Replacement parts for vintage Raleigh Roadster

[Cyclore]

Hello,
Is there any one reliable source of parts for a vintage Raleigh roadster or is it a case of keeping an eye on eBay and other various sites? I'd be interested to hear where people get their spares.
I've just started a restoration project (my first) and have completely stripped everything off the frame.

Some parts I definitley need include:

• Spring for rod brakes (handlebar)
• Pads and shoes for rod brakes
• bearings for headset and crank
• Chain
• Gear cable
• gear chain (possibly other parts)

Any suggestions or pointers much appreciated.
Cheers!

 

[tyred]

Hello,
Is there any one reliable source of parts for a vintage Raleigh roadster or is it a case of keeping an eye on eBay and other various sites? I'd be interested to hear where people get their spares.
I've just started a restoration project (my first) and have completely stripped everything off the frame.

Some parts I definitley need include:

• Spring for rod brakes (handlebar) I've never seen any problems with these but if yours are damaged or broken, you should be able to rescue some from another bike.
• Pads and shoes for rod brakes - check out the Fibrax website. They make a whole range of these, decent quality and a reasonable price.
• bearings for headset and crank - these bikes were high quality and it's unlikely these parts will be worn out completely. You will usually get away with new ball bearings (50 x 5/32" for the headset, 22 x 1/4" for crank/bottom bracket). Be aware that Raleigh used their own thread standard so nothing else will fit. If your headset is worn, you will probably get away with just replacing the bottom part which will be much the same as any other 1" steel headset. I think the Old Bicycle showroom have bottom bracket cups and axles for Raleighs but it's unlikely you will need them.
• Chain - Any 1/8" chain will work fine, but I wouldn't necessary bin the original unless it's severely worn or you want to fit a different sprocket as the original chain was of far higher quality than anything you will buy today.
• Gear cable - Generic Sturmey Archer part, even Halfords sell them
• gear chain (possibly other parts) - Will often come with a new cable or is available from old school bike shops, SJS or Ebay. If possible, check the indicator rod length as there were three lengths and having the correct one makes it easier to adjust the gears.

Any suggestions or pointers much appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[Cyclore]

Thanks for the pointers, very useful.
One of the rod brake springs is definitely broken but it seems a shame to have to buy a new set of handlebars especially as I've spent quite a few hours cleaning up my current handlebars.
For the headset it is just the ball bearings that need replacing so the info about sizes is really useful.
For the chain, I haven't cleaned up the old one yet so don't know how bad it is. The bike is the type with a fully enclosed chain guard so I thought it might be prudent to get a new chain while it's apart rather than having to replace it at a later date (I'm expecting putting the chain and chain guard back together to be a pain!!). How can I tell how worn the old chain is, I'm thinking I might just use the old one but not if it needs replacing.
Not sure what you mean by the indicator rod length for the gears, can you elaborate please?
As you can tell I'm new to this so all advice is really appreciated.
Cheers!

 

[tyred]

To check the chain, as a bicycle chain is usually 1/2" pitch, each complete link is one inch. Hang the chain up on a nail and using a steel ruler, measure the length of 12 complete links and it should be exactly 12 inches. In reality, it will have some wear after all this time.The general advice is if the 12 links measure 12 1/16" or less, it's fine, anything up to 12 1/8" you will probably get away with it and anything over that will have damaged the sprockets. This all causes issues with derailleur gears but not necessarily with hub gears. You can read all about chains here - http://sheldonbrown.com/chains.html (I disagree with Sheldon on one point, the older type chains like you will have lasted longer than the bushingless type used today) If you are re-using the original sprocket, I would just use the original chain anyway as a new chain mightn't mesh with the sprocket if it's worn. If you want to use a new sprocket (and there are advantages to using a larger sprocket on these bikes if you live in a hilly area), it's probably best to replace the chain unless it measures more than 12 1/8" over the 12 links. BTW, so long as your bike is post war, Sturmey sprockets are cheap and easy to change. Pre-war, they thread on and can be difficult to unscrew.

Incidently, it's not that difficult to replace a chain in a chaincase. Remove all the covers, get someone to hold the back of the bike up in the air and drop the chain down the hole at the top. Put it on the chainwheel, rotate crank until it's wrapped round the chainwheel and then stand the bike on the ground again and use a spoke or some other thin bit of wire with a small hook to hook it and pull it through to the back again.

When you disconnect the gear cable at the hub end where it attaches to the small chain (toggle chain) which feeds into the hub through the axle, this piece of small chain will turn and unscrew. There will a bit of solid bar with threads on the end attached to the end of the small chain. This bar is the indicator rod and correct adjustment of an SA hub involves looking through the hole in the nut and ensuring the end of the rod is level with the end of the axle when the gear selector is in the Normal or 2nd gear position. Different lengths were used but there are other ways of getting correct gear adjustment if you have the wrong length (see Sheldon Brown).

This is an indicator rod with toggle chain attached.

 

[Smut Pedaller]

I've actually got a complete rod brake setup with a NOS front stirrup I bought and new leather faced pads with little mileage on it. I later converted it to a drum brake setup so I have no use for it.
It comes off a '79 Raleigh Superbe, have a look here

I think everyone has already covered it, I'll also second that it's not really that difficult to change the chain with a full chaincase, just a little bit more fiddly but you'll rarely have to do it as the chain will last a very long time inside it.

 

[lpretro1]

I have some original Raleigh rod brake springs. If interested please let me know

 

[Flying pigeon]

Hi,
Flyingpigeon.co.uk stock replica raleigh roadster parts. They are new and good quality and can be used for restoration projects as they are identical. It's possible to get all the parts you have mentioned.

 

[bobg]

BTW if it's an original Reynolds chain, its best not to use a chain splitter but make sure to find the old split link. Reynolds chains are rare and don't take kindly to being rejoined.