BigChief

I don't think the crank arms are hardened. I've seen plenty of bent ones. In fact, I just bought another Sports junker with a bent arm. Unfortunately, it's the chainwheel side which means it won't fit in my bench vise. I'll figure some way to bend it straight.

3speedslow

I feel your pain of time, chore restrain ! Those are some heavy tasks to get done. What I tell myself " pick one and do it, keep moving along. Soon your completed. Just keep moving"

I have all the time in my day but still get bogged down by errands and chores before I get to work on the bikes. At least I get to ride while I am knocking the errands off.

You can do this !

brianinc-ville

Once you go slack (angles, man, angles), you never go back...

browngw 

A finished bike will be something that will be enjoyed for years to come (by someone). Unfinished bikes lanquish in storage purgatory and could be scrapped one day. Trying to save them all keeps me going!

gster

It's like a lot of things, bikes, cars, guitars, motorbikes etc. Once you take them apart (the easy part) there's a good chance they'll never get put back together.... also known as a basket case.

Slash5

I would have said they are 1/2"?

Salubrious

Contact Jon the gentleman cyclist through the Lake Pepin 3-speed tour website The Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour

He has metal fulcrum clips instead of the cheap plastic ones. He also has LED replacements for the lighting.

There is a bicycle tool that was made by Cyclo and others before the war that was designed specifically for straightening bent crank arms. The tool has fallen out of favor with alloy cranks as they can't bend without breaking. But it works great on steel cranks, which can bend if the bike is in a crash.

3speedslow

Salubrious,

Yes, I saw those offered on the site. Will eventually get one but for now will dig through the bin at a long time LBS here and see if I can come up with one.

Spent some time on Tube for refresher on tuning the shifters then followed the steps. Shifting is crisp but the tick is too loud. Must go find my oil can.

Ment to hit the LBS for tire order but got side tracked with a long out of town bike errand. Sucked the time right out of my day!

At least the weather was fantastic !

dweenk

I think that the only 1/2" tapped cranks are one piece (Ashtabula).

dweenk

This popped up on the local CL today. 2 VINTAGE BIKES

I know the guy pretty well, he always has some interesting bikes. Once I asked where he found them - he gave me a story that only a 12 year old might believe. I think that he finds them at the auction in Crumpton every Wednesday. In any case, I have purchased a few bikes from him (the price drops as time passes).

I need another bike like a hole in the head, but an Armstrong/Ross? I am considering if it gets down to $30.

BigChief

I know. I couldn't walk away from a 40 dollar mid 60s Sports. Another 21" of course. My problem is that even though it's shabby and missing a few parts, it's not rusted much at all and too nice to strip for parts. It will make a fun winter project next year. If things go as usual, I'll put two weeks of work into it and sell it for a hefty $60 profit!

arex

How rebuildable are the later-year Raleigh rubber block pedals?

I know they're not MADE to be torn down, lubed, and adjusted, but I don't think that's a real barrier. I'm just wondering if I'm headed for heartache if I try.

3speedslow

I think if you can get lube, grease into the bearings then you've done all that you can.

3speedslow

Had another think about the steel fulcrum and thought I should just go and get it.

Emailed Jon and getting things going. All steel bike...steel fulcrum. Sounds right.

From the site The Lake Pepin 3 speed tour

michaelz28

BigChief

Those steel fulcrum bushings stuck around long after the change to plastic pulleys. Any Raleigh earlier than those with the plastic cover triggers should have them.

markk900

I had the same thought about a set of the Raleigh rubber platform pedals - got them apart, lubed them, even special ordered "C" clips to reassemble them. They worked great for about 5 days, then fell apart. Crappy pedals and I have a bag of 98 clips sitting on the shelf (min order 100). Agree with @3speedslow - just get some lube in there and don't go any further....you *are* headed for heartache.

3speedslow

True. Would love to find an original steel fulcrum sleeve but not going to get me on the road when I need it now.

I figure it helps a great ride organization as well with the purchase.

I will continue looking for the older steel one.

browngw 

I have been using 75-90 gear oil (from my Triumph TR7)and letting it run in the pedal, and then wipe up.

