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right, I have a few bicycles in my shed! when only low level tinkering is possible due to space, whats wrong with a biycle?! the kids can join in, and i can still get oil everywhere! I recently got back into bicycle tinkering after being quite keen on it when I was younger, (read knackered bicycles faster than should really be possible, tried to mend them as a result) so from various misc locations I have a fair few bicycles!
some i like to tinker with and sell on (a few extra pennies for impending house move!) some i have kept for the bosses (children) and one I have built for myself! needless to say, only retro bicycles really need apply! now i waqs going to post some pictures, and i have plenty of them, however my dearest dad recently bought me a new laptop and I havent the foggiest how it works. So when I have downloaded microsoft picture manager, i shall be back!
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Last Edit: Feb 18, 2017 10:48:58 GMT by s1105117
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Dec 10, 2016 13:42:23 GMT
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Sounds good, can't wait to see the pictures!
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right, picture manager downloaded so here we go! (a few of them, shed NO1 technically here!!) this is the first bike i bought recently, for myself (unseen in the dark!) as it said Raleigh on the advert and was £15... bent wheels and no brakes, and a saddle made of granite. A few mins with a spanner and some spare wheels got it going, and i found a saddle (from a bike so shockingly bad I forgot I had it until as I type this!) the saddle wasnt original to that bike either so goodness knows where it came from, but I like a comfy seat! anyway rode this for a few weeks, didnt get on with it as it, lent it to a mate and it came back knackered again, so it was flogged (at a profit, woo!) after I got bored falling over it in the shed! meanwhile i bought these three to repair and sell on, they had been sitting idle in a shed for some 30 years! a raleigh Solitaire, Raliegh Bianca and a Cinzia folder now you may see my assistant present here, she ignored the folder, showed vague interest in the Solictaire and, well, you can see for yourself the what was opined about the 'little' Raliegh Bianca! needless to say, despite the fact that it will be incarcerated a while yet, the Bianca has stayed in the shed! and she regularly checks that it is there still, so no chance that I will be selling that! Tbh I rather like it too, its nicely made and i think it looks rather groovey :-) and certainly would rather she has it instead of a 'halford special'when she is bigger. Nice that at this age she agrees already! :-) So far I fitted a new chain and brakes to it, left tires as they will be done sometime in the far off future when her little feet reach somewhere near the pedals! new chains/brakes and a service got the other two gone, a fairly big bloke wanted to comute on the Solitaire!? anyway. I rather liked the Cinzia folder, even though when folded it was more like it was giving itself a cuddle than actually saving space.. it just looked fantsticly 60's, colour scrubbed up well considering i wiped all three of these down using supermarket value baby bum wipes! I also liked look of the the orangey/red paint with cream leather, and whitewalls :-) made me think that I should drive a ford zodiac! i was delighted that I got the dynoamo light to work, Didn't take much effort, good old school tech! the nice girl who bought it was very chuffed that it had a dynamo light too, even more so when I told her what it was! when selling bikes looking like this I am told it helps that i live fairly close to oxford.... :-P I did decide against riding it myself though, I thought that a six foot, 15stone chap may clash with the bikes style a bit :-) next in was this, when busying myself at the tip (whaste of time, they ban you from doing anything and then recycle very little..) i bumped into a mate who asked me if i wanted a box trailer? as he is clearing a house and it needs moving, went to have a butchers, no where to put it, but obviously my responce was yes i will have it especially if you stick that bicycle that is in that hedge in it! well, it was a rather nice free spirit Brittany, chain and brrakes were rusted solid but frame and wheels were good. Had hoped to restore this, but got as far as removing all the rusty parts when a woman walking past asked if she could buy it, offered me enough for me to put down muy spanner and say sure thing! plenty more bikes have been bought and sold here lately, some a little bit interesting like this Raleigh activator. Which I will admit had I had the space would have stayed as it rode well. and this trek ladies road bike, kindly left in bits dumped outside my work! sold for £50 when mended so often more than I make actually at work, nice pre Christmas gift! some less interesting like this Raligh Areo whatever. Bought as I wanted the front wheel it initially came with for the bike I was by this stage building for myself, and sold by the PO for spares stating that it had beyond repair knackered pedal bearings. as his was what the bike shop had told the po... now aside from the fact that replacement pedal bearings are not that hard to come by, it turned out it was the rear wheel hub bearings which were shot. so spare wheel fitted as well as replacing all the parts I pillaged for the Trek above of it went pedaling fine. now the big problem I have with this raleigh mountain bike and the one at the top came in the shape of this such a ship bike i didnt even take a photo until i was halfway down the stairs on the way to the tip. Removed from my work after 3 plus years of abandomnet there it was utter sheet, and i have no doubt always was. However the brake levers/shifter etc were all identical to the ones on the yellow raliegh, and i am sure the first raleigh bike too. just didnt feel top notch, xo made me grupmy but never mind! still awaiting tlc currently is an Apollo Kilimanjaro (almost fit for the bin.. saved by its hideously gorgeous colour scheme) an outpost trail GT (shiney, and nearly finished actually but I havent snapped a final picture yet!) Townsedn Belle Fleur apollo Sportife Raleigh Nitro kids bike (ready to go! hence it has a snazzy photo...) among a few others! Alas SWMBO informs me she deleted the pictures of the Raleigh Cameo which I just finished f=restoring for my dearest mother... to the shed for some more tomorrow! and i wil prattle on about the bike I actually built myself at some point shortly, although unlike now a time which is not past my bedtime! Altough I will say, it's a proper Raleigh.
