Sun Solo - 1958 sturney archer hub - bike

[GoodLifeSpud]

Hello all

New to these boards and am hoping to dip my toe into a spot of bike restoration/salvation.

I recently aquired the above bike for a very small sum in order to get me to and from the station. It was intened just to be a test to see whether i get on with cycling as part of my commute, but as i'm now decided and have got a road bike for my daily ride I am thinking about giving the Sun Solo a makeover/restoration.

So far I've looked at the Sheldon Brown site and have read some bits and bobs about bike maintenance (but mostly about newer bikes). I'm looking at this as a first time restoration project so it will no doubt be a steep learning curve. But stuck behind a desk all day i'm keen to learn.

I have a vague idea of what things i need to attend to. So any thoughts or pointers or suggested reading/viewing would be much appreciated.


I'll add pics when i get chance. So here it goes?:

- the wheels are fairly rusty, buckled and the rims are pitted/far from smooth. The tyres say 26 inch x 1 1/4. If the tyres match the wheel size, i know the wheels are hard to source. Or they seem to be. How can i be certain of the wheel size? Where should i be measuring from/to. I know i will need to get the back wheel built to use the existing hub. And that imperial tyres/wheels won't match decimalised equivalents.

- the brakes consist of long side pull callipers. The brake cable is a fixed length with nipples at both ends; both of which pull the lever and calliper. So the cables can't be shortened. I know the cables are almost impossible to replace, so is there a way of using the existing callipers but with different leavers and brake cables, or is it possible to find new brake callipers that will reach the rims and not rely on a fixed length cable? Standard callipers in shops like Evans dont appear to be the same length.

I have been told a bigger wheel and shorter callipers would not work. If I'm to look for new ones what measurements should i be trying to look for.

- The sheldon brown site seems to suggest some other parts (that i have not yet looked at) e.g the bottom bracket might also prove difficult to find as only raleigh did things in a particular way at that time. Is this likely? ?

- If i were to get the frame resprayed how far would i need to strip the bike down?

Thanks in advance for looking at all of that.

Dan

 

[biggs682]

loads of good questions , to have frame re painted will suggest toail strip ,bottom bracket should clean and re grease , wheels might be fun suggest trying a mtb 26" wheel in frame and check for tyre and brake clearance you never know .

pics please

 

[GoodLifeSpud]

Thanks. Am working from home tomorrow so I'll take and upload some pictures. Be interesting to get some views.

Have these on my phone. Hope it works via tapatalk.

 

[sidevalve]

Can't see any problems here. All the parts are available on E bay if you look carefully. Cables can be made to suit with no great difficulty [if there are fixed nipples on BOTH ends you will have to solder one on to one end or get a screw fitting one, if the cycle dealers don't know what you mean [and many won't] try either a classic m/cycle shop or find a local model engineer who can turn one up on his lathe in a couple of minutes]. If the cables are ok but just a bit stiff try hanging them up a pouring oil into them 'till it gets all the way through, tyres are available too. I'd get the wheels rebuilt [you can do it yourself if you're feeling brave] with alloy rims or check E bay for a "donor" bike, old style bikes can be very very cheap. Unless the BB is "creaking" it may just need a clean / regrease or new balls, again easy to find, same with the headset.
Bikes of this type were designed to last for YEARS and be owner maintained. Just be methodical and you can end up with a nice ride.
Good luck and have fun

 

[Paulmh]

Hello all

New to these boards and am hoping to dip my toe into a spot of bike restoration/salvation.

I recently aquired the above bike for a very small sum in order to get me to and from the station. It was intened just to be a test to see whether i get on with cycling as part of my commute, but as i'm now decided and have got a road bike for my daily ride I am thinking about giving the Sun Solo a makeover/restoration.

So far I've looked at the Sheldon Brown site and have read some bits and bobs about bike maintenance (but mostly about newer bikes). I'm looking at this as a first time restoration project so it will no doubt be a steep learning curve. But stuck behind a desk all day i'm keen to learn.

I have a vague idea of what things i need to attend to. So any thoughts or pointers or suggested reading/viewing would be much appreciated.


I'll add pics when i get chance. So here it goes?:

- the wheels are fairly rusty, buckled and the rims are pitted/far from smooth. The tyres say 26 inch x 1 1/4. If the tyres match the wheel size, i know the wheels are hard to source. Or they seem to be. How can i be certain of the wheel size? Where should i be measuring from/to. I know i will need to get the back wheel built to use the existing hub. And that imperial tyres/wheels won't match decimalised equivalents.

