1940s Raleigh rescue - Should I or shouldn't I?
- Thread starter ChrisEyles
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
If you go using a heat gun or torch I would put a small sheet of steel or ally between the brake rod and the frame to try to protect the paintwork from burning.I finally got around to sorting out the SA shifter this afternoon. I'm not 100% happy with the cable routing, since the pulley I ordered won't fit around the seat tube, only the top tube, but it looks OK and works fine. I used @mjray's method and it worked great.
View attachment 101258
Added in the rear mudguard and the whole bike is nearly ready to go
View attachment 101259
Just got to sort out that pesky frozen rod brake. I actually just realised that I forgot to tighten up the rear brake rod before testing out the back brakes... they worked perfectly despite this, which I guess must mean that rust is pretty strong!
View attachment 101260
I need to get hold of a blowtorch and see if that cracks it... must admit it is a little frustrating being so near and yet so far to being able to take it on it's maiden voyage!
OP
OP
ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
My dad has a heat gun I could borrow, not sure if this will be quite as good as a blowtorch? I was planning on using some heavily tinfoil coated cardboard between the frame and rod, which should manage the same job.
Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
You could place a damp wrag around the frame as an extra measure. If you do get any movement on the seized nut or whatever don't continue to try to
Move it in the same direction but to reverse direction, winding back on itself , clean off the thread, apply oil or more heat and try unwinding again.
It is a slow process but if you are careful you can save seized parts. Slowly slowly catchy monkey, was the old saying.
Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
I was wondering if you have tried Hamerite rust removing gel. I have found it to be pretty amazing at removing rust. If you let the stuff soak, rust can be brushed or scraped off quite easily and then washed off.
OP
OP
ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
Thanks for the tips @Illaveago, a damp rag is also a good idea. Fortunately I have plenty of left-over paint to touch things up if it all goes wrong!
Actually the locking nut is already perfectly free to move - it's just the thin rod is rusted solid into the sleeve (which should slid up and down to offer height adjustment of the brake stirrup). This is proving a bit trickier to fix than a bound nut, partly because the gap is really too small to get any oil/gel into and partly because it's very hard to get a good grip on the two pieces to try and twist/pull them apart. Let's hope the heat gun does the job!
Actually the locking nut is already perfectly free to move - it's just the thin rod is rusted solid into the sleeve (which should slid up and down to offer height adjustment of the brake stirrup). This is proving a bit trickier to fix than a bound nut, partly because the gap is really too small to get any oil/gel into and partly because it's very hard to get a good grip on the two pieces to try and twist/pull them apart. Let's hope the heat gun does the job!
Illaveago
Guru
- Location
- Chippenham,Wiltshire.
You do like complicating things dont you!
Is there a way that you can reove it from your bike by disconnecting it further up allowing you to either let it soak in WD40 or to allow you to hold tight at either end and twist it whilst it is
being heated.
raleighnut
Legendary Member
- Location
- One of the 'Elite'
As a sideways fix how would fitting a new set of brake blocks help towards getting a bit less lever travel. As I remember (from the mists of time past) the only time you really needed to reset the rod was if you adjusted the bars. Failing that why not set the brakes by raising and lowering the stem.
just remember "there's more ways of killing a pig than stuffing £5 notes up it's jacksie"
OP
OP
ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
Haha, yes I'm afraid I am a champion over-complicator - guilty as charged!
The "original" height of the handlebars was very high indeed, with less than 1" inside the steerer tube. I don't think this looked safe, so I've lowered it a bit, hence why the brakes need adjusting. Removing the rod from the handlebars is a possibility, (although I had a lot of difficulty with the other bike getting it off and then re-assembled with the spring in place when I did this) and would allow for soaking in WD40... But getting a good grip on the rod will probably be just as hard when it is removed - I have tried numerous pliers, mole grips, vices, but the rust is stronger than all of them so far!
Different (taller) brake blocks would fix the issue, but only if they were truly enormous, since there is about 1" of travel to make up! I have thought about drilling a new hole into the brake stirrup to move the pads up, but it'd obviously be better to free up the sleeve if possible.
The "original" height of the handlebars was very high indeed, with less than 1" inside the steerer tube. I don't think this looked safe, so I've lowered it a bit, hence why the brakes need adjusting. Removing the rod from the handlebars is a possibility, (although I had a lot of difficulty with the other bike getting it off and then re-assembled with the spring in place when I did this) and would allow for soaking in WD40... But getting a good grip on the rod will probably be just as hard when it is removed - I have tried numerous pliers, mole grips, vices, but the rust is stronger than all of them so far!
Different (taller) brake blocks would fix the issue, but only if they were truly enormous, since there is about 1" of travel to make up! I have thought about drilling a new hole into the brake stirrup to move the pads up, but it'd obviously be better to free up the sleeve if possible.
OP
OP
ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
Done it! 
The rod just needs straightening up a touch and then everything should be good to go!
