Secondhand Raleigh Junior Rigid MTB: lemon or worth a punt?

[Reynard]

I use even posher aluminium ones on my centrepull brakes.

Ooooer

Anyways, my LBS should have some in stock, I'm sure. They have a whole wall fitted with loads of little drawers, each full of different little doodads. Which reminds, I also need a pair of bar end plugs and some of those caps that you squish onto the end of cables to stop them from fraying...

 

[raleighnut]

those caps that you squish onto the end of cables to stop them from fraying...

Strangely called 'Antifray caps' or just antifrays.

 

[Reynard]

Anyways, as promised, a couple of pics.

As you can see, the front brake callipers cleaned up nicely, other than the retaining bolt for the straddle cable. And no, your eyes are not deceiving you, the cable for the rear derailleur HAS got that almighty kink in it. And it stays that way, even under tension. Someone's obviously had a good yank of that at some point - probably in the effort to free the chain. That cable is very frayed where it comes out of the outer and into the RD as well.

And the rear brakes and cable hanger. The rears were more tatty than the fronts, and it shows. But again, perfectly functional. Although admittedly they are rather fugly. I did see some lovely black and red cantis for sale, but at £94 for one set, I think not!

Today's work on the project involved buying a set of tyres. I did go for the Schwalbe Road Cruiser Plus in the end - at £10.99 each they were better than half price at CRC, so that frees up a good chunk of the budget to spend elsewhere.

Plus the old bars have been measured. They're 560mm width and 25.4mm diameter. Lots of places online seem out of stock or only have the 31.5-ish mm diameter. I may as well take the bars to my LBS and say "have you got something like this in?"

So far, I've spent...

Bike £25
Brake cables (inner & outer) £4
Brake blocks £10
Inner tube £5
Wheelset £57
Tyres £22

So that's £123 so far on the project, and @All uphill 's £200 spend on that touring bike looks like where I'm going to be at in terms of the actual build. That's still *well* below half the cost of buying a new bike with the spec I want, although I've had to give up the idea of suspension forks and disc brakes. The former is no great loss, as to be fair, a rigid steel bike with decent tyres will be lighter and do an equally good job for the riding I have in mind. And there's far less to worry about on the maintenance front.

How I spend the rest of the budget depends on where I go with the crankset once I've decided the number of teeth to go for. I could go cheap and get a unitary construction triple for around £15, or spend a chunk more and get one that comes apart. I'd prefer the latter route, but that might well depend on a) what I decide on in terms of teeth, b) what's available and c) can I find a used one in decent nick? Maybe a call in CC's wanted section will be worth trying...

I've also spent £28 on tools (crank puller, freewheel remover, allen keys), but to be fair, good tools never go to waste, and are always a sound investment. I'm of the mind to get tools as and when I need them, rather than splurge on a kit and end up with a bunch of stuff I'll never use...

 

[raleighnut]

Anyways, as promised, a couple of pics.

View attachment 540190

As you can see, the front brake callipers cleaned up nicely, other than the retaining bolt for the straddle cable. And no, your eyes are not deceiving you, the cable for the rear derailleur HAS got that almighty kink in it. And it stays that way, even under tension. Someone's obviously had a good yank of that at some point - probably in the effort to free the chain. That cable is very frayed where it comes out of the outer and into the RD as well.

View attachment 540192

And the rear brakes and cable hanger. The rears were more tatty than the fronts, and it shows. But again, perfectly functional. Although admittedly they are rather fugly. I did see some lovely black and red cantis for sale, but at £94 for one set, I think not!

Today's work on the project involved buying a set of tyres. I did go for the Schwalbe Road Cruiser Plus in the end - at £10.99 each they were better than half price at CRC, so that frees up a good chunk of the budget to spend elsewhere.

Plus the old bars have been measured. They're 560mm width and 25.4mm diameter. Lots of places online seem out of stock or only have the 31.5-ish mm diameter. I may as well take the bars to my LBS and say "have you got something like this in?"

So far, I've spent...

Bike £25
Brake cables (inner & outer) £4
Brake blocks £10
Inner tube £5
Wheelset £57
Tyres £22

So that's £123 so far on the project, and @All uphill 's £200 spend on that touring bike looks like where I'm going to be at in terms of the actual build. That's still *well* below half the cost of buying a new bike with the spec I want, although I've had to give up the idea of suspension forks and disc brakes. The former is no great loss, as to be fair, a rigid steel bike with decent tyres will be lighter and do an equally good job for the riding I have in mind. And there's far less to worry about on the maintenance front.

How I spend the rest of the budget depends on where I go with the crankset once I've decided the number of teeth to go for. I could go cheap and get a unitary construction triple for around £15, or spend a chunk more and get one that comes apart. I'd prefer the latter route, but that might well depend on a) what I decide on in terms of teeth, b) what's available and c) can I find a used one in decent nick? Maybe a call in CC's wanted section will be worth trying...

I've also spent £28 on tools (crank puller, freewheel remover, allen keys), but to be fair, good tools never go to waste, and are always a sound investment. I'm of the mind to get tools as and when I need them, rather than splurge on a kit and end up with a bunch of stuff I'll never use...

Depending on how many gears you go for on the back and which shifters you then use I have a pair of all aluminium 'shorty' MTB brake levers with the 'span adjuster' allen screws in my shed. They're not brilliant but they're OK and the aluminium cable adjusters are fine (no stripped threads)

 

[Reynard]

Thanks xxx @DCBassman has also very kindly offered a few bits. You guys are just the best. But let me see where I decide to go with regards to gearing. I need some thinking time first before taking the plunge.

