Raleigh 531 Granada

[Illaveago]

Raleigh 531 Granada. These are the words that drew my attention to this cycle advertised on a well known auction site. Well, along with the low price and the colour, what looked like Kingfisher blue. I am a sucker for pretty colours. I put it on my watch list whilst I thought of reasons why I didn't need another cycle.
Nagging doubts were soon filed away in the cobweb part of my brain whilst I thought of the positives .
It looked complete with all of the components, centre pull brakes, 2 wheels, handlebars, double clanger. What more do you need ?
I did a bit of research on the web to find out a bit more about the cycle. The Granada was made for 2 years from 1986/7, Reynolds 531 butted frame tubes, 27inch or 700 alloy wheels.
Nagging doubts managed to escape from the dark recesses of my brain. Buyer collects ? Not too far away, I could fit in a trip to the seaside at the same time .
What size frame is it? 21, 22, 25? The details were a bit sparse, but by using the head badge I calculated that it was a 22 inch frame. It turned out to be 21.
On the plus side it was still cheap and it had all of the components.
I had set a limit as to what I was going to spend. This seems to have a lower maximum limit than the eventual higher limit which I tend to end up spending.
The final day came. I put in a bid and was out bid immediately. I raised my bid and was leading for a while until I was outbid again. In the last few minutes I raised my bid but had a higher one in reserve just in case.
Outbid ! But I hit the higher bid just in time I won!
I hit the pay now button . Now to arrange collection!
I contacted the seller, he seemed very helpful and so we arranged a date and time.
The journey turned out to be a lot further and took longer than planned due to the insistence of my brother using his satnav. If I could have reached it, it would have gone out of the window .
It must have been set on the most windy route possible.
I eventually arrived at the destination. The bike looked different to how it appeared in the pictures. I have discovered that things look a lot better in pictures than they do in the flesh.
A quick look around the bike. 27inch wheels, good. In need of a good clean though! 531 frame, good! Phew it felt heavy! I didn't realize it weighs around 27 lbs. The frame looked a bit smaller than I imagined.
I undid the front wheel and loaded the bike into the back of my car. I said thanks to the seller and set off home determined not to listen to the satnav. The journey had worn me out so no trip to the seaside, I wanted to clean and get the bike rideable as soon as possible .
By using the Force I got home far quicker and discovered some very pretty countryside.
I must add that my wife had no part in this transaction as she was away in France at the time.
Once I had removed the bike from my car I set about cleaning it up to get it working. The good thing about this hot weather is that things soon dry off. The chain was very rusty and stiff so I removed it and let it soak in some old engine oil. I removed the wheels and replaced them with a pair from my other bike for the time being.
The seat tube needed a bit of sorting out. Someone in the past had fitted a seat post which was too small and had bent the clamp mounting. A bit of hammering with the steel post provided and some filing soon sorted it. I borrowed a seat and post from another bike.
I cleaned off the chain which had responded well to treatment and fitted it. Now for a test ride!
I was very surprised and happy. It rode really well, it fitted me perfectly despite being a smaller frame than my other bikes. The top tube is longer. The short test ride became 5 miles as I was enjoying it. The ride was really smooth even over the rough road surface. The only problems encountered was that the front brake didn't ! Well not very well and an annoying creak from the bottom bracket.

 

[biggs682]

@Illaveago that looks good and glad to hear i am not the only one that enjoys the tinkering in getting these older bikes back into service , enjoy it

 

[Illaveago]

The frame number begins with WN6 which would tally with the Maillard hubs . The frame has some rust underneath the paint, chips and a few small dents but otherwise is in pretty good condition . I have cleaned up the rims and hubs and polished them. They need truing and are now fitted instead of the borrowed pair.
I have started trying to repair some of the box lining which was on the seat tube .
I replaced the front brake blocks with some newer ones and it now stops .

 

[biggs682]

And those superb short guards

 

[Illaveago]

And those superb short guards

They seem to move around from bike to bike more than I actually cycle.

 

[Illaveago]

I'll have to get my tools out and make some more ally ones .

 

[raleighnut]

Nice.

 

[midlife]

Looking good . Not heard the saying "double clanger" for 40 years lol. Made my day

 

[Illaveago]

I was cleaning the frame a bit more the other day and noticed how well the lugs had been finished. They are nothing fancy just short spear point. It was how nicely they fitted the tubing, without gaps or sitting proud or lumps of brazing that you could trip over them that caught my eye.
I also cut some ally sheet so that I could make a pair of short mudguards for it . I need to find a strip of stainless steel which I can use to make the mounting brackets .

 

[carpenter]

Impressed with your box lining - how do you do it, pen or brush?

 

[Illaveago]

Impressed with your box lining - how do you do it, pen or brush?

I used some 1/4 inch masking tape but it is better to use fine lining tape. Model shops sell fine masking tape . It is best to use a plastic type of tape as it gives a nicer edge .
For the silver I used an aerosol basecoat sprayed into can top and allowed to evaporate to thicken it up . The red was Humbrol enamel . Both colours were brushed on and once dry I brushed a coat of acrylic clear lacquer over to seal them .