Renovation or disposal?

"Jay" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

A neighbour has given me 2 neglected bikes which I am thinking of renovating.

They are:

o British Eagle Everest 22" oversize frame with Shimano SIS gears, 18 speed Quickshift, Shimano
Altus cantilever brakes;

o Raleigh Highlander 22" Reynolds 501 frame with Shimano 200GS gears and cantilever brakes,
21 speed.

The Everest needs the gears setting up (having replaced the seized chain, rear brake cable and
front inner tube). Gear cogs appear harldy warn.

The Highlander has stiff handlebars, slightly tight pedal turn and needs all cables renewing and
(at least) a new chain.

My gut feeling is that the Highlander is a good bike and worth saving but I am worried I am going
to open a money pit and would be better off buying a brand new, cheap bike. Any views?

Bike is going to be used for transport rather than racing or green-laning.

Any pointers to resources which will help a novice set up the gears?

Assuming a cheap bike is at least 250 notes you have a fair budget for renovation.

Why not start with a thorough clean up, lubricate and check over -- you may find that you need less
new bits than you thought to get started.

Sounds like you need to lubricate and adjust the head set.

Check out

sheldonbrown.comindex.htmlOpen ↗ for practical advice and
d.umn.eduindex.htmOpen ↗ for more detail than you can handle.

T

Tony W said:

Assuming a cheap bike is at least 250 notes you have a fair budget for renovation.

Gulp - new bikes are dearer than I thought! :o)

Quoted message said:

Why not start with a thorough clean up, lubricate and check over -- you may find that you need less
new bits than you thought to get started.

Sounds like you need to lubricate and adjust the head set.

Check out

sheldonbrown.comindex.htmlOpen ↗ for practical advice and
d.umn.eduindex.htmOpen ↗ for more detail than you can handle.

Thanks for the advice, and thanks for the excellent links - exactly what I need.

jay

In message <[email hidden]>, Jay <[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

Tony W said:

Assuming a cheap bike is at least 250 notes you have a fair budget for renovation.

Gulp - new bikes are dearer than I thought! :o)

You can get cheaper - much cheaper if you want, but GBP 200 is the very bottom whack I'd consider
as the point were you can get a reasonable bike, the 100 Quid (or less) jobbies are basically a
load of [censored].
--
Chris French, Leeds

"Jay" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the advice, and thanks for the excellent links - exactly what I need.

No problem.

Consensus around here is that a 59.99 quid supermarket special bike is OK if you intend to use it as
a decoration for your shed or as a stand to prop the garden tools against. Basically, to get down to
that price they have to use the crappiest materials going. Hence my 250 entry level.

Basically, you should be able to get one bike going well for relatively little outlay.

Have fun.

Tony W said:

Consensus around here is that a 59.99 quid supermarket special bike is OK if you intend to use it
as a decoration for your shed or as a stand to prop the garden tools against. Basically, to get
down to that price they have to use the crappiest materials going. Hence my 250 entry level.

Funny - I happened to buy and swiftly return said £59.99 bike to Safeway this morning. The front
forks were for a smaller wheel - the top of the wheel fouled on the bottom of the front stem and the
brake calipers were nowhere near reaching the rim of the wheel.

Quoted message said:

Basically, you should be able to get one bike going well for relatively little outlay.

I have said £60 :o))

Quoted message said:

Have fun.

Thanks - oily fingers already from cleaning up the deraileurs!

jay

Jay said:

A neighbour has given me 2 neglected bikes which I am thinking of renovating.

They are:

o British Eagle Everest 22" oversize frame with Shimano SIS gears, 18 speed Quickshift, Shimano
Altus cantilever brakes;

o Raleigh Highlander 22" Reynolds 501 frame with Shimano 200GS gears and cantilever brakes,
21 speed.

I've just been overhauling a 21 year old Raleigh with a 531 frame this weekend, and I have to say
I've been very impressed with the quality. I always had the idea that Raleigh were sort of mass
market and not particularly good, but this bike has excellent paint finish which hasn't faded or
dulled at all, and the frame really is very good and handles very well. Most of the chrome has gone,
which is a shame. The brakes are Weinmann centrepulls, which aren't up to much, but the crankset is
really nice and the derailleurs are good.

It needs all new cables, new chain, and new balls and cones in the rear wheel, but apart from that
it is a genuinely very nice bike and will give several years more good service.

So, yes, keep your old bikes going.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

;; ... exposing the violence incoherent in the system...

Simon Brooke said:

I've just been overhauling a 21 year old Raleigh with a 531 frame this weekend, and I have to say
I've been very impressed with the quality. I always had the idea that Raleigh were sort of mass
market and not particularly good,

They always made some top quality handbuilt ones as well.

Quoted message said:

but this bike has excellent paint finish which hasn't faded or dulled at all,

Yes the best Raleigh frames had an enamelled* finish which lasts forever - expect for the bits that
eventually chip off!
* This might explain why washing up liquid hasn't done mine any harm
:-D

Quoted message said:

and the frame really is very good and handles very well. Most of the chrome has gone, which is a
shame. The brakes are Weinmann centrepulls, which aren't up to much, but the crankset is really
nice and the derailleurs are good.

Which model? Royal?

~PB

Pete Biggs said:

Simon Brooke said:

I've just been overhauling a 21 year old Raleigh with a 531 frame this weekend, and I have to
say I've been very impressed with the quality. I always had the idea that Raleigh were sort of
mass market and not particularly good,

They always made some top quality handbuilt ones as well.

Quoted message said:

but this bike has excellent paint finish which hasn't faded or dulled at all,

Yes the best Raleigh frames had an enamelled* finish which lasts forever - expect for the bits
that eventually chip off!
* This might explain why washing up liquid hasn't done mine any harm
:-D

Quoted message said:

and the frame really is very good and handles very well. Most of the chrome has gone, which is
a shame. The brakes are Weinmann centrepulls, which aren't up to much, but the crankset is
really nice and the derailleurs are good.

Which model? Royal?

To be honest I don't know. There doesn;t seem to be a model name on it anywhere. It was my little
sister's and when she died she gave it to my partner. It's a sort of honey gold colour with lining
around the lugs. It's a women's frame with two narrow diameter tubes running straight from the top
of the head tube back to the rear axle dropouts (I think this used to be called a 'mixte' frame?).
The frame itself has a 531 sticker and the front forks have a 501 sticker; the bottom end fork
blades were chromed, but the chrome has mostly gone.

The bike has what bwere once rather nice half toe clips with leather covering to prevent damage to
your shoes, but unfortunately the chrome on these is completely gone and they can't be rechromed
without cutting the leather off. The mechanisms are all Raleigh badged and I don't know what make
they really are (I don't think Raleigh ever made derailleur mechanisms themselves, did they?).
They're not actually indexed but the levers have a nice clicky feel. The saddle was originally suede
but most of that's gone; the handlebars, as I remember, originally had suede handlebar tape, but at
some stage (probably at my suggestion) this has been replaced by Grab-On foam grips.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) jasmine.org.uk~simonOpen ↗

Age equals angst multiplied by the speed of fright squared.
;; the Worlock