Most times all you have to do is feed the hub a few tsp of motor oil and go for a ride... :D

[MENTION=101819]Sixty Fiver[/MENTION] is right, but if you do want to flush try a few tablespoons of WD40, ride around, and when you get a mess over everything add the couple of teaspoons of motor oil. You will get another mess but likely any residual stickiness will be gone.

If you flush with WD40, and this is only for extreme circumstances, one should lay the bike down on the drive side and put a rag under the cog to catch the runoff.

My wife is a professional equestrian. According to her, you wouldn't want to use a product with wax. It should be a conditioner only. Wax is used as a sealant to protect, but will actually work against you when you are trying to rehydrate leather. I have used her Effax Leather Balsam with good results on my old Brooks saddle.

Built up front wheel for the Raleigh Twenty using a NOS Raleigh (Sturmey Archer) front hub. Velocity AeroHeat 28h ISO 451 rim, 14 gauge spokes, brass nipples & Velox rim tape. Ordered Primo Comet's in 20" x 1 3/8" with tubes that will arrive in a few days.
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/445/18...7807381c_z.jpgVelocity AeroHeat by velocivixen, on Flickr
https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/496/19...1d331c5c_z.jpgNOS Sturmey Archer (Raleigh) front hub by velocivixen, on Flickr

The original "1080 type" very long reach brake calipers are not going to work on these rims. I've got other side pulls but they're for recessed allen head fittings. I'm considering Tektro 800A calipers and am wondering if, on the rear I can swap the barrel adjuster arm & the pinch bolt so that the brake cable can enter the caliper from the bottom heading up. I don't want to have to make a funny/sharp bend routing the rear brake to enter caliper from the top going down?

Also the kickstand needs service and I've found great posts on how to remove the Schwinn built in kickstand, but the Raleigh Twenty is different. Any ideas about getting the pin out? Just tap it out?

Cool stuff. What are your ultimate goals for your Twenty? Are you just updating stuff, or are you really gonna pimp it out?

I have a dumb question about gear-inches, which I've never had to consider before. On the Sports that I'm building (very nearly finished, btw, just have to tape the handlebars), I've kind of eyeballed the size of the chainring and rear sprocket, in addition to the change of 700C wheels. I used Sheldon's calculator for gear-inches and came up with the following:

http://i.imgur.com/CYhEYwN.png

The top set of numbers is what I currently have...the bottom set is using a 50T ring that I have on-hand. Looking at these numbers, I came to realize that these numbers are totally abstract to me, that I have no idea how these numbers translate into real-world experience and feel.

Essentially, are these numbers pretty good for riding at a snappy pace in the highest gear (as opposed to either just cruising along or all-out sprinting), or is the gearing on the 46T of numbers too low?

[MENTION=308017]arex[/MENTION], 72" is about the most moderate gear for riding on flat terrain. Not high, not low. 79" is a little high, so it would be good if you want to go fairly hard. Calculate the gear inches of your road bike, if you have one, and try out the different gears to learn what a 60", 70", and 80" gear feel like.

[MENTION=355580]Velocivixen[/MENTION], good work on the front wheel. I look forward to seeing it with 451 wheels and everything else. I don't know if you can remove the cable stop and pinch bolt from those brakes, but if you can, you should. As I remember, it wasn't possible on your Philips.

Like I said, if you want to relocate and give up your lucrative day job... :D

I need to build the new wheels for my daughter's 451 model... have a few sets of nice rims for this.

My oldest daughter has a Raleigh Saffron... I have a Nexus 7 speed hub for her new wheels.

[MENTION=308017]arex[/MENTION] - those kinds of measurements are sort of abstract for me too, so here's what I do. I look at the gears I typically ride in mostly (from another bike), then plug in the chain ring size & cog sizes to get an idea of what kind of gear inches work well for my style of riding (try to get a high & low range). That way I can know what I'm shooting for, and at that point I can start plugging in chainring sizes & cog teeth to see what will give me my preferred gearing.
[MENTION=152773]noglider[/MENTION] - that's exactly what I'm trying to avoid....that ugly cable routing that I ended up doing on the phillips. Until I find something I could certainly use the original Phillips brakes on this Twenty. OR I could simply return the original Phillips brakes to it's original place, leaving me with Tektro R559 to put, albeit temporarily, on the Twenty. That might be the best to do. Then at least one of them would have pretty cable routing. As an aside, I took your advice on my Miyata mixte drop bar project and rerouted the rear brake cable under the top tube, down the middle (if you recall I had a zip tie holding it). Looks better. Thanks.
[MENTION=101819]Sixty Fiver[/MENTION] - I'm not sure I've seen your daughter's Raleigh Saffron. Have you posted it before? If not, would really like to see some photos.