Although I'm leaning towards 8 speed as it seems to offer the best all round options for the various parts and pieces.

 

[raleighnut]

Thanks xxx @DCBassman has also very kindly offered a few bits. You guys are just the best. But let me see where I decide to go with regards to gearing. I need some thinking time first before taking the plunge.

Although I'm leaning towards 8 speed as it seems to offer the best all round options for the various parts and pieces.

I came across them whilst searching for the Steel brake calipers for the Triumph Rodeo earlier and thought of your project and you mentioning the plastic/resin brake levers originally fitted.

 

[Reynard]

I came across them whilst searching for the Steel brake calipers for the Triumph Rodeo earlier and thought of your project and you mentioning the plastic/resin brake levers originally fitted.

It's appreciated. Thinking of me, that is.

This is one of the best things about CC

 

[12boy]

Dear Reynard, it isn't a folly
To refurb your bitchin old Raleigh
With each turn of your spanner
You enter Nirvana
And all without spending much lolly.
And the fun and knowledge youve gotten out of this is priceless. I love the frame color. I have a mini-velo that is fairly close.

 

[Reynard]

Dear Reynard, it isn't a folly
To refurb your bitchin old Raleigh
With each turn of your spanner
You enter Nirvana
And all without spending much lolly.
And the fun and knowledge youve gotten out of this is priceless. I love the frame color. I have a mini-velo that is fairly close.

That bike is definitely... different... @12boy - bet it's a blast to ride. And I bet it turns heads wherever you go.

I'm a competent mechanic generally, albeit not a terribly confident one. And working on this bike has done the world of good for my confidence. For a spur-of-the-moment impulse buy and project, it's definitely been worth it. And I'll have a really nice bike tailored to my needs to show for it at the end. I think it will compliment my road bike and hybrid / tourer rather nicely.

I have a late 50s / early 60s junior Hercules up on the loft, and I might see what I can do with that at some point. It's too small for me now, but I rode it loads back in the day. That will introduce me to the joys (!) of rod brakes and cottered cranks...

 

[12boy]

Actually I have 3 small wheel bikes...A Brompton, a Xootr Swift and the Mercier. All three were developed as commuter bikes which stored small for the denizens of London (as you know), New York city and Tokyo so they are 3 different approaches to similar situations. And you are right...They are all three a lot of fun, although the Brompton is my favorite of the six bikes I keep on hand. Since all bikes are a compromise, I too enjoy having some that fill a niche. A Cannondale mtn bike that takes 1.95 studded snows for winter, a Holdsworth Special, currently an IGH 3 speed but a great long ride bike, Surly Steamroller that can be fixed, single speed or the 3 speed, and the 3 small wheelers above. Most days it's the Brompton or the Surly, but I enjoy a date with the others as well. I've enclosed a shot of the Xooter so you could see that approach to a fast, nimble little machine designed for crap streets and high congestion. Praps you can make out the sticker on the top tube. After all, this is the Cowboy State.

 

[Reynard]

The first thing that sprang to mind about the Mercier was that it looked like a Brompton crossed with a road bike...

Actually, I'd love a Brompton, but alas simply can't justify the cost. If I was commuting to Cambridge on a regular basis, then yes, because it wouldn't limit me which trains I can use. But right now public transport is a non-option, and for the times I do head that way, I sling the hybrid in the back of the car, park in Milton and ride the rest of the way in.

I had a lovely run out on my road bike this afternoon. Poor thing hadn't been ridden since early May, as the hybrid is my do-it-all bike. But sometimes a girl needs to put a smile on her face, and that's what the roadie does for me.

 

[12boy]

Thinking back, my Brompton is my most expensive bike, but mainly because I've bought so many for peanuts used. My Holdsworth, full Campy, with Phil hubs, extra spokes, sprocket clusters, bottom brackets, a truing stand and a regular stand as well was $180 at an estate sale, for example. The only problem with all these bikes is storing them, extra wheels, tools,tires, parts and so forth. Definitely have to do a Swedish Death Cleansing when I get too old to ride.

 

[Reynard]

My Wiggins Rouen road bike is the only bike I have that's been bought new. The Wiggins Chartres hybrid was bought off a CC member, the Raleigh from the local tip, the Emmelle MTB secondhand from a LBS close to 30 years ago, and the Hercules was a skip find.

The latter two I don't ride anymore - too big and too small respectively.

Cost versus projected use is precisely why I can't justify a Brompton.

 

[12boy]

Ah, but you could make it fit so perfectly and you would look so chic riding it. Besides, you got a Raleigh singing a siren song right now.

 

[Reynard]

Ah, but you could make it fit so perfectly and you would look so chic riding it. Besides, you got a Raleigh singing a siren song right now.

I think I'd get shot if I added yet another bicycle... Though I did ride a lot of small-wheeled bikes when I was a kid, most of which were skip rescues. When you're my height, they look almost like big wheel bikes.

On a more serious note, a Brommie is out of the question for the foreseeable future. This project, when I've added all the little post-build extras like bar bag, multitool, spares, frame pump, bottle cage, lights, Ergon grips, and possibly a saddle if I can't get on with the Selle SMP, will pretty well much deplete my bike fund to zero.

I had a bunch of cash leftover after scoring the hybrid second hand last spring (I'd budgeted for new), and what's left is what I'm dipping in to. Even if I had the full bike budget, it would only stretch to just under half a Brompton.