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

[12boy]

I've never tried to shove wet spaghetti up anything or anyone's bottom, nor would I enjoy the process myself, but I've also found running brake or derailleur cable through housing to be fairly easy if the cable is new or unfrayed. I merely run a small nail, a bit of stiff wire or even a dental pick into the housing and wiggle it a bit so as to free the opening. I have heard the metal caps put on housing called ferrules or housing caps, but whatever they are I put the cable through the ferrules before jamming it on the housing. It is easy to fray the cable if you push it through the cable housing and the ferrule when exiting the housing if you don't do the ferrule separately . In days of yore the cable ends were silver soldered so they could not fray. I bought an 82 Holdsworth at an estate sale a couple of years ago and the cables were neatly soldered. Very nice and no need to pull the cable ends off when messing with the cables.

 

[DCBassman]

Oh, and threading inner cables into the outers is like just trying to shove cooked spaghetti up a cat's bottom...

Oh, really?

 

[Reynard]

Oh, really?

It's actually a quote from "Vulcan 607" by Rowland White, describing mid-air refuelling. Probe, basket, wiggly... And for some reason, it makes me dissolve into an irrational fit of giggles every time I read it.

On a more serious note, there *is* a knack to getting the inner cable into the outers. One more thing one learns by doing.

Anyways, the crankset has been ordered from Spa. The last piece in the jigsaw puzzle, but by no means the last headache. I'm still expecting a few "aaaargh" moments before I have a rideable bike.

 

[12boy]

Alas, l see great loss and malaise in your future. This will begin when you no longer have this project to fill your idle hours. Of course, riding it will provide a different kind of pleasure, but the god-given joy of working on something you don't know how to do yet, succeeding to meet (well, almost meeting) your budgetary limits and puzzling over each problem in turn is addictive.

 

[Reynard]

Alas, l see great loss and malaise in your future. This will begin when you no longer have this project to fill your idle hours. Of course, riding it will provide a different kind of pleasure, but the god-given joy of working on something you don't know how to do yet, succeding to meet (well, almost meeting) your budgetary limits and puzzling over each problem in turn is addictive.

Hmm... I have the Emmelle which I'm going to do up and move on, plus I have a vintage junior bike (cottered cranks, rod brakes) that could do with some TLC to stop it from deteriorating. So I'm sorted on the future project front.

Budget. Err, that sort of went west. A bit.

But on the plus side, I'll have built something that I actually want to ride, rather than what the bike manufacturers think I want to ride.

 

[Reynard]

Anyways, I've fitted the chainrings and cranks to the bike. They really do look good - even Spa's budget range is far nicer than I'd have otherwise got for the same price.

Although I've now hit the expected snags as I work through these final stages. So near and yet so far...

One, I'm struggling to align the front derailleur to my satisfaction, and two, there is not a lot of clearance between the smallest sprocket on the cassette and the frame. Some thinking (and reading) time required here.

I will take some photos later and see what the CC hive mind suggests...

To avoid finishing my tinker time on a frustrating note, I used Sheldon's method to get the right chain length though, although to be fair, it's actually ridiculously logical if you think about it. And I also employed a hack I spotted here on CC to use a short length wire with hooks bent into the ends to keep the chain in place. Without that bit a wire, a bicycle chain is a wiggly b*gger with a mind of its own.

Haven't fitted the chain yet, as I need to get those snags sorted first.

 

[12boy]

I've wondered how things were going and missed your reports. At this point all 6 of my primary riders are pretty much dialed in, although I do change drive trains from single to IGH to derailleurs and back on some for a little change of pace. So I vicariously enjoy your project very much.

 

[Reynard]

Thanks @12boy Waiting for parts has also added to the slow updates.

Well, I've finally worked out why I can't adjust the FD... The problem has been that the back of the FD cage keeps clashing on the teeth of the outer ring when the height is set right, but when I solve the clash issue, the cage sits far too high to do any good.

If I read what Sheldon says correctly, the cage of the FD is too small for the chainrings that I've fitted. It's exactly the *aaaargh* that he describes for a chainring / cage curvature mismatch. Which makes sense, given I've gone from a 42 big ring to a 48...

So it looks like I'll have to replace the FD after all...

 

[Gunk]

Luckily they’re not expensive

 

[Reynard]

No, true... But there's then the pitfall of finding the right one.

Shame really, as the original FD works perfectly well otherwise. Was taking it as a given that sorting the drivetrain is where I'd fall flat on my face...

 

[raleighnut]

No, true... But there's then the pitfall of finding the right one.

Shame really, as the original FD works perfectly well otherwise. Was taking it as a given that sorting the drivetrain is where I'd fall flat on my face...

Which cog is it clashing on, the middle one.It shouldn't go far enough to clash on the outer 'big' ring as shifting there will hoook the chain off

 

[Reynard]

Which cog is it clashing on, the middle one.It shouldn't go far enough to clash on the outer 'big' ring as shifting there will hoook the chain off

The problem is the cage curvature itself, not the amount it's swinging across when shifting.

I've got the alignment from above spot on if I compare it to the set-up on my hybrid - which uses the Shimano version of the same triple. The problem comes when I try to set the height for the clamp on the seat tube. The cage curves more than the big ring does, ergo the back of the FD smacks into the inside of the big ring when the front of it is set at the right height.

Basically, I've got a pint pot cage and a quart-sized big ring.

 

[raleighnut]

The problem is the cage curvature itself, not the amount it's swinging across when shifting.

I've got the alignment from above spot on if I compare it to the set-up on my hybrid - which uses the Shimano version of the same triple. The problem comes when I try to set the height for the clamp on the seat tube. The cage curves more than the big ring does, ergo the back of the FD smacks into the inside of the big ring when the front of it is set at the right height.

Basically, I've got a pint pot cage and a quart-sized big ring.

Ah I see. Bummer

 

[Reynard]

Ah I see. Bummer

Bummer indeed...

The first couple of times I thought maybe I hadn't got it right as it's not something I've ever done before, but after another try, it was like no, something's definitely not right here.

I've found Sheldon *SO* useful.

 

[DCBassman]

I have a tatty but functional Shimano FD-M191. Came off a Norco hybrid with the standard 48 etc chainrings. I'll post it out if you can use it.