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RAGBRAI Raleigh Revival

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RAGBRAI Raleigh Revival

Old 06-02-23, 06:50 AM
  #26  
campfire
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I had to grind a bit on that bolt sticking up from the cable guide, but otherwise the cartridge fit properly and the crank now turns smoothly. No more wiggling! I'm going to go through the wheel bearings before I put it back together. And clean those derailleurs. And whatever else comes to mind.

I have a set of 28mm tires lying around I want to try for comparison to the 35 and 38 that are on there now. I'm planning to run 32s or maybe 35s on this bike, but I'm going to start by testing what I already have in stock.

50 days left until RAGBRAI.
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Old 06-02-23, 06:53 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by 52telecaster
Good to see you riding. Be careful.
Thanks. Yes, it's hard to not be paranoid after a traumatic accident. Every passing car could be like that one car that hit the bike that one time. I'm starting to understand why some road cyclists get bitter toward cars. It's easy to hate the things you fear.

And yet...I don't want to turn into that guy either. Somewhere in the middle has to be a happy, healthy medium.

Ride on...without getting angry or living in fear or being stupid. Find the balance.

Easier said than done.

It does help that a few miles of my commute is on quiet backroads. Peaceful roads give me time to think. Therapy time.
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Old 06-02-23, 07:40 AM
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Excellent. I have a 575 frame. An Olympic. Nice detail work on it.
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Old 06-02-23, 08:21 AM
  #29  
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Great idea, welding the scrap metal to the stuck BB cup. Never saw that before.

About the aero bars on the commuter bike---back when that model was popular, some people (including me) found the rattling of the spring-loaded arm pad assembly in the up position annoying. One easy fix---zip-tie them to the handlebar. Since you're using them with flat handlebars, it's not as if you'd be giving up any useful bar real estate.
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Old 06-02-23, 08:29 AM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by Trakhak
Great idea, welding the scrap metal to the stuck BB cup. Never saw that before.

About the aero bars on the commuter bike---back when that model was popular, some people (including me) found the rattling of the spring-loaded arm pad assembly in the up position annoying. One easy fix---zip-tie them to the handlebar. Since you're using them with flat handlebars, it's not as if you'd be giving up any useful bar real estate.
Old farmer's trick. It works well, as long as you don't accidentally weld the cup to the (steel) frame...
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Old 06-02-23, 08:32 AM
  #31  
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As for the aero bars, they don't fit the "Glen bar" very well. If they stayed down, they'd partially block both of the horizontal hand positions. Crucially, they'd block access to the brake levers.





Yes, the rattle is noticeable, but I think I'm stuck with it unless I switch to wider bars.
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Old 06-02-23, 08:35 AM
  #32  
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P.S. - I solved this problem by buying the Kodiak with proper drop bars. No more flat bars for me!

Once I get it pieced back together, that is. ​​​​​​​
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Old 06-05-23, 07:26 AM
  #33  
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Over the weekend I worked on the wheels. Cleaned and repacked bearings. My recycled 700c wheels have the same rims but mismatching hubs (10 balls in front bearings, 9 in rear). I switched out the 35mm (measured width) tires for a 30mm and 28mm I had lying around. I'm experimenting with tire width before I commit to buying new rubber. I grabbed the skinny tubes from the old 27" tires. The rear had an original Raleigh tire. Hard to imagine it's from 1986, but it's in poor enough condition to seem possible. Both tires had visibly broken cords but hadn't popped yet. I never did air them up to operating pressure.

I spent half an hour readjusting the brakes, and they're better now (but still not great). A new set of Kool Stop Eagle Claw pads is on order. The cantilever geometry seems acceptable, so I'm not expecting to replace the arms.

I also cleaned and lubed both derailleurs. The rear had been assembled improperly using mismatching wheels and an extra shim spreading the case. I thought about replacing it, but decided to keep it because it has been shifting smoothly (it's now assembled correctly).

