Journey of Raleigh MV8
 

Being a mini velo lover, i had my ultralight weight carbon mv but i still hope to have something more classic. I been searching high and low for those classic mv frame but either it was hard to get or it was too expensive for me. Until i chanced upon a 2nd hand raleigh mv8, it wasnt exactly the classic geometry but overall i was still pleased with it and the down tube was kinda interesting too. And somehow i googled around for built ideas and saw sadisticnoob thread and pinholecam contributions and it further sparked my reason to pimp it haha.

So here i will document my journey and sharing to transform the stock mv into my final desired outcome.

Lets begin with an original stock photo and some work/observations:


https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6d279d5f97.jpg
Original stock bike bought second hand.

Some Issues/Observations:
- Worn out housing and inner cables.
- Steel fork has a defect from manufacturer with lower base tube of the brake mount having an obvious chipped-off.
- Aluminium rims have been slightly damaged by the brake pads as owner did not swap out when the exposed brake pad metal frame inside the pad starts to scratch and eat into rim.
- Crank is interesting, its aluminium with a steel spider.
- Vbrakes are aluminium.
- Internal routing sizing is made to insert entire housing through!
- Crankset and bottom bracket gonna be a pain in the ass. (I see rusty pedals' spindle and rough bearings, adding on more pain to the ass haha)
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...73a12b7ce8.jpghttps://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dd15f95549.jpg


Here's the plan. Im going to convert it to 1x7 speed dropbar. Color and feel will be towards something more classic/retro. I decided on navy blue with silver color scheme for this purpose. Gum/tan/yellow wall tires coupled with brown bartape and saddle. I will salvage what parts i can/need.

First off will be stripping the bike apart and remove paint off the frame and fork. This is the most tedious process as multiple coats and scrapping was needed. After the surface paint was removed, there was also the stubborn primer layer. Depending on the type of chemical agent used, do standby mask, goggles, arm sleeve etc. I had a rather stinging experience when i tried scraping off the paint. The tiny bits that were scrapped off dropped onto my arms and legs along the way and it stings very badly on my skin due to the chemical! Can you imagine if it gets into your eyes or nasal? :eek:
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...087ed52a8c.jpg
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...977563e2f2.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...542f9b40e6.jpg

Stay tune for more updates along this journey with me (i mean my mv haha) :popcorn

I can't wait to see how this baby turns out!

^ +1 Hope you enjoy the journey!

:thumb:

Good start to the post.
Enjoy the journey!

:roflmao:yes bro enjoying the process slowly haha (with some agonizing moments though)

I would pay a sandblaster to remove all the paint. Or even get it powdercoated (original paint removal is usually included in the process).

Can you share this info on the bicycle:
What are the widest tires that this bicycle will accept?
Can it use the 100mm front hub?

There are many ways to get a value of "1" for eg. 3-2, 1x1 etc so on haha. I think it varies on individual's circumstances. For me i wanted to save up abit on spending and also get some hands-on experiences in the process of diy'ing myself.

The way i see this frame and fork, and the rim itself it has no issue going from 1.75-2.0 tires. But if you to mod into 451 then probably have to check your rear seat stay clearance. The stock fork itself is 100mm o.l.d.

Alright, don't wear out yourself, then. Leather gloves might be your friend, here. Or put on rubber gloves first, then the leather over them. I know what manual manipulation with caustic liquids can do, even while wearing rubber gloves.

I have another another question about the frame: Will the rear dropouts take a 135mm hub without spreading them apart?

thanks for the safety concern, yea i had to put on gloves, goggles, facial shield, mask haha extra protection.

For this particular frame, its a rear 135mm. If you happen to have a 130mm hub i find it better and safer as i only need to diy add a few spacers (probably 5x 1mm thickness) and try center the wheel to the frame/braking. With aluminium (the stiffness nature of it) dont force them to space out as they are not like steel. Forcing a 5mm i personally have a fear of safety issue in run long as the strain might cause some critical failure. :injured:

Time for some updates; sanding and priming journey:

Endless sanding lol, some scratches are quite deep, i have to play around with 150, 240, 400 grit. Welds are a pain in the a**, i had to deploy my mini 12v rotary tool haha. When you dont strip paint and primer well, you will end up with more work. It was nightmarish for me :fight:
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1b5ca1829f.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a0bef68ca7.jpg


first 1-2 coats of priming. had a little mishap of my shirt getting caught, bad mistake... which later will translate into alot learning experiences for me hehe.
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b209a8b9b1.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e742711cd4.jpg
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1e6751975e.jpg
This is the part where it the accident happened. Had to do more work to sand it smooth else the main color coat or subsequent priming layers wont fill up as nice and smooth.

Next up will be main color coating yahoooooo :giver:

Main color coating :popcorn


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...451b481674.jpg
first coat
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d424dff827.jpg
first few spray coating. while it looks good dont be deceived haha. its not as saturated and well layered to show the real color yet.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ca6dc44a7f.jpg
mistake, learning from experience sob sob. luckily still have chance to patch it up

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...000322066f.jpg
diy rig hehe
https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...86e4377ed7.jpg
first few coats of lacquer, you can see how the real blue color is starting to deepen and showing up after more than 3-4coats. Do give it enough time to let it dry out inbetween so u can see the coloration and areas where it may need touching up.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...15147afe57.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...0ece5cfabb.jpg
testing a badge to see the color and feel. good old raleigh badge.

I will be getting some custom decals to stick on before coating with more lacquer :thumb:

Looking great!!!

Ooh,...this is coming along nicely!

Been quite a long while. Having some hiccups over my side.

Here's a little update to the problematic fork which i had some mishap over it as well haha. I couldn't unscrew the vbrake shoe screw and it suffered alot of damage during the misc attempts and methods ended up removing them altogether. Decided to go for caliper and did some mod to it since i had some old recessed caliper laying around. Did abit of dremel for both fork, frame and nut.


https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...662f58259e.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3185d50cd9.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f08175d229.jpg
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...104c93f30f.jpg
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...b25a69fca5.jpg

Wow!
Very good work and very beautiful respray.

thanks bro, hehe decal is up. learnt quite a lot (thru my mistakes) in this diy journey haha. hope to find some time and update the components and work being done on them soon. :thumb:

time for some before and after diy itchy hands work haha :cheers:reusing some old parts which i had and decided to let it fit the color scheme better


https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2c6214c118.jpghttps://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...33af6865e5.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...fea1f64642.jpghttps://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...d5c49e5522.jpg

You exhibit a lot of patience. :D

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...082d4a57cd.jpg
managed to restore the seatpost abit :D sad news the caliper brake couldn't fit my 451x1.35 tires due to the design of the spring which rub against the tires. had to order another pair with bigger width clearance. also had issue with my dropbar as i didnt checked my stem length correctly, so it was abit too short together with the compact short reach dropbar. and the original stock stem was a 25.4mm dia so i had to get another stem :(