Fabchef

Hello everyone, Fab here, this is my first post here. I currently have an infinity bike that I received a few years ago, it rides well.
i was recently at our cottage and felt like going for a bike ride. In the shed was my Dads old Raleigh bike (from the 80's). I had fond memories of it. My dad can't ride anymore.
After inflating the tires i took it for a spin, and man, it rides so well, very smooth. It was still in great shape. After speaking to my Dad he gave it to me😊. I brought it in for a once-over at a bike shop. The people there were surprised at how in good shape it was.
I still have to get used to the gear shifters as they are older style, where the lever moves from one end to the other, unlike newer "click" system.
i think it still has the original brakes on them. They seem to have good meat on them but feel a little dry. I do have some Rubber rejuvenator at home, should i try applying some? To get then soft again or just swap them out?
thanks
fab

AstroTurf

no rubber rejuv, or replacement needed...

at least according to the shop that did the once over on it.

enjoy!

Fabchef

Astro, thanks for the reply.
i guess they are still ok? They do squeak a little but nothing crazy. I just thought that the rubber should be a little soft, bo?
thanks
fab

Chuck M 

The brake pads are cheap enough to replace, but taking the surface oxidation off with some sandpaper will probably take the squeak out of them.

Fabchef

Chuck, cool, thanks for the advice.

Mr. 66

I would not use rubber rejuvenator, that can clean but it will also take solvent out of rubber. That is if you are talking like a type wash solute.

Fabchef

Mr66. It's a rubber rejuvenator used to make rubber parts soft again.
Fab

Lazyass

Good starter bike. I've always thought that new riders should start on downtube friction shifters, takes a few hundred miles before you learn to shift smooth and fast. It will keep you out of the habit of shifting to an easier gear when you don't really need to and you just get a better feel of each gear combo. Might not make sense but when you try it you understand.

If your calipers use the old style brake blocks then these are great. They're a softer compound and feel really good.

https://www.amazon.com/Dia-Compe-Gre.../dp/B001CJZ2S8

Fabchef

Lazyass...(great name, btw...&#128513.
I understand what you are saying about the gears, they make you think twice about when to shift.
the bike itself is like a mountain bike but made for city riding. It was made in Canada.
i'm not a bike expert, but it seems to be a well built bike. I can say it haden't been riden in about 15 years!
as for the brakes, yes they are the rectangular block style like the link you posted.
if i needed to change them, any makes/models you suggest?
thanks
Fabs

freeranger

I'd replace the brake pads. Chances are they have gotten brittle and may actually damage the braking surface on the rims. My favorite is Kool Stop salmon colored pads. All colors in this brand are good. The salmon colored ones are supposed to be better in rain. All I know is they work great in dry weather, and seem to be easy on my rims. Have a blast with your new (old) bike!

bikemig 

Old bikes are great but you do want to replace the consumables such as tires (panaracer paselas are a good choice if you want to keep an old school look with brown sidewalls), brake pads (kool stops and dia compe grey matter mentioned above are both very good), and cables. Also you will want to give some to overhauling the bike when you have some time. Old bikes are fun (and affordable).

Milton Keynes

I agree that you'll probably want to replace old rubber parts on the bike like tires, tubes, and brake pads. Tires and tubes can get dry rot, and brake pads can get brittle. Tires and brake pads are the things you don't want to fail when you're bombing down a hill.

BobbyG

Fabchef This just happened to me a couple of months ago. I bought a 13 year-old bike (a 2007 Dahon Boardwalk) and the brakes didn't grab, even though they had plenty of "meat" on them. I took it in to the local bike co-op and the tech showed me how his thumbnail didn't indent the pad. Then he grabbed a new pad and his thumbnail was able to indent the "rubber" I bought the new and inexpensive brake pads and the bike brakes amazingly well.

Had to "toe in" the pads to keep it from squeeling though.

WizardOfBoz

I'd suggest not using a rejuvenator. The rubber in brake pads is engineered to work well when new, and for a reasonable service life. Part of the engineering is to include chemicals called plasticizers which keep the rubber supple. Over time, these chemicals evaporate out of the rubber, which leaves it dry and not very well-suited for it's job. Rejuvenators may make the rubber supple on he surface by causing the surface rubber to absorb alternate plasticizer rbut once that wears through your back to the hard, dry rubber. That may occur at the worst possible time. Also, to be better absorbed the rejuvenator chemicals will have different properties than the initial plasticizer.

Suggest that new pads are a much better, safer, and higher-performance option.