Last edited by campfire; 06-05-23 at 07:41 AM.
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Old 06-05-23, 07:31 AM
  #34  
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I disassembled the free hub and cleaned the sprockets. The chrome plating on some sprocket teeth is worn off.





Again, I thought about replacing the worn sprockets. But they're shifting smoothly enough that I'm going to keep them while I decide whether I want to change the drive ratios.

Chain rings - 50x43x32 (small sprocket has a broken bolt)
Rear sprockets - 11,13,15,18,21,24,28

This gearing is adequate, but I spend much of my time on the 43-tooth chain ring. I might drop the top one down a bit. I have a 48-tooth hanging on the wall, so that's an easy place to start.

Last edited by campfire; 06-05-23 at 07:43 AM.
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Old 06-10-23, 08:20 PM
  #35  
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Took this bike out for a 32.5-mile tour today.

Old bike, older bridge:






15 of those miles consisted of a group ride (80 cycles or so).



I'll probably mount a kickstand before RAGBRAI. But pedal-standing works for now.





I like this bike. The new bearings are nice and smooth. I do not like the 28/30mm tires. Most of today's ride was on broken street pavement. At 100psi I am feeling much more vibration than I prefer. I may stick with the 35mm tires rather than the 32s I mentioned above. I usually ride at 50-70psi.

Last edited by campfire; 06-10-23 at 08:30 PM.
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Old 06-10-23, 08:32 PM
  #36  
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Great to see it being used again!
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Old 06-10-23, 08:37 PM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by 52telecaster
Great to see it being used again!
Thanks. Last week, riding the Crosscut, I couldn't wait to get back to the drop bars. This week, riding the skinny tires, I couldn't wait to get back to the 47/38mm combination on the Crosscut.

I think this bike with 35s will hit the sweet spot.
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Old 06-10-23, 08:38 PM
  #38  
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5 more weekends before RAGBRAI.
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Old 06-10-23, 08:40 PM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by campfire
Thanks. Last week, riding the Crosscut, I couldn't wait to get back to the drop bars. This week, riding the skinny tires, I couldn't wait to get back to the 47/38mm combination on the Crosscut.

I think this bike with 35s will hit the sweet spot.
35s are very nice. The only time I go wider is when using 650b
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Old 06-10-23, 08:45 PM
  #40  
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32-35c makes more sense for Ragbrai than 28c tires. What is the stem you are using?
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Old 06-10-23, 09:00 PM
  #41  
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Originally Posted by 52telecaster
35s are very nice. The only time I go wider is when using 650b
Prior to this week, I had 35s on this bike. For now I'm just going to reinstall them. Easy solution, eh?
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Old 06-10-23, 09:03 PM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by bikemig
32-35c makes more sense for Ragbrai than 28c tires. What is the stem you are using?
I'm using the stem that came with the bike. I don't know much about it, aside from its interesting amount of adjustability. I like where it's set, so I haven't tried yet to actually adjust it.
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Old 06-11-23, 05:01 AM
  #43  
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Originally Posted by campfire
I'm using the stem that came with the bike. I don't know much about it, aside from its interesting amount of adjustability. I like where it's set, so I haven't tried yet to actually adjust it.
I just installed 700 x 35c Schwalbe Marathon Racer tires on an early 70s Raleigh Gran Sport I'm rebuilding. I may do one day of Ragbrai (the day heading into Des Moines) and that is the bike I would take. I'd be happy with 32c tires as well. The neat thing about wider tires is that you don't have to watch your line as much and that is a good thing when there are that many people around you.
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Old 06-11-23, 11:11 AM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by Piff
Also, there's no need to apologize for steel frames and rim brakes. They worked for over 100 hundred years, they'll continue to. Especially rim brakes. Pros only went to disc because their sponsors forced them to. But that's another topic!
Agreed, good grief, who teaches that mantra, "steel is heavy, rim brakes suck"? It is bogus.

Buy some new brake pads!