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Last Edit: Jun 9, 2021 18:33:33 GMT by s1105117
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so, having disposed of the first bike i decided i wanted to build myself one i actually liked! specifically i wanted an 80's/90's era Raleigh. after a fair bit of perusing of ebay/gumtree/my misc locations i was drawing a blank. it must be said though i was waiting to get the right bike, SIS shifters and the right level of scruffy being the main criteria! Then i popped into the local reclaimed furniture store. now this place does sell bikes but there often a bit steep in price, odd really! anyway, i went in on the off chance they had something interesting when this very scruffy black bike, all stickers poorly removed sitting right in amongst others caught my eye. initially i ignored it and looked at other bikes, but i kept looking back at this scruffy one, couldnt work out why but i liked it! SIS shifters and right degree of scruffy.... when i asked about it, the assistant replied "what that old thing!? yours for £25 mate". some haggling got me it for a tenner. anyway, have a photo! this is what i loaded into the Mondeo and this what i had spotted that i think the assistant missed yay a scruffy Raliegh! :- ) tbh once i saw it, this was the bike. but what had i bought? well as said he stickers had all been removed so i don't really know! i shall call it my Raliegh QM. or Questions Mark! lovely cantilever brakes in need of a proper set up, but gears etc were all good. i had already got some wheels set aside for this bike even before i had it. With those on i had something like this next port of call would be a saddle. it had come with such a cheap one on it my posterior was unhappy when i looked at it! however, i had saved the comfy saddle of unknown origin i had previously, so on it went. next thing was the bar grips, which were so weirdly small i couldnt actually get my mits on them! i actually went to a cycle shop (cheltenham has a few nice ones!) and trated myself to some foam grips. all put together and a quick tune up gave me this! pretty much exactly what i wanted, i was particularly pleased with the chunky front tyre and loving yhe slicker look. then i realised i had fitted the rear wheel with the knackered bearings! doughnut. so of to the stash. i have a few wheels, but decided i would fit a brand new tyre to a spare rime, all parts collected and fitted i could ride! very pleased indeed, rear brake needed a few tweaks but rode nicely. however, its a bit wet out this time of year so i wondered about mudgards... then the Apollo kilimanjaro appeared. it donated its guards nicely, although some mods and bracket re-shaping was needed to clear the chunky front tire i finished up with this this is now how it is, currently tucked away over Christmas i am quite pleased eith it. i have a bike! still no idea what Raleigh model it is, but hey. Its a retro custom one now!
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Last Edit: Sept 5, 2017 11:48:22 GMT by s1105117
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Dec 19, 2016 21:58:49 GMT
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I like it, could the Raleigh be a Maverick of early nineties vintage?
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Dec 20, 2016 22:38:30 GMT
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cheers PP! that is a fair shout on the maverick, certainly could be! good knowledge there maybe like this possdibly i must say looking at pics of mavericks I quite like the more laid back handlebar look but not on this bike. problem now is I was in a place last week that had easily several thousand project bicycles in it... must remember I only need one bike for myself!!
