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I finally got The Sun ready for a run and it seems to handle really well, even if it is a little bit on the small side. Now I just need to think about finding her a new home…
I’ve left her as original as possible and any painting I have done was functional rather than purely cosmetic. Flat black rubbed back down to blend in with the original paint as best I could.
The rear wheel was stripped down and rebuilt, replacing the broken spokes and those that snapped on tightening with some 50-year old stainless steel Raleigh spokes. These have the Raliegh “R” at the hub end so can be easily distinguished.
The original Villiers freewheel was beyond repair so has been replaced with a modern part – although I have a vintage Bayliss-Wiley freewheel which can be swapped in for “authenticity”. Chain is new and much smoother running than the over-stretched original Coventry.
Hubs, pedals and bottom bracket were all stripped, cleaned and rebuilt using high quality marine grease which is a little bit thicker than modern lithium cycle lubricants but lasts longer and repels moisture more effectively.
Rear brake blocks are original, just cleaned up and the repainted, the front blocks are NOS leather-lined jobs that work better on steel rims in the wet. This is Scotland and wet is a major part of the national costume.
The hide on the Brooks B2 could still do with some TLC and moisturising.
Still, not bad for a lady in her seventies…eh?
r:B
Just read this post on Thom’s Old Bike Blog and had to concur…
“…I don’t believe historically accurate restoration is for me. I don’t have the patience or the money for it. I want to ride, ride, ride. Not collect, restore, and display. I’ll leave that to others better equipped for it.“
Bravo! I think – with the added caveat primum non nocere – this is an admirable attitude to have towards an old or even modern bicycle.
Bicycles are made to be ridden and will never remain pristine if used as intended. The best we can hope for is that they maintain some of their original charm and integrity. Like Theseus’ ship, no matter how many times you replace the tyres, tubes, cables, brake blocks, chain, saddle, rims, pedals…it’ll never become “new” and is still, essentially, the same old bicycle. Isn’t it?
R:B
The Superbe is more or less at a standstill – well, of course it is, it’s in pieces all over the garage! To be honest I’m taking my time with this one as I’m still hoping to source a stainless Westrick rim for the rear wheel. I also need to braze up – or at least solder – a small hole in the rear chain stay and then possibly get the whole frame stripped and primed. I still can’t decide whether to retain what remains of the original paint and just treat the rust and lacquer it…
However, I’ve not been completely idle and have finally been bothered enough to uncover the original serial number – 963142P – which seems to correspond to the date on the Dynohub (5I/I) and plant it firmly in 1951.
And finally, I’ve scraped away the worst of the worst paintjob ever and revealed the last remaining scrap of frame decal…“The All-Steel Bicycle”.
R:B
I should have some pictures to show tomorrow but I’ve finally started stripping the paintjob-from-hell from the Superbe. In case you can’t recall, when I acquired it, it looked as if it had been attacked by a maniac armed with a floor mop and a bucket of green household paint.
So far I’ve been concentrating on the small mechanical parts – handlebars, brake furniture, bottom bracket and crank – most of which required considerable care to remove, de-paint and polish up. I’ve now started rust-treating and priming the chainguard, the forks and front mudguard.
Normally I would avoid the use of chemicals but I’ve discovered that the cheap Baufix Paint Remover (Lidl, £3.99) seems to remove the unwanted paint but leaves what remains of the original enamel intact.
I’ve also found that the mudguards, which seemed initially quite friable through corrosion, respond well to treatment with Kurust – to the extent that they are now robust enough that I can strip the old paint and prime the top surface before I reinforce them internally with glassfibre tissue and epoxy.
I’ve not decided what colour to finish the Superbe. Apparently the best available colour match for the original Raleigh Green is Rover Brooklands Green, a British Racing Green clone. Since I’m aiming at a sympathetic “revival” rather than a faithful restoration, I can’t decide whether to re-green her or paint her a crisp white. I don’t want to go for black as the Chiltern is already sitting at that end of the spectrum .
Speaking of which, the Chiltern’s almost ready for the road. Pictures real soon now. I’ve just got to top-coat the chainguard and sort out the gears – although I think the problem is the cable sticking. I’ve ridden her ’round the square a number of times now and…ooooooooh what a comfortable ride!
R:B
From what I can ascertain, the ratty-looking old Raleigh I picked up last week is most likely a 1951 Superbe Dawn Tourist. This was deduced primarily from the Raleigh/SA DynoFour hub and the fact that the frame is 21″ – the Superbe Tourist is a 24″ machine and the Superbe Sports Tourist has cable-operated caliper brakes. Oh…and the frame serial number seems to fit the 1950/51 period and the hub is most likely date-marked “51″ not “5T” as I previously misread.
I’ve hit one or two snags in my disassembly of the Superbe:
First of all, the handlebar stem seems to be bent and is well and truly jammed into the forks. I’ve given it a good bathe in WD40 but no joy. I’ll have another attempt using a bigger hammer and a wooden plank bracing the bars but I may have to try applying heat instead.
I’ve also uncovered a tiny hole which seems to have rusted through the inside of the drive-side chainstay. This has likely never been cleaned in 50-odd years as the oil-bath chaincase makes access difficult. I don’t think it has caused any structural weakness but I’d like to get it brazed up before I repaint it anyway.
The highlighted area in the photograph above shows a woodscrew (I would reckon a 1″ No. 8 BZP Countersunk, if you really need to know) jammed into the gap between the chainstay and the brake stirrup retaining bracket – presumably to tighten the bracket because the bolts had already rusted solid. I had to cut through them to remove both rear brackets but this one was “soft” and probably corroded beyond repair.
This lack of access is a major flaw in these bicycles. For example, to remove the chaincase, you need to first remove the crank and this can be awkward if the cotter pin is jammed. You can’t get a good swing at it with a hammer without risking the chaincase taking a smack! I used a plank and an old brass electrical conduit bush to support the crank and a long punch/drift and heavy hammer to drive the cotter pin. It finally worked although I may have to replace the cotter pin. The brass bush is soft enough it shouldn’t mark the chromed steel and has a broad hex shoulder that prevents it embedding itself in or splitting the wooden plank. The picture below actually shows the other side of the bottom bracket but you should get the idea.
The rear wheel rim – an original Raleigh stainless steel “Westrick” – has a nasty split along the edge which I only discovered after cleaning the muck off. I seriously doubt this could be welded so I may have to replace it with a chromed steel Westwood…if I can find one. Anyone have a 40-spoke 26″ x 1 3/8″ Westrick or Westwood rim?
Other than that, It seems to be coming apart nicely. Some of the chrome is in incredible condition considering the age of the bicycle and that dodgy paint job is almost falling off all by itself! The best news is that the Sturmey Archer DynoFour components seem to be original and complete!
So, while this looks like being a longer-term project, I’m on the hunt for another old British 3-speed to ride!
rb
