Quote: Originally Posted by
adairraleigh .
I bought a used Raleigh Record. I am not entirely sure of the year, but it is older, I'm thinking 70s. It is in really good shape, but I want to update it. Is that possible, to retain the frame and basically put all new parts on it? I have wanted to learn more about fixing bikes for awhile and I thought this would be a good bike to learn on. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
.
I agree that your Raleigh is in "really good shape."
Beyond CAMPYBOB's observation that your "
old Raleigh is a perfect machine to learn bicycle mechanics on" I want to add that you probably don't need the bike-specific tools until you feel a need to perform the suggested maintenance with the headset & BB ... and, if you opt to eventually upgrade the crankset sooner-than-later then you may not need to buy the tools for the vintage BB ...
While
dabac is correct that it is often less expensive to buy a "new" bike with the components which you want than to buy rather than to buy them
a la carte, THAT is only true if you are buying all the components ...
But, all of the components do NOT have to changed if you are savvy about how you upgrade your bike.
That's probably a long prologue to say that for under $200 (US) that you can update your bike from a late-70s/early-80s bike to a 21st Century bike ...
Beyond the frame material, the main difference between your bike & a "new" bike is the integrated shifters & brake levers.
Consquently, YOU can update your vintage Raleigh by simply installing a pair of
CAMPAGNOLO SHIFTERS and (
possibly-but-not-necessarily depending on your bike's current rear derailleur) a Shimano 8-or-9-speed rear derailleur + (
optional, but recommended) a 7-speed SunRace Freewheel.
I recommend a Shimano
XT 750 (or, later/better) MTB rear derailleur because 'I' would always rather have a longer cage rear derailleur than a short cage rear derailleur ...
While I haven't looked, recently, I believe that you can still buy a NOS pair of Campagnolo shifters for under $130, 24/7 on eBay ... a lightly used pair of 10-speed Chorus shifters may cost less. Some other models may cost less-or-more.
Campagnolo shifters will
mate successfully with almost ANY drivetrain!
Despite what some small-minded people would like to think, Campagnolo shifters not only work well with Shimano derailleurs, but they work
better.
I believe that a 7-speed
SunRace Freewheel will set you back <$30 (
even less on eBay). The Cogs on the SunRace Freewheel will have ramping (
a good thing) -- the ramping on the Cogs greatly facilitates shifting with ALL drivetrains. Here are just two examples ...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sunrace-7-speed-freewheel-13-24-NEW-/121196630868?pt=US_Cassettes_Freewheels_Cogs&hash=item1c37e1d354
http://www.ebay.com/itm/SunRace-7-speed-13-28-Freewheel-HG-Shimano-Cassette-Compatible-/350677745157?pt=US_Cassettes_Freewheels_Cogs&hash=item51a605be05
You will need to remove your old Freewheel ...
In addition to the proper removal tool, a considerable amount of leverage may be required!!
In two instances where the Freewheel would not budge on wheels that I had, I have resorted to grinding the outer (
moving) portion off; and then, while the core is still warm, removing the core with a pipe wrench. Someone more patient than I am might have disassembled the Freewheel to access the core, but 'I' have never been able to successfully remove the locking collars & Cogs from a Freewheel.
Presuming that you buy a Sunrace Freewheel, I recommend that you consider ordering a
Freewheel removal tool for the SunRace Freewheel, too.
Eventually, you may want to update the bike with a new wheelset which uses Cassettes on a Freehub. Respacing the frame's rear triangle to 130mm & realigning the rear dropouts can be a DIY project on most steel frames.
If you opt for Campagnolo shifters, then can continue to use your current front derailleur ... AND, use almost any chain width that you want.
BTW. Lubing the brake cable housing + scrubbing the brake pad's contact surface with some emery cloth is a good idea.
You may need to buy some additional cable housing + an additional derailleur cable + an additional brake cable -- you can use your current rear cables for the front & put the new cables on the rear ...
If you have a HARBOR FREIGHT near you, then you can get most of your generic tools there ...
I recommend their orange handled pliers & wire cutters because they are capable of cleanly snipping the stranded bicycle cables ...
Obviously, you can spend more money ...
FWIW. This is almost the same vintage bike (
mid-80s vs. early-80s/late-70s) of mine which does not have any of its original components:
BTW. I have an older (
early 70s) Raleigh Grand Prix which I am probably going to switch back to a fully geared bike from its current configuration as a Single Speed ...
I already re-spaced the frame's rear triangle to 130mm (
from 120mm) so that the frame is ready for a "regular" Road wheel ...
So, I just need to unwrap the handlebars & put the shifters on ... re-cable ... tape the cable housing to the handlebars (
I recommend regular MASKING tape) ... re-wrap the handlebars ... add a rear derailleur hanger + the rear & a front derailleur .. add an inner chainring ... add a new, longer chain ... add an appropriate rear wheel ... adjust derailleurs.
Done!
