ss/fixie project

[Dej]

i guess this is the 4000th post on this subject..
but on the weekend i had the chance to get an old raleigh, complete bike of
an unknown age.
ive got some more details from the sheldon site so i'll probably return to
check serial numbers etc.

some of the stickers had worn off, but it had 'raleigh, TI, made in england'
something about 'limited' and lugged tubes..only one minor 1cm round patch
of surface rust.
It was a 5 speed, suntour shifters (mounted near the stem, rather than
downtube) steel rims etc..
so i guess there's a fair bit of work to get it to single speed. i dont have
much in the way of specific bike tools (to remove cranks, cassette's etc
etc) so is it actually worth it?
They wanted $35 for the complete bike too btw..i'll be using it just to ride
to work on and maybe for short rides to shops etc
Just not sure if i can be bothered putting in the effort to convert it to SS
and find that its not that great to ride or whatever..

I just spent more cash on music gear so im sure the CFO will not approve of
another bike purchase, regardless of cost

 

[hippy]

"Dej" <[email protected]
> i guess this is the 4000th post on this subject..

Maybe..

> but on the weekend i had the chance to get an old raleigh, complete bike
of
> an unknown age.

I sold the Raleigh Flyer frame I had..

> so i guess there's a fair bit of work to get it to single speed. i dont
have
> much in the way of specific bike tools (to remove cranks, cassette's etc
> etc) so is it actually worth it?

Should be relatively easy to remove a chainring, unless they are the
cheap press-joined ones. Might need shorter chainring bolts (LBS).
Replace the screw-on cluster with a cog-liberated cassette (LBS
parts bin). Measure the chainline (Sheldon's site has standard dimensions
if measuring is tricky) and make sure it's spot on by using spacers
from an old rear cassette to alter the position of the rear cog on the
new cassette. Remove all evidence of shifters/deraillers. You might
need a cluster-remover tool - buy one or borrow one - I have a
Shimano Ultraglide style one I think and maybe some others..?

Even without proper tools.. most things can be removed with a
hammer, screwdriver and powerdrill/angle-grinder. :->
You don't think Park Tools actually _wants_ to make all those
different tools do you? Make their job easier - use force!

> Just not sure if i can be bothered putting in the effort to convert it to
SS
> and find that its not that great to ride or whatever..

Ride it as a gearie first - it might suck and there's no point ss'ing a
bike that you don't like anyway. Then get back to us if it doesn't
suck

> I just spent more cash on music gear so im sure the CFO will not approve
of
> another bike purchase, regardless of cost

CFO? Comfortable Female Other, Cash-Free Operator,
Certain Funding Objectionable..

hippy

 

[fred_kneeman]

Dej wrote:

Out of interest, fred writes,

> i guess this is the 4000th post on this subject..
> but on the weekend i had the chance to get an old raleigh, complete bike of
> an unknown age.

10 or so years? Or do you think it is it more veteran than that?

> ive got some more details from the sheldon site so i'll probably return to
> check serial numbers etc.
>
> some of the stickers had worn off, but it had 'raleigh, TI, made in england'

Titanium? A bicycle made in England!?!

> something about 'limited' and lugged tubes..only one minor 1cm round patch
> of surface rust.

No, obviously not Ti !

> It was a 5 speed, suntour shifters (mounted near the stem, rather than
> downtube) steel rims etc..

Is it a "10 speed" - in the "has it got drop bars or got flat bars"
sense? Obviously it's a 5-speed, but you kno what I mean. If it's got
non-drops, are they flat or [ shaped?

> so i guess there's a fair bit of work to get it to single speed. i dont have
> much in the way of specific bike tools (to remove cranks, cassette's etc

Are the cranks steel with "cotter-pins"? Oh, the memories, etc.

> etc) so is it actually worth it?
> They wanted $35 for the complete bike too btw..i'll be using it just to ride
> to work on and maybe for short rides to shops etc

It sounds rather "old skool"-ly hip! Maybe for fun you could put a
front basket on it...

> Just not sure if i can be bothered putting in the effort to convert it to SS
> and find that its not that great to ride or whatever..

Hippy's covered all the conversion probs. I'll just gild the lily a bit.

I just don't get the ss thing, so I'd want to ride with gears. First
thing I'd do would be to replace the stem shifter with (flat bars) a
cheap plastic thumb-shifter or (drop bars) a downtube shifter: $ 10 or
so for both options, so far so good.
My problem would be with the steel rims. I'd want to straight off
replace them with alloy rims, and bingo, there's the biggest problem.
Very cheapest workable alloy wheels $ 150 at least, which is almost 5 x
the price of the bike.
That's ignoring a lot of problems:
- the bike prolly has a screw-on... ummm, name of thing that isn't a
cassette - free-hub? Add the price of a 5-speed cassette and hub (nb: a
six-speed will probably work fine), if you can find them, laced to the
alloy rims.
- if it is of venerable age, it may have 27 1/4 inch wheels rather than
700c-s. If you manage to find a 27 1/4 inch wheelset, then there's the
problem of getting 27 1/4 tyres and tubes (aka, Mission Impossible).
- if you shell out the bucks to get 700c wheels, the brakes that like 27
1/4 inch wheels might be terminally misaligned, and there's another $ 20
at cheapest plus new outers and cables front and back...


> I just spent more cash on music gear so im sure the CFO will not approve of
> another bike purchase, regardless of cost
>

Heh heh... onya Dej! 'Next purchase is for "road music"'...

***
fnakap