BEFORE
I’ve been intending to post some photographs of the £10 Chiltern for a while now and have finally decided not to wait until I refit the chainguard…
AFTER (almost!)
Since this bicycle is intended for daily riding around town, I’ve not invested too much time or money into it. Most of the components are reclaimed or recycled. The mudguards, rear rack and wheel reflectors (I managed to resist using the Unholy Spoke Reflectors) came from my project box. The brake calipers, front wheel and both tyres and tubes are reclaimed from the Traveller. I’ll be replacing the (ahem) 30-year-old Raleigh Record tyres with a pair of Schwalbe puncture-proof white-walls soon… The Zefal pump is new – with an adapter to suit the Woods valves – and cost a measly £3.49.
The dental white grips are actually a Shimano 333 3-speed shifter set I picked up as NOS on Ebuy for less than the price of a new cable. Unfortunately I still need a new cable as the Shimano part is a bit short for this frame. However, they shift nicely and adapting the Shimano 333 cable to fit the Sturmey Archer hub only involved snipping off the cable nipple and clamping on a late model SA adjusting barrel.
The saddle – previously on the Superbe – is actually a little low for comfort but I’ve been too lazy to adjust it yet. I’ve got two vintage leather saddles to choose from and haven’t yet decided which suits the bicycle best. The rear luggage is an ancient reclaimed Carradice Club bag. I need to get some white polish on the leather straps…
Total cost? Excluding paint and other workshop consumables? Probably around £30…
OK…£30 and a pair of jeans that I spilled paraffin over. Anyone really know how to get the smell of paraffin out of clothing? They’ve been machine-washed twice and left hanging out on the drying line for a week through two torrential downpours! They still stink…
R:B
6 comments
Comments feed for this article
August 23, 2008 at 11:40 am
mike se13
Wonderful! I too have a 1992 Chiltern that I picked up for £20. would love to know where you got the parcel rack from as I would love to have that in my life! need a new seat as the leather on mine is coming off. I went for a cycle with a friend, from SE13 to Shoreditch and he (who has a £750 rockhopper) couldn’t get over how fast the Chiltern was. Its a gorgeous bike that goes like stink.
August 23, 2008 at 9:35 pm
R :: B
Thanks Mike! I have to admit I’m getting keener on this bike the more I ride it… It would reckon it is probably more demanding of the rider because the gearing is of a much higher ratio than a mountain bike would be…but that makes it move like the proverbial faeces off a fork.
The rack was bought in Hamburg, attached to a hybrid that I bought for transporting the kids around town and grocery shopping. It (the rack) isn’t very strong and I’d swapped it off for a stronger pannier rack on a trip back to Scotland. When I recently rediscovered the cheap ‘n’ nasty rack in my parents’ shed, I thought it would be ideal for town use.
I’ve also customised it slightly by using a stainless U-bolt to mount it to the seatstays – photos soon.
August 25, 2008 at 8:52 pm
mike se13
I’ve bookmarked this page as I’m really interested to find out how it all pans out. Do you know much about this bike? I have tried to find more info out about it but can only find info about individual parts (sturmey archer, Leechi etc). this is my first bike that I have felt at one with, and restoring it is going to be fun, but my problem is I don’t know much about bikes and their workings. My brake calipers are quite rusty so can I just buy some new calipers and fit them or do they have to be of a certain size etc? If you can help I would appreciate it from a person who has the same bike.
nice one and keep on keeping on!
mike
August 26, 2008 at 7:07 pm
R :: B
Mike,
To be honest, I’m not too familiar with the history of the Chiltern. I think it must have been one of the better models as it carries the chrome dimples in the fork crown which Raleigh tended to reserve for their flagship bicycles. But this might be a bit of a red herring. The components were certainly not top of the range…
You can replace the Raleigh calipers with other Raleigh parts – they are all fairly big and have a wide range of adjustment. Old alloy Weinmann side-pull calipers are a good bet and if you can find ex-BMX models such as the 810, they should be perfect. I think on the rear, you’ll need either the 810 or 1080. This was my intention before I found the old Traveller and simply swapped over the older Raleigh Industries calipers
Spare parts can be picked up on eBuy or through Freecycle
There are also bike recycling schemes around London which may be able to help with reclaimed parts: http://www.lcc.org.uk/index.asp?PageID=634
There are a couple of places to look for help on bike maintenance:
Both the following offer self-help bike clinics and workshop tutorials
http://www.hackney-cyclists.org.uk/workshop.htm
http://www.towerhamletswheelers.org.uk/workshop/
And don’t forget to check out the online video tutorials available via http://bicycletutor.com/
September 2, 2008 at 9:56 pm
mike se13
hi RB,
Found on Ebay some Weinmann Calipers and Brake levers and took them to a friend who runs a cycle company http://www.thecycleteam.com/ He was a great help and sorted out the Hub as well (had a few problems getting all the gears to work). It now runs like a dream! I properly love this bike. By the by, I got a quote from a cycle shop to buy a new 3 gear hub, and they said 600 smackas! thanks for your help fella.
Mike
September 3, 2008 at 1:26 am
R :: B
Glad I could be of assistance, Mike!
Remember, it’s good to love your bicycle…just don’t take it too far!