SimonR
New Member
- Location
- Cambridge, UK
Hi folks,
I just joined this forum because I've recently bought 26 year old unused Reynolds 531 racing frameset and am intending to make it into a glorious retro bike.
The frame came from an eBay auction and I bought it because since writing off my Raleigh Record Ace about 10 years ago I've not been able to find a replacement bicycle to suit. This frame is exactly the same geometry and size as the Record Ace so I'm hopeful that I'll end up with exactly what I want.
I also have found a couple of donor bikes as a source of parts - a Raleigh Zenith (501 frame with Sugino GT cranks and Campagnolo chainset) and a Claud Butler Majestic touring bike with a 531 frame, light-weight Suntour chainset & 27x1.25" alloy wheels. I think I'm eventually going to rebuild the wheels with new spokes so that I can be sure that they're completely true and how I want them!
I'm also replacing my original Record Ace saddle's suede cover and hopefully adding a bit of gel cushioning to it to make it a little more comfortable. It was always pretty comfortable anyway.
I'm dismantling the donor bikes at the moment to work out what parts are re-usable and then I'll clean them all up with degrease before polishing and re-greasing them. I can't wait to get cracking with the build!
I was just wondering if anyone had any advice from doing a similar project - this is the first time I've tried something like this so it'll be a fairly steep learning curve!
I'll post some pictures of my progress as soon as I make any!
I just joined this forum because I've recently bought 26 year old unused Reynolds 531 racing frameset and am intending to make it into a glorious retro bike.
The frame came from an eBay auction and I bought it because since writing off my Raleigh Record Ace about 10 years ago I've not been able to find a replacement bicycle to suit. This frame is exactly the same geometry and size as the Record Ace so I'm hopeful that I'll end up with exactly what I want.
I also have found a couple of donor bikes as a source of parts - a Raleigh Zenith (501 frame with Sugino GT cranks and Campagnolo chainset) and a Claud Butler Majestic touring bike with a 531 frame, light-weight Suntour chainset & 27x1.25" alloy wheels. I think I'm eventually going to rebuild the wheels with new spokes so that I can be sure that they're completely true and how I want them!
I'm also replacing my original Record Ace saddle's suede cover and hopefully adding a bit of gel cushioning to it to make it a little more comfortable. It was always pretty comfortable anyway.
I'm dismantling the donor bikes at the moment to work out what parts are re-usable and then I'll clean them all up with degrease before polishing and re-greasing them. I can't wait to get cracking with the build!
I was just wondering if anyone had any advice from doing a similar project - this is the first time I've tried something like this so it'll be a fairly steep learning curve!
I'll post some pictures of my progress as soon as I make any!