3speedslow

One set of pedals I took a straw, jammed it down into the tub of grease then wiped the outside clean. Pushed one end into the space next to the bearings and slowly squeezed the grease onto the bearings.

It works where the pedal threads into the crank arm side. Mostly I just use Phil's tenacious oil.

Narhay

1972 ladies frame Raleigh Superbe. I have had this one sitting in some form of disrepair for at least a year and a half. I originally bought it for some parts but it turned out to be the wrong colour. I started the refurbish but it stalled once the dynohub was discovered to be damaged and dragged. It donated a few other parts for a mens 1978 Superbe and a 1980 ladies Sports once the repair was stalled. I found a new used dynohub and started once again. The pedal arm threads on the drive side seem to be stripped. I will either have to replace the crank arm or chase the threads. I tried with an old pedal going from the other side but the threaded portion wasn't long enough. Anyways, bla bla bla. Here it is...in all its slightly patinaed glory.

Fidbloke

Many Moons ago, we had limited choice of brake pads in the bike shops in town. I remember working my way through all the different types of pads - trying to find something which was a good all-rounder.
There were the original ‘Raleigh’ plain pads. These were reasonably OK in the dry, but they weren’t very good in the wet. They also used to go hard after a few years, and then they weren’t good for anything.
Then there were the ‘Weinmann’ style pads, with a cross pattern cut into the face. These were noticeably better than the plain pads in the wet – by a huge margin. And you didn’t lose out in the dry either. I think they used a softer compound than the solid Raleigh blocks, which might explain the performance.
I ended up buying a pair of the leather insert pads (Raleigh branded at the time), as they were advertised as being better in the wet. They are significantly better in the wet, but I’m not happy with the way that they perform in the dry. They just seem to glaze up and let you roll on in the dry.

Nowadays, with a free choice, I would tend to choose the ‘Weinmann’ style pads over anything else. The plain pads are all but extinct new, and I’m not that keen on the leather insert type for general use.

Apart from a couple of unfortunate forays into the world of Mountain Bikes, I’ve only ever ridden on steel rims for the last 40 years or so. I don’t have a problem with them. But I do worry about some of the comments I see on Bike Forums, when people talk about steel rims.
There seems to be an attitude that steel rims are a ‘Death Sentence’ on a bike, as you will ‘never stop in time’... Personally, I consider that to be utter poppycock.!

Keep the rims clean, use decent pads, and be positive with your braking and you won’t go far wrong…

markk900

I agree with this - while I must say I *prefer* the feel of really good brakes when I ride (especially good canti or U brakes on alloy rims), if you know your equipment limits you ride within them....slow down in the rain/wet, leave extra stopping distance, and keep the equipment in tip top shape. As we say in the motorcycle world, when confronted with the dilemma of *way* too much horsepower on modern bikes, "the wrist twists both directions". I can't lock the wheels on dry pavement with my steel rimed wheels, but that's OK.

FWIW I like the Kool Stop Grey Continental pads, mostly because they work reasonably well, are inexpensive, and are available locally without a lot of effort. Are there better pads - absolutely. But the combination of function, cost and availability is irresistible to me.

nlerner

I have these brake blocks on my Superbe:





I tracked down the eBay auction source, and looks like they were made in the 1970s by T.D.S. of Seattle and were the "Sure Stop" model. They work quite well in wet and dry conditions.

Bicyclz

Markk900 I was gonna say much the same as you.... With steel rims you ride within the capabilities of the bike & road conditions. As with any other bike, actually.

Having said that I've got a 1955 Humber Clipper (Lenton Sport variant) that came with 26 x 1 1/4" chrome steel rims, which are excellent, but I'm intending to fit alloy 700s (for all the obvious reasons) for regular use. Keeping the originals by. This is its first build with mostly original parts.


Brake calipers are temporary! I've binned the original Raleigh chromed steel calipers, they are awful....
Trigger is also later, but suits the current 3 speed AW hub. It'll get a 4 speed FM with the alloys.



The guards are very sweet in my opinion, so delicate, & surviving 60 years is a feat in itself. Both transfers survive.