billew

Actually the original boss attachment is there but this clamp on pully was installed due to damage before I got the bike. It still shifts fine. I also have a 1954 Gazelle Sports with a regular chain guard but no pics yet.

RALEIGH_COMP 

Is the boss you speak of just behind the chainwheel on the chain stay? I was wondering what that was for...

RALEIGH_COMP 

so i finally got the time this weekend to break it down. the gunk on this bike is on a whole 'nother level than my wife's sports. but i guess it almost 20 years older than hers too. I gave it a wash with dish soap and a dish sponge, but there was so much gunk left over still. i tried using a power steamer to get into the hard to clean areas, but by the time the gunk would start to come off , so would the paint. i think i just need to get some new brushes and scrubbing pads, and a 6 pack of fat tire. but i did manage to get the BB pretty clean...



was a bit of a pain to clean that 58 year old grease off the fixed cup without removing it.

auchencrow

Raleigh Comp - You ought to avoid the steamer and scouring pads for removing grease, and use WD40 after your initial wash instead. It is a very good degreaser, but for the really hard stuff (e.g.; hardened tars and varnish) you might try a touch of Goof-off - but use it sparingly and with caution, as it is pretty strong stuff.

RALEIGH_COMP 

i wasnt going to use a "scouring pad" but rather the softer scotchbrite pads(green i think?) I used wd40 and goo gone, worked pretty well but it didnt get the hardened stuff out of the lug joints, especially the BB. I think its just going to be a tedious process. lots more to do, sure wish i could use the old wheels, thats going to be more $$ than i wanted to spend originally. oh well...

slowtostart

I just completed a 1956 Sports. Wooden kitchen skewers worked in tight places and around the lug work.

wahoonc

Orange sticks work well too (ask the wife )

Aaron

auchencrow

Any Scotchbrite is rough on paint. Try Goof-off (not "Goo-Gone") for the really tough stuff.

billew

What you are looking at is the boss for the chaincase. My Raleigh has the pulley on the top of the seat tube the original boss is at the seat tube and top tube area I don't have the bike in front of me at the moment.

RALEIGH_COMP 

ya i figured it out, mine has the seat lug pulley boss as well. I was playing around with making my own pulley, but Auchen showed me nice metal ones they arlready make listed for 5$

slowtostart

Aaron, I am the wife here and a million orange sticks will not salvage these hands! Vintage bicycles = comparable hands. I can often find the kitchen equivalent of orange sticks in economy packages of 100 for $1. They have only the pointy end, but that works in multiple applications for me. I think orange sticks are far pricier, yes?

Joyfully rode the basketed and panniered-out '56 Sports to work today. You all may argue all you care to, but the cream tires are the icing on this cake.

STS

wahoonc

Never paid for my orange sticks... MIL was a cosmetologist and we have a bunch left over from when she retired, we also have a bunch of Popsicle sticks too for some reason. I use them for all kinds of "stuff" removal. I restore Airstreams and they come in handy for removing old sealant without marring the aluminum skins.

Aaron

RALEIGH_COMP 

seems like they key is to use whatever you happen to have on hand at the time. i think i have some shish-ka-baab skewers, i'll give 'em a try.

RALEIGH_COMP 

got all the painted parts pretty clean. it was weird, some of the decals were hidden under the black it seemed. it was like a lottery scratcher. the chaingaurd and the raleigh emblem on the fork were nice, they dont look awesome, but they were almost not visible at all to start with. the most amazing though was the seat tube decals though, I had no idea there was even anything there. just a dish sponge, simple green and hot water...

chazmatz

I was fortunate enough to find a 53 women's Raleigh Sport, and I had a local bike lover help me fix it up. My wife LOVES this bike, and we now ride it around our town. I'm hoping to find a men's 1953 to match. Someday.

BigChief 

That's great. Join us over at the For The Love Of English 3 Speeds thread. For some reason, you must have something like 10 posts before you can post pictures on this forum. We don't mind "filler" posts to get up to the requirement. We do love pictures. So please join us at the 3 speed hangout and post some pictures when you have a chance.
latest 3 speed page

chazmatz

Yeah, I noticed the 10 post thing...I'll do some fillers, then I'll post some photos!

thanks!