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Last Edit: Dec 20, 2016 22:45:38 GMT by s1105117
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One Patinated Raleigh Cameo Now I bought this bike cheaply, from a veeeery large shed full of a very large number of Bicycles. Many of which, like this one, have lain untouched for decades. It took me a while to get home from this location (though i will going be back again!) so the only pre-fettle photo is this one, appols! soanyway this bike was rough, very battered, full of dents, tyres etc obviously waaay gone, no brakes and the sturmy wouldn't shift etc, etc etc. Initially I had two plans, do a huge full blown resto of it, or sell it on to someone else who would do the resto for themselves. However, my mum heard I had one of these, and when she visited she tried to take it for a ride! I did get there in time to tell her tht it only had one wheel attached! turns out my mum has many a fond memrory of a raleigh cameo looking exactly like this one which she had back in the day! so, new plan! bike would be treated to whatever the cycling equivalent is of an 'oily rag resto' and my mum would have it! so, it was treated to new brakes and cables, all the metal bits were cleaned up but not prettied up, all mechanicals functional but every dent/scratch or rust patch left so as to give a real timewarp experience to said parent i did enjoy fitting the tyres though. Nice and old school, size wise they are 26 1 and 3/8's. As it is nearest to my house and i was feeling lazy i went to Halfords to see if they had any! needless to say... they didn't. the shock on the assistants face, firstly that i was correct in my insistence that it wasnt a modern 26mtb tire i wanted, and that it was suuuch an old bicycle, was amusing i thought he might faint tbh. needless to say, the excellent local cycle shop had them in stock, tyres and tubes, and at only £28 for the lot i was pretty pleased. I could have had whitewalls, but alas they only had one and although they could get one for the following day i was ok with the plain black pair. It must be said however, that changing a tyre on a rear wheel with a sturmey archer hub is a fair bit more fiddly, and oily, than on a monderner bike! my offspring assisted here, and the amount of dirt and oil said offspring and the entire house (was granted use of the kitchen!) ended up in.. i did well to survive! still, of it went to my mothers just before Christmas, looking as you see it above! secretly quite pleased with it, as I like retro. scruffy but functional! I believe my mum is pleased with it, she certainly seemed to be! hauled it out of my car and into her house fpretty lively anyway!
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Last Edit: Jan 2, 2017 22:04:58 GMT by s1105117
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problem now is I was in a place last week that had easily several thousand project bicycles in it... Must refrain from asking for more info... Arrgh... I cant... I need to know more!! lol. I like that Raleigh Cameo, i've had several and they feel really solid, and ride really nicely. Did you take it out for a spin at all before releasing it to your Mum?
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problem now is I was in a place last week that had easily several thousand project bicycles in it... Must refrain from asking for more info... Arrgh... I cant... I need to know more!! lol. I like that Raleigh Cameo, i've had several and they feel really solid, and ride really nicely. Did you take it out for a spin at all before releasing it to your Mum? Cheers PP re the Cameo, i was pretty impressed with it tbh. it did ride nicely, though i only got to ride it round the block when testing it was all working OK! problem was, being the time of the year for celebration and planning, everytime it looked like I may get the chance, something always came up! perhaps I will take it for a spin next time i visit the parental abode, if i ask nicely or sneajk it out a window.. ahh the place iof thousands of cycles... This is the only photo I could find each of these lines/piles represents a certain types of bike, and there are seperate lines/piles for mens and womens versions of the same style of bike. This photo is fairly old, as the lines are longer by i reckon about 10 feet, and there are at least 4 more lines/piles to the left of this picture, and a couple to the right. this is the storage part of this operation i think, and all of these bikes are for sale! in the other half of the warehouse the guys and gals there do bacon butty and coffee meets up, teach bike repair stuff and sell loads of parts and cycling gear, they also (as dicatated by the small banner...) support the bikes for africa charity, and provide bike customisation opertunities for teens and people in the nick! well worth a look i can tell you!! if you like that sort of thing of course
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on another note, this arrived this evening a rather battered, but complete (if you count that scrap saddle anyway!) Raliegh 'Squire'. Well an Esquire technically, but listed on ebay as a Squire as the 'E' has worn off! went pretty cheap, and the bloke selling it dropped it off to my door! convenient that! now i rather like this bike on fist impressions, i may even keep it! it reminds me of the Cameo quite a bti, no surprise really they are similar vintage I believe? will give it a thorough going over and decide itrs fate when I can see it properly, the lights in my shed must have opaque bulbs I'm sure of it.