If you are worried about weight -
Get rid of the brifters and use down tube shifters and simpler brake levers; .
Get rid of that bag and rack.
Get rid of the fenders.
Get rid of the cyclometer and wiring.
Get some light weight wheels and tires.

Why did you buy a bike that looks to be 3" to 6" too small? It means a super-long seat post and the short top tube means you added a long stem and bar extenders? Actually, I like the stem but it does not look light in weight.


I just read about your accident. OUCH! Here's hoping all are recovering from the trauma.

Last edited by Bad Lag; 06-11-23 at 11:21 AM.
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Old 06-11-23, 11:29 AM
  #45  
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Originally Posted by campfire
Every passing car could be like that one car that hit the bike that one time. I'm starting to understand why some road cyclists get bitter toward cars. It's easy to hate the things you fear.
(snip)
Ride on...without getting angry or living in fear or being stupid. Find the balance.

Peaceful roads give me time to think. Therapy time.
Clarity of thought - it's not the cars that are dangerous, it's the drivers.
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Old 06-11-23, 07:42 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by Bad Lag
Agreed, good grief, who teaches that mantra, "steel is heavy, rim brakes suck"? It is bogus.

Buy some new brake pads!

If you are worried about weight -
Get rid of the brifters and use down tube shifters and simpler brake levers; .
Get rid of that bag and rack.
Get rid of the fenders.
Get rid of the cyclometer and wiring.
Get some light weight wheels and tires.

Why did you buy a bike that looks to be 3" to 6" too small? It means a super-long seat post and the short top tube means you added a long stem and bar extenders? Actually, I like the stem but it does not look light in weight.


I just read about your accident. OUCH! Here's hoping all are recovering from the trauma.
I think I clarified this already, but I'm not concerned with any of the bullet points from the first post. Those are things I hear others saying about old bikes, and I wanted to make it clear that I'm not bothered by them. Looks like it backfired, as you're not the first person to think I was worried about it. I bought this bike because I wanted this type of old touring bike. I want the brifters. The rack isn't negotiable That bag is sometimes too small when I'm out touring, so if anything it's getting heavier rather than lighter. Cyclometer is gone, simply because I don't have the head unit. I will soon replace it with a functioning one. Fenders are worth the weight for my daily commute.

I agree the stem isn't light. The bike came that way, and it's a pretty good fit. Would a larger frame size be better than extending the stem? Yes, it would. But this bike already fits me well, so I'm going to leave well enough alone. At least...for now.
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Old 06-11-23, 07:56 PM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by bikemig
I just installed 700 x 35c Schwalbe Marathon Racer tires on an early 70s Raleigh Gran Sport I'm rebuilding. I may do one day of Ragbrai (the day heading into Des Moines) and that is the bike I would take. I'd be happy with 32c tires as well. The neat thing about wider tires is that you don't have to watch your line as much and that is a good thing when there are that many people around you.
Yep, that's a good thing. With the 28s I slipped into a concrete rut yesterday and came close to wiping out. Haven't done that in years.

In related news...I took the 28s off today. In switching up the tires I found that a true 35mm tire barely fits into the front fender (I.E., not well enough for me to avoid scraping in real world riding). But it fits well in the back fender. I re-installed the nominal 35 (33 actual) that had been on the front previously. The rear now measures 32mm. Should be closer to what I'm used to.
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Old 06-11-23, 07:59 PM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by campfire
I agree the stem isn't light. The bike came that way, and it's a pretty good fit. ... this bike already fits me well, so I'm going to leave well enough alone. At least...for now.
The stem is very cool. It is my favorite bit on this bike.
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Old 06-11-23, 08:03 PM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by Bad Lag
The stem is very cool. It is my favorite bit on this bike.
It's my favorite bit to look at, just for being unique. But the brifters are my favorite part to use.
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Old 06-12-23, 09:52 AM
  #50  
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Rode the 32s to work today (60PSI). Still not as squishy as the 35s or 38s, but noticeably less road chatter than the 28s (100PSI).

Last edited by campfire; 06-12-23 at 10:31 AM.
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