Originally Posted by
swampyankee2
I hate to double post but I didn't realize a dedicated thread existed so I thought I'd repost it in the appropriate place:
When we were cleaning out our new-to-us house I dragged an old Raleigh Sports out of the cellar. Its's a '72 by the hub date. I could've chucked in the bin with the rest of the junk but I thought it hasn't seen the light of day for probably 40 years, it needs a new life. The plan would be to get a rack for it and use it as a country tourer. The youtuber Velocipedia is my inspiration.
The chrome is pretty rusted, the double whitewall tires are shot, and it'll need some cables. The paint has some rust freckles, but with an oily rag polish it will look ok going down the road. The best part is, it has a nice Brooks leather saddle that cleaned up well.
Perusing the local ads, I found a womans' Robin Hood 3 speed for $25. The chrome looks good on it so I'm hoping it'll make a good donor bike.
I'll still need to source some cables, and I'd really like some nice gumwall tires. Where's a good online source for new parts and tires for these bikes.
The Robin Hood will be a fine parts bikes. The tires? You'll have to search for those by yourself because of supply issues especially gumwalls. Try Harris Cyclery maybe? I've never ordered wire bead tires online because of shipping costs in Canada. Never really had to either. Cables are standard fare but keep all the original ferrules, housings from both bikes as well as clamps, cable stops etc. Keep the bottom bracket too...they are proprietary to Raleighs.