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Last Edit: Sept 5, 2017 11:49:32 GMT by s1105117
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This would be the finished Outpost Trail GT, which sold after being advertised for about 2 hours.. maybe it was too cheap!! i must say, there is something about the look of this bike (the triple triangle i believe?) that certainly made me want to keep it too! I must admit though I don't know a lot about it, was it a good bike? i don't know! but it certainly is strong. and heavy! nice and simple to work on though, and rode pretty well, better than the cheap Raleigh at the start of this thread anyway! I was secretly hoping to ride it a bit more before it sold, seems i don't actually only get to ride half the bikes I own! still, it hasnt been collected yet!
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on another note, this arrived this evening a rather battered, but complete (if you count that scrap saddle anyway!) Raliegh 'Squire'. Well an Esquire technically, but listed on ebay as a Squire as the 'E' has worn off! went pretty cheap, and the bloke selling it dropped it off to my door! convenient that, as no need to asion an excuse for SWMBO as to where/why i was going out after sundown! now i rather like this bike on fist impressions, i may even keep it! it reminds me of the Cameo quite a bti, no surprise really they are similar vintage I believe? will give it a thorough going over and decide itrs fate when I can see it properly, the lights in my shed must have opaque bulbs I'm sure of it. I think I've got one of them in a shed, somewhere, must have a dig around
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Ho-Lee-Chit!!! Where is that? I know i shouldn't be asking... But draw a damn map man lol!
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ha! pretty much my reaction when I visited that, I wasnt expecting what I saw! for those of us who like old metal objects it is a 'kid-in-a-sweetshop' kinda place for sure. Gotta head back there soon! some cool things in there too, a 60/70's vintage racing bike designed for a kid no older than ten sticks in my memory. I must get better at photoing stuff! it is in rural Gloucestershire my dear boy, not to far from Stroud. Just working on that map for you now I really need a bigger vehicle than the mondy next time I visit! On another note, the Outpost Trail GT was collected today, so I didnt get to ride it either! I have decided that I like the Esquire tho, so I will ride that a bit I think once i put it back together. The Kilimanjaro also went off to a new home today too! not bad as it was a wheel-less object lent in the corner of my shed last night! the ting was, someone called after the GT but ionly as they wanted an 'Old/Cheap/not vry good bike'. Once I explained that old isnt always associated with the other two criteria, I asked if would like the Kilimanjaro if i put some brakes and a chain on it, and some wheels. He did, so I put it together with bits that were lying near it, total outlay was £0 and off it went! not bad as tbh this bike did fill all three categories that the buyer requested, as man it was worn out! buyers of the GT were a really knowledgable chap and his son, who were clearly into their old bikes, and the son into his GT's in particular, so at least it is off to a good home! the kid rode it off despite his old man bringing a van! glad that they are decent folks though, as i rather fancied that bike! still cant keep em all, SWMBO knows my cycle hideaways now! well, nearly....
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right! a few things have happened in my bike shed in the last week. Firstly, this is now my bike! yep I have decided I like the Raleigh Esquire a lot! it is coomfy, retro and nice to ride! needs a refurb, tyres mostly as they are very shot. She rides very nicely though, stops and shifts gears well too though the rear wheel looks pretty neglected so that will be a future job for sure. A good clean had improved matters look wise, but I do however love all the dents and scratches, so they are staying, Go patina!! the reflector is a winner too this is also the comfiest bike for me, being a tall git it suits me well, so Definitely planning on keeping this long term! it will mostly be used for commuting and cycle tracks etc, though as I don't hang around I'm sure its still going to get plenty of good use, so I expect its going to get a bit more patinated! The seat has been uniquely addressed. as I don't have a suitable looking one in my parts stash, and although I previously described the original seat as scrap, it has been given a new lease of life by that british army staple known as gaffa tape Tbh the seat metal is fine, (and a nice place to park one's posterior!) Its just the cover that was split, so will replace this when time/opertunity allows but righy now I think the gaffa tape is working, and rather fits with the bikes general look! anyway, have fitted my lights which being shiney and modern stand out a bit from the bikes general 'rough but functioning' look, gotta be seen though! new tyres to be Ordered, as they are my latest favourit 26 1 % 3/8s and I only have one in my stash, should i go for whitewalls i wonder... though will see how many miles the perished tyres last in the meanwhile! This old bike also has important approval, after receiving a thorough expert examinaton Rather good I reckon, a definitly retro!