@Illaveago and @raleighnut you were dead right it wasn't that complicated in the end... just stick the rod in a vice and whack the sleeve down to break the seal... I was just reluctant to take the rod off the handelbars because I know getting the little spring back on would be a pest (something to look forward to later on). No blowtorch required in the end.
The rod just needs straightening up a touch and then everything should be good to go!
@Illaveago and @raleighnut you were dead right it wasn't that complicated in the end... just stick the rod in a vice and whack the sleeve down to break the seal... I was just reluctant to take the rod off the handelbars because I know getting the little spring back on would be a pest (something to look forward to later on). No blowtorch required in the end.
OP
OP
ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
I took the 1950s light roadster out for an adventure yesterday, out down to the coast along the Exe estuary for a little bird watching and then back through the countryside back lanes. Usually I avoid cycle paths and old railway tracks on my rides since they feel a bit bumpy and slow on a ten speed, but I really enjoyed bouncing along the tracks on this bike and it was great to take things at a slower pace for a change.
The rod brakes got put through their paces with an emergency stop for a suicidal jack russell, and then a both-brakes-jammed-on-and-not-sure-if-it'll-be-enough descent into a gorgeous little village called Otterton. Granted the roads were bone dry, but the brakes were remarkably effective, I'd say almost as good as the centre pull caliper brakes on my ten speed. The back brake did make a heck of a noise though, I guess I need to toe in the pads a bit (I guess this follows the same principle as conventional rim brakes i.e. furthest forward part of the pad closer to the rim?).
It's always funny how different a reaction you get from other cyclists depending on what bike you're riding... I was firmly blanked by 90% of the roadies who normally oblige with a smile and a "hello" when I'm out on my other bikes, but had several lovely chats with families on their way to the sea-front, and one entertaining one with an old (rather sozzled from the look of it) chap who'd been biking his way down the coast from London, sea fishing at each stop. Also fixed up a little girl's handlebars after she'd twisted them a little in a low-speed dootle into a wall, which is always a nice thing to be able to do.
I got a bit lost on the way back home, and the planned 50 mile ride ended up at 66 miles (incluing an unplanned whopping great hill) so it's quite possibly the bike's longest adventure in 60-odd years on the road (or languishing in someone's garage more likely). I imagine I'll probably sell this one on at some point, assuming the 1937 roadster lives up to expectations (Mrs Chris informs me I am firmly on W-1 as far as number of bikes go... and I'd like to build up a fixed gear and maybe a mountain bike to play around with too), so it's nice to have had a Summer's riding and a few great rides on it first.
The rod brakes got put through their paces with an emergency stop for a suicidal jack russell, and then a both-brakes-jammed-on-and-not-sure-if-it'll-be-enough descent into a gorgeous little village called Otterton. Granted the roads were bone dry, but the brakes were remarkably effective, I'd say almost as good as the centre pull caliper brakes on my ten speed. The back brake did make a heck of a noise though, I guess I need to toe in the pads a bit (I guess this follows the same principle as conventional rim brakes i.e. furthest forward part of the pad closer to the rim?).
It's always funny how different a reaction you get from other cyclists depending on what bike you're riding... I was firmly blanked by 90% of the roadies who normally oblige with a smile and a "hello" when I'm out on my other bikes, but had several lovely chats with families on their way to the sea-front, and one entertaining one with an old (rather sozzled from the look of it) chap who'd been biking his way down the coast from London, sea fishing at each stop. Also fixed up a little girl's handlebars after she'd twisted them a little in a low-speed dootle into a wall, which is always a nice thing to be able to do.
I got a bit lost on the way back home, and the planned 50 mile ride ended up at 66 miles (incluing an unplanned whopping great hill) so it's quite possibly the bike's longest adventure in 60-odd years on the road (or languishing in someone's garage more likely). I imagine I'll probably sell this one on at some point, assuming the 1937 roadster lives up to expectations (Mrs Chris informs me I am firmly on W-1 as far as number of bikes go... and I'd like to build up a fixed gear and maybe a mountain bike to play around with too), so it's nice to have had a Summer's riding and a few great rides on it first.
OP
OP
ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
ps I've just finished going through this thread and replacing the broken links to pictures (don't know why but there were quite a few)... more for my own satisfaction than anything else, but if anyone else is doing up one of these bikes it might be a handy step-by-step guide!
Chris S
Legendary Member
- Location
- Birmingham
I had a similar problem with my centre-pull brakes. The noise disappeared when I fitted additional space washers on either side of the hub and tabbed anti-rotation washers under the axle nuts. I suspect I hadn't put the wheel in straight, or it had loosened itself slightly under torque.
OP
OP
ChrisEyles
Guru
- Location
- Devon
Thanks for the tip, I'll have to have a think about that... the vibrations will be slightly different from those with "normal" rim brakes, since the blocks contact the inner (curved) surface of the wheel rather than the flat edge of the rim. TBH I didn't pay much attention to toe in when I first installed the pads, so hope it will be an easy fix.
robsa
Über Member
- Location
- chesterfield
Did you file them in a slight arch to match the rim?