Fabchef

Hi guys, thanks for all the info. I think i'll look into new brake shoes.
For the tires, the store put on some continental contact e25. They seem pretty good. They also put on new tubes as well.
thanks
fab

Fabchef

Update...
i picked up some new pads at a local canadian tyre. They seemed softer than what was on there but not super soft. I installed them and passed some sandpaper on the surface, the bike stops well, not with a crazy "bite" to them though, but better than what was there. The old ones had a weird effect to them, they would kind of pulsate when braking. The new ones are smooth and with both front and back brakes applied, she stops well.
the continental tires seem to ride well, i did like the look of the older tires (brown sidewalls) but the conti's look good too.
i'm still getting used to the gear shifting system on the bike but it rides smoothly on paved roads.
I installed new foam grips, and while they are better than the old ones, i find my hand kinda going numb after a while riding. Is this normal? Should i put rubber grips instead?
fab

VegasTriker

I'm glad to see you replaced the brake pads. You never know when it is going to be the difference between a safe ride and one that ends up badly. It's cheap insurance,
As to numbness in your hands when you ride: There is a condition called "cyclists palsy" which manifests with numbness at first and over the years progresses into outright pain from riding eventually if you ride enough miles over the years. Here's a good explanation along with ways to avoid it - https://www.physio-pedia.com/Cyclist%27s_palsy. I ignored it for years evolving from a road bike to a recumbent bike and then recumbent trike which took the pressure off my hands completely. However it was too late and I eventually had to undergo carpal tunnel release surgery to eliminate the numbness which had become full time even off the bike. Just one more benefit of living long enough while being an avid rider.

Miele Man

Nice to see another Canadian here and also nice to hear about a resurrected bike.

What area of Canada are you in? I'm in South Central Ontario.

Cheers

Fabchef

Hey Miele, thanks. i'm in Montréal,Qc. I'm happy about the new (old) bike i got. I have fond memories of the whole family going on bike rides.
i tried to postsome pics of my bikes but couldn't.
my bike is an Infinity Chamonix and my Dad's bike that i got is a Raleigh City Express.
is there a site that would have info/pics on these old Raleigh bikes? I can't find much info on it.
fab

Maelochs

You wouldn't catch me riding some old Raleigh ..... (actually you would because I am really slow.)



Enjoy the ride.

Korina

Just two more posts and you can add pics! For fellow Raleigh fans, go to the Classic & Vintage forum and post pics and serial number; you'll likely be overwhelmed with info.

Thomas15

Different grips, different hand positions, changing hand positions, letting your arm hang loose to the side for 10 seconds at various intervals. All of these can help with hand numbness. It is in general not something that you can buy though, one grip might be perfect for me that same grip you might think sucks. So, trial and error. Same with saddles.

While it is true that riding a bike is so easy a kid can do it as adults it will take time and effort and even a bit of discomfort to find what works for you. Between the years 1993 and 2018, I rode zero bicycle miles, in 2020, I rode 6200 miles. It really comes down to just how bad you want to rack up the miles (for fun and fitness) and how much pain you and discomfort you are willing to endure. Some of the muscles you use to hold your position on the bike need to get conditioned and to a certain extent your hands are taking up the slack. Some discomfort will go away on their own as fitness levels increase.

Fabchef

Thomas, I totally agree with the things you said. Your body needs to "break-in", and hopefully not just Break!! Hahaha.
i agree with the parts being subjective, different for everyone. So far the seat is not that bad, unlike my stationary bike at home...i can barely get off once done as my groin area is numb!
the Raleigh bike seat is a bot better than on my Infinity bike.
i think the Raleigh is a bit small for me, and that the seat is a little high and the bars a little lower. I don't think i can raise the bars any more. The raleigh has 26" wheels while the Infinity has 28" tires. I'm 5'10".
fab

Thomas15

The size of the frame is what matters not the size of the wheel.

Usually the first things people change on a new bike are the saddle and pedals. Some bikes today don't even come with pedals because the supplier assumes that buyer will use what they know they like. There are so many different kinds of pedals at a wide variety of price points that pedals are usually low end compared to the rest of the bike components. Same with saddles to an extent.

My advice though is get on your bike and ride. If you find it enjoyable then you will work through the discomfort issues and figure out just exactly what kind of riding and/or bike suits you best. Most of us on this forum are fairly self-reliant when it comes to keeping our bikes running and in top condition. There are a few specialized tools to consider getting but for now there are tons of youtubes that show every possible aspect of bikes in fine detail.

livedarklions

Old dad here. Be sure to take a picture of yourself with the bike and give the picture to your dad. Trust me on this one. He's going to be touched that you put this much care into HIS old bike.