chapeau!

 

[willem]

Bought it from a Koga Miyata dealer in a leafy suburb. It had been traded in for a new and I think horrible Tig welded aluminium Koga. I was told nobody wants these 'old fashioned' bikes anymore.

It was a very nice buy, but not unique. Holland is full of these older Koga beauties that have mostly been used for short trips to the tennis court. Dealers in wealthy suburbs often have them. Plenty of them on www.marktplaats.nl as well, for very low prices. People want new stuff to impress the neighbours.
I have obviously told the story as an example of what you can get, and of how little it costs to get them back in original condition. However, try 'upgrading' them, and you spend a fortune. Anyway, the ride is great, even if the 32 mm max tyres transmit more road buzz than I had become used to with modern wider tyres. Luckily, the road surface here in Holland is mostly very good (and it is only my short distance commuter bike, not my tourer).
Willem

 

[yello]

Can I just ask a question about restoring my Raleigh Competition?

No... ah, okay.

No, seriously , I would have no qualms about riding it 300km or further. Brakes are, er, 'of the era' shall we say and could do with a little tlc but everything else is in excellent running order despite its age.

 

[willem]

Nice bike.... The cheapest and most discreet ways to improve the braking are Koolstop Salmon pads, new quality cables, and if you are prepared to give up some of the the authentic looks, modern aero levers.
Willem

 

[Ivan Ardon]

My 13YO (at the time) son and I rode to Paris, gave the bikes away (as part of the plan) and flew home.

I rode a ten speed Raleigh Pioneer, that I found dumped in a hedge in pieces. I reassembled it, regreased the hubs and spent £2.50 on a tyre. My lad's bike was £11 on ebay (Saracen MTB with seized suspension forks). That needed a rear tyre changing which cost me £3.60 and a rack which cost £2 from the dump.

Mechanical problems on the way consisted of one puncture on my bike and, err, that's all. We had a brilliant time.

So, in my experience, it's perfectly possible to tour on crap old bikes. It's only a couple of hundred miles in France, not a trip across the Sahara. If everything collapses in a heap, just get on a bus/train/plane and come back home.

 

[bigjim]

My 13YO (at the time) son and I rode to Paris, gave the bikes away (as part of the plan) and flew home.

I rode a ten speed Raleigh Pioneer, that I found dumped in a hedge in pieces. I reassembled it, regreased the hubs and spent £2.50 on a tyre. My lad's bike was £11 on ebay (Saracen MTB with seized suspension forks). That needed a rear tyre changing which cost me £3.60 and a rack which cost £2 from the dump.

Mechanical problems on the way consisted of one puncture on my bike and, err, that's all. We had a brilliant time.

So, in my experience, it's perfectly possible to tour on crap old bikes. It's only a couple of hundred miles in France, not a trip across the Sahara. If everything collapses in a heap, just get on a bus/train/plane and come back home.

What a lovely tale. "My 13YO (at the time) son and I rode to Paris". Surely that is what cycling is all about. Your son will remember that for ever. Consider yourself a lucky man.

 

[growingvegetables]

My 13YO (at the time) son and I rode to Paris, .........

Yup - that's a brilliant way to do it! Nice one

 

[onlineamiga]

I'm planning on cycling from London to Paris next year. Only thing with the ride is, I don't have an easy steed. It's a 1985 Raleigh Record Sprint - 12 gears (half of which are knackered, so doing hills is a right bugger!). But I have total faith that she can do it. I've already got myself some SPD pedals and shoes and I'm in the process of remolding the Brooks saddle that came with it, so I'm confident that my bum and my legs won't be too battered by the time I get to the Eiffel Tower.

I would like to change the gearing though. I went to my favourite bike shop the other day and they tell me that for the price it'll cost to install a new groupset, I may as well buy a new bike. I'm determined that I don't need to buy a whole new bike for this expedition - especially since my only job is a part-time minimum wage one.

I'm also pretty sure that I don't really need to change the whole groupset to get some easier hill climbing on the bike.

What do you all think?

Thanks very much in advance.

Sorry I havent had chance to read the whole thread. But all I can say is.. Its not silly. .Its damned cool! You should also contact Raleigh and see if they are interested in sponsoring your ride.

If a knackered old 1985 Raleigh can traverse from London to Paris with minimum difficulties, then it just goes to show what solid bikes they are. This is great PR for Raleigh.

My only advice is. Make sure you take plenty of spares and have the skills of a bike mechanic in case stuff does break.



I know a guy who bought an old bike for £50 and cycled it down to Spain. This to me is far more awesome than doing it on an ultra modern brand new expensive purpose built touring bike.

 

[vernon]

I know a guy who bought an old bike for £50 and cycled it down to Spain. This to me is far more awesome than doing it on an ultra modern brand new expensive purpose built touring bike.

What would be really awesome is a brand new £50 Asda special being pedalled down to Spain. Getting there on it would be a bigger challenge than doing it on a £50 old bike.

 

[bigjim]

My son has just given me back a £60 Asda/BSO type bike I bought him 2 years ago. He has commuted on it 5 days a week and used it off roading about once a month. During that time I have had to strip, regrease and repack the bearings on the wheels and bottom bracket. It is scratched and battered now as he has never looked after it but the gears are still fine and it is just as rideable as ever. Now he has got a couple of quid he has gone for more bling. So maybe an Asda bike after a proper setup/rebuild and service would make it.

 

[zigzag]

i don't see any reason why asda's bso wouldn't make it to spain. if set up properly from the start (greased, lubed, tensioned, adjusted) what can go wrong? knobbly tyres would be a pain to ride on the road, but other than that if the bike is the right size i don't see any major issues.