- the brakes consist of long side pull callipers. The brake cable is a fixed length with nipples at both ends; both of which pull the lever and calliper. So the cables can't be shortened. I know the cables are almost impossible to replace, so is there a way of using the existing callipers but with different leavers and brake cables, or is it possible to find new brake callipers that will reach the rims and not rely on a fixed length cable? Standard callipers in shops like Evans dont appear to be the same length.

I have been told a bigger wheel and shorter callipers would not work. If I'm to look for new ones what measurements should i be trying to look for.

- The sheldon brown site seems to suggest some other parts (that i have not yet looked at) e.g the bottom bracket might also prove difficult to find as only raleigh did things in a particular way at that time. Is this likely? ?

- If i were to get the frame resprayed how far would i need to strip the bike down?

Thanks in advance for looking at all of that.

Dan

Hi Dan,
That's a good looking bike. I'm nearing completion of the restoration of a 1950's BSA kids' Parabike and had to source various spares and replacements. Some things I found on ebay, but the best discovery was a bicycle jumble held last Saturday at Ripley Village Hall. I think it was organised by the Veteran-Cycle Club, an organisation that I've now joined. The event at Ripley was a revelation - so many stall holders who were a mine of information and enthusiasm.The club is for those with a general interest in cycling and conservation of older bicycles (which can include early mountain bikes) and historic bicycles.
I stripped the BSA down completely and all paintwork was resprayed and chrome work re-chromed. Even the wheel rims and hubs had to be removed for re-chroming and rebuilt after. I wish I'd taken more photographs as I stripped it down because I struggled sometimes to piece things together again. I did label everything and put them in sealed plastic bags, but even so I sometimes wondered, "which way round did this go then?"
The internet has proved invaluable and I've been through a steep learning curve as well. I think you'll find all your answers on the internet, particularly Sheldon Brown's.
I don't think you'll have any difficulty buying replacement wheels to match and then you'll have no problem re-fitting the brakes. I'd avoid making alterations in wheel size and brake type but that's a personal preference. I lost (don't ask) the very unusual (narrow) bottom bracket from the BSA and found a replacement at the jumble sale - I was lucky, but there were boxes full of old bottom brackets and provided you know the dimensions or have the old bottom bracket (why does yours need replacing?) you'll be able to find one. The VCC bimonthly newsletter might be a place to post a requirement for anything you can't find.
Good luck with your project.
Paul

 

[tyred]

I'm not sure when Raleigh bought the Sun brand but that does look like a Raleigh Nottingham built frame. It will likely have the Raleigh threading mentioned by Sheldon.

Not to worry, it only really affects the headset and bottom bracket, both of which were really good quality and last for years and probably just needs cleaned, new ball bearings and fresh grease. If you do need a headset, it is probably only the bottom part you need which can be replaced with any other headset as only the top race is threaded.

I think St John Street cycles sell 26 x 1 1/4" in alloy.

 

[HovR]

Looks a nice bike! I'd start by taking all components off the frame, lubricating bearings (BB, headset, hubs), giving the frame a good clean, clean and polish all components, then rebuild.

Unless the BB is "creaking" it may just need a clean / regrease or new balls

Even if it is creaking it often isn't terminal. My Dawes' BB was creaking a little while ago - Turned out the lockring had come loose, causing the adjustable cup to tighten and make the BB creak. Slackened it off and it's been fine.

 

[GoodLifeSpud]

Thanks for all of the advice so far, as a complete an utter novice it's really helpful.

- Is the St John Street cylces a webiste or shop? (I've googled it and found the shop)

At the moment the bottom bracket and headset seem ok. I was just trying to think ahead in case I found something wrong further down the line. I'm going to be taking another look at Mr Browns website and yout tube before I start to strip the frame and clean the different compoenents up. I'll use the tip of bagging/photgraphing things. My memory is shocking :-)

 

[GoodLifeSpud]

Hello all. Couple more questions I hope you don't mind answering. As this is my first project of this sort I've been doing more reading than anything else, so the progress of me stripping the bike has been earth shatteringly slow.