Can you tell me if it's possible to "tighten up" the kickstand on my Twenty? I see the pin at the end. I've sprayed WD40 in there and cleaned the best I can from the outside. When I put the kickstand up it seems sort of loose. Thanks in advance.

One of the vendors at the bike show today had this.

http://i.imgur.com/hqNgxsq.jpg

A new English 3 speed now lives in my garage! A 1971, well kept "Robin Hood" Sports Model in 23" frame with 26X1 3/8 tires. Purchased it today at the Canadian Vintage Bicycle Show in Brantford ON. It set me back $165 but my bike fund was high and I just had to have it. This is the type of bike I wanted as a kid. Made by Raleigh Industries but a few "quid" cheaper.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=462600http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=462607http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=462608http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=462601http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=462602http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=462603http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=462604http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=462605http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=462606

I saw that. Glad you thought to take a picture and share it with us.

I wanted that Robin Hood badly but it was just too small for me. Those sure are tiny handlebars and no stem length I figured I'd never get it to work - even so, I offered $150 but he wouldn't take it.

V.V.
I switch them on my daughters bike.( Tektro 800a) If remember correctly we had to ever so slightly enlarge the opening for the cable anchor bolt to fit.

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/c...smr5cjk1b.jpeg

Things were winding down when I bought it and people were starting to pack up. Just after I bought it, someone bought my rebuilt white 76 Raleigh Mixte for $200. I was going to leave earlier but am glad I didn't.
The stem and bars may require some work for fit, but I want to retain the original character.

browngw,

That Robin Hood is quite the eye catcher ! Fantastic that you found one in 23". As for the stem, you could go with an old GB one, would look stunning and functional.

What wrapping is on the handle bars ? I have an old 60 Raleigh Gran Sport in that copper Colour but need to replace the tape. Is that one fresh wrap ?

Ride report when you can.

[MENTION=178313]michael k[/MENTION] - fantastic. I'm going to wait until I build the rear wheel and have a chance to install it on the bike to measure the brake arm reach, as you know sometimes the front & rear are not the same.

I'll try that, as soon as it stops raining. I'm hoping it'll be dry enough in the morning that I can take the Sports out to shake it out and see how it does.

Wow - what a stunner - sorry I missed the show but had family obligations......

What tires are those on the bike? Always looking for period style tires and those look new.

Beautiful bike! And a lesson learned for me. I would have suspected the fenders weren't original because of the shape and wire stays. The Robin Hood decal proves they are and Raleigh did not always use their standard fenders during this time. I wouldn't have passed this one up either.

How about a nice old German three-speed?

1951 Bicycle - Vintage German Bike - Women's
http://images.craigslist.org/00d0d_f...YI_600x450.jpg
1951 Bicycle - Vintage German Bike - Women's - $150
(Richmond, Va - The Fan) Original classic women's bicycle for sale.

Leaving the Fan and didn't get much use out of it. Would love this classic bike to go to good home, collector or shop owner.

Such an awesome aesthetic.

Has light, doesn't work but might be an easy fix, newspaper holder, head badge intact, reflectors on pedals, slender features compared to today's components.

Shoot.
It's too late i think.
I've already covered it with 2 thick coats of Dubbin, and have now moved onto Brooks Proofhide.

edit:
Hold on, that Effax Leather Balsam has beeswax too.
effax | effax® Leather-Balm

I have a 72 ladies Raleigh Superbe in bronze green sitting as a frame. It was once an almost complete bike but the dynohub was damaged in some way and I wasn't able to adjust it without it binding up pretty bad on one part of the rotation. I found a new dynohub for $5 at a bike show in town and finally laced up the wheel. I still need to true and tension when my new truing stand shows up but it is laced now. I got the minoura trying stand and I'll see how it compares to the not so good pyramid trying stand I have now.
http://i1037.photobucket.com/albums/...ps6o8kdv4g.jpg

I picked up a 1946 Raleigh Sports at the bike show on the weekend. At first glance it looks to be in decent shape for it's age, hopefully no surprises.
Can anyone suggest a thread to refer to on working on an older bike where the patina and age of the bike need to be preserved? It's not something easily searched for.
I gather the frame should just be washed and wiped down with an oily rag, at least at first.
I assume chrome and mechanicals are pretty well the usual - clean, grease and lubricate.
I figure all new cables and housing are OK - although new housing is going to stand out like a sore thumb.