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Last Edit: Jan 7, 2017 9:49:47 GMT by s1105117
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in my section of bikes not to keep however there is also plenty of stuff a-happening. Firstly the Apollo Sportique and Townsend Bellefluer these little baggers will be broken for spares, as they are rusted through. So far the bst bits are the good rear tyre on the apollo and the mudgaaurds on the Townsend (i think its that way round, i forget which bike is which tbh!) frames seem okl though so maybe something will happen with them, if i accumalate enough bits. which brings me neatly onto these for bikes, listed on ebay as only fit for parts. A Raleigh jackal, a Ladies Raleigh Hybrid I can't quite read the name of (opaque shed bulbs again) an unknow ladies mountain bike, and a Dawes Duchess. Now initially i only went for the two Ralieghs, as worst comes to worst the parts would be worth having, but you know what they are OK! scruffy, bits of rust here and there but nothing major at all, loaded up for £7 the pair. Whilst examining the Raleighs I spotted the Dawes, which was also listed as spares only but looking ok, it even has a decet newish chain! Not much time to thorough go over but was told i could have it for £7 as long as I took the other mountain bike for £6 to make £20. Well, I am happy with that for the parts at the least! All being well the Ralieghs will be restored over a weekend, the Dawes hopefully may only need a clean! Might offer my mum the bascket for her Cameo though :-P the other bike will be broken up, may see if i can make something with its bits and the Apllo frame? Also now that I have deemed the Esquire to be my bike, I may sell the black Raleigh! (especially with the Mondeo bill as mentioned in that thread....) however I will be slightly de-modding it, i.e keeping my expensive wheels! so I'm sure i have enough wheels going around here now! anyway, gotta get these fixed fast, i'm running out of space and i am sure i have a few more bike to squeeze in!
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Last Edit: Jan 8, 2017 23:26:41 GMT by s1105117
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My little daughter (now referred to as the 'Site manager') bought her first bike today! (i supose technically the Raligh Bianca probably earns the title of first bike) but she herself chose, bought and actually currently fits this one! it was spotted by her as she assisted me on one of my essential evening good stuff for sale online searches. (training early) After being very very keen on it when seeing photos on the internet, there was no way the site manager would permit it not to be bought.. the seller only wanted a fiver, working a mile from sellers address (so travel would be under expences hehe) and she was so excited/determined. Tbh my daughter knows her Dad is a sucker, her little smile.... anyway, of we went. Arived in Swindon, knocked on the sellers door, with my little 2 and 1/2 year old girl proudly clutching a fiver in her mit, to see this really nice bloke, and needless to say she is as happy as a, well a kid with a new bike! this little bike is mintier than the Glacier mint bear brushing its teeth, but tbh i think she wouldnt care if it was as knackered as anything she thinks its fab! now she just has to learn to pedal. :-)
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Last Edit: Sept 5, 2017 11:53:54 GMT by s1105117
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Loving the Raleigh Esquire a lot! I'd definatly go for the whitewall look, although i had a bike like this a long time ago and it was fitted with what looked like wheelchair tyres, y'know the grey ones! I thought they looked quite cool on it too!
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Loving the Raleigh Esquire a lot! I'd definatly go for the whitewall look, although i had a bike like this a long time ago and it was fitted with what looked like wheelchair tyres, y'know the grey ones! I thought they looked quite cool on it too! cheers PP! Tbh I think the esquire is awesome :-) grey could be a look and a half, bit different for sure! Thing is,I have one decent black tyre thay would fit, and one decent Whitewall that would fit! (Back of the Townsend) so could be one of each for now if my cheapskate gene jicks in! Tbh tho I am coming down on the side of a pair of new whitewalls.... :-)
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So, got to have a 'bikes not to keep' tinkering session today, and its good & bad news!
Good news is, the pair of ralieghs will only need a quick spruce up, new grips/chains and they'll be ready to go! And the black bike has been de-modded and is currently ready to go too.
Bad news comes in the shape of the dawes... had hoped this would be an easy fix, however it turns out that this one really is spares only as the derailleur mount is sheared clean off. curse word. So, new plan! All the parts of of the dawes will hopefully make their way onto the Townsend frame, as will the shiney mudgaurds from the apollo and hopefully will still make a snazzy bike! Pics to folow as I'm now at work....
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Last Edit: Jan 8, 2017 18:49:55 GMT by s1105117
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