- I now have the brakes off - and have sourced some new calipers. I was chatting to a guy in the bike shop and he was telling me the value in a restored bike is retaining the original features. I understand this completely, but the value of the bike (to me at least) is in the riding and being confident in being able to service the brakes etc (and stop!). So would new calipers wreck the project? I know the old ones could be cleaned up and I could get someone to solder the nipples on for the fixed lenght cable but the amount of adjustment etc than can be made day to day is pretty minimal and I don't want the hassle of having to get someone else to look at it. I plan on keeping the original parts should I ever pass the bike on.

My next slightly stupid question is whether the diameter of the pivot bolt (new ones being slightly thinner than whats on there at the moment) matters? Obviously if its too thick it won't got through, but if not as snug does it matter so long as it fits secure against the frame?

- Re the bottom bracket. Have taken in all of the advice above and may ask my local shop to do the removal. Are cottered cranks hard to fit? I ask as I understand you have to fit new ones after the cranks have been removed (special tools required?) and that that involves filing etc.

Thanks for all the tips so far, they are really useful.

P.S one last question.

How likely is it that a 26 1 3/8 wheel will fit instead of the 26 1 1/4s that are on there at the moment? I am assuming it's just the width that needs to be factored?

 

[tyred]

I think you should be able to use 26 x 1 3/8". They are 590 x 35/37 whereas 26 x 1 1/4" are 597 x 32. So small difference in rim diameter but most brake calipers will cover such a small difference and the tyre will be slightly wider.

In theory, they should have the same outside diameter once the tyre is fitted to the rim but I would take a guess that the 1 3/8" will be slightly taller, depending on the tyre used. Michelin World Tour in particular are always over-sized.

 

[biggs682]

looks great , i have also just picked up a Sun Solo but mine is the sports version so 5 gears and originally 27" wheel which somebody has replaced with 700's .

here you go , previous owner claims 60's i think nearer to late 70's

 

[spark303]

I'm also pretty sure that you have a Raleigh made Sun model, since it says Nottingham on the head badge. That means you may have compatability problems if you ever need to replace the headset or bottom bracket, but if they're servicable you should be okay keeping what you've got.

26" x 1 1/4 (ETRO 597) alloy rims aren't available new, but they do pop occasionally on ebay. However, there is no problem at all switching to 26" x 1 3/8 (ETRO 590) wheels as they are actually 3.5mm smaller. You could probably even squeeze 700c wheels in - as they are only 12.5mm bigger than 26" x 1 1/4. I've got a 1949 Raleigh Clubman that came with 26" x 1 1/4 and I can fit 700x28c in instead.

If you did go down the 700c route you might need shorter drop brakes. But in any case, I would definitely ditch the old brakes. Unless you were going for a full on restoration, you gain a lot more practicality using modern calipers - or if you wanted to keep it looking vaguely vintage, you could get a set of old Weinmann alloy sidepulls. They would work at least as well as the original calipers and you wouldn't have to worry about dicking around with soldering cables etc.

 

[colly]

If you do change your brake calipers for more effective up to date ones, or for that matter anything you swap for new stuff, if might be a good idea to clean the old stuff and store it away somewhere safe for a possible restoration back to original.

 

[GoodLifeSpud]

Hello all.

My partial restortion plans have hit a bit of a brick wall. I stripped the bike right back and took it to a shop in Brighton to get painted. They were really helpful (if not a bit slow) and they shot blasted the frame and put an acidex (???) undercoat on. But when it came to the top coat they struggled to get a finish they were happy with. (easily scratched). They didn't charge me anything but said they'd not had such a problem before. They suggested powder coating it, so I'm going to check out a firm in Hackney (London).

Unless somone tells me they have another idea. I'm told the frame is good quality steel, but a cheap build; so I don't want to spend a fortune.

One last question (as you are always so helpful ). A couple of people have suggested the 4 sp SA hubs are unreliable and that if I`m going to get a wheel made up I should try find a 3 speed instead. Views and suggestions of where to find a good one would be welcome. There are some on ebay but i'm sceptical about whether I'd be buying trouble.

 

[tyred]

My understanding about the 4 speed hub is that the hub itself is fine but the problem is with the shifter and it can be difficult to get the cable adjusted correctly to select first gear. I have never owned one but have been told this is the case.

Some people use a downtube friction shifter to get around this but I'm not sure that this is a good idea as the gear positions on a sturmey are precisely defined.