My 1988 Raleigh Gemini winter bike.

[roadrash]

I'm sure your dad would be happy that you are still going to be using it,it must hold many memories for you

 

[raleighnut]

Hi Folks!

I'm new here. Joined because I'm restoring an old Raleigh Gemini 18. Am I correct that this thread is still live? The dates are confusing me because this was originally started back in 2016. Some time ago I inherited the Gemini from my father who bought it new back in 88/89. He and I did cycle touring most weekends while I was growing up and we cycled most of our lives since. This was the last bike he was able to ride before he passed away. So yea, there's more than a little sentimental value in me riding this frame.

Here's the badger before I started:

View attachment 400156

Nice

What plans for the rebuild, up-rate or standard(ish)

 

[iC3N1]

So here's what it looked like earlier this week....

Brakes. Shimano CX-50 cyclocross cantilever brakes / standard Shimano levers.
Wheels. Shimano R-500 (got them for a real bargain!)
Headset. Deda Elementi Deda Quill Stem Adapter with bar and headset from the missus' bike.
Tyres. Funky red Michelin Lithion 700x23
Shifters. Shimano bar-end shifters (yes, I know - Marmite(tm) to many.
Groupset. Shimano X8 cassette (can't remember which one) / Shimano Tourney TX 8 Speed MTB Rear Mech / Original front changer and rings (TBD)
De-badged. Was going to get the frame repainted but I'm liking the look now.

 

[GuyBoden]

That's looking good. The Bar End shifters are a nice touch and the brakes, I'd like to improve my brakes too in the future...................

The Gemini 531 frame has a comfortable geometry.

 

[iC3N1]

So, with much kicking, screaming and swearing I'm getting close to the end of phase 1 of the rebuild. I managed to go out on a test ride last night. The change from straight to drop had changed the handling making the bike feel far more responsive. I'll tell you about the pains I've had with the brakes later.

I'd like some advice.

Phase two is me considering changing the bottom bracket and the front chain set. I'm a little confused about what I have hear but I can see it is square tapered. Any suggestions on how and what to swap out to?

I'll see if I can get more photos up once I've stopped swearing at the SKS mudguards I'm putting on.

There is a phase three, which is the possibility of a respray. Right now, I'm wondering if I could get the paintwork professionally restored because I'm really growing to like the original "Magpie" finish. Anyone know if it's possible to get a frame restored rather than repainted and I this is more or less costly than a respray that copies the original colour scheme?

BTW, a friend has suggested that he and I ride from Lands End to John o Groats with me on this bike in memory of 'The Old Fella. While this is very fitting, I'm still considering the wisdom of it! Any thoughts?

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I must admit I don't see why you are even considering messing around with the chainset and BB, other than stripping the BB and regreasing it. The parts fitted to the Gemini were good quality, and unless the bike has been run into the ground and abused, you are going to achieve absolutely nothing from changing anything other than spoiling it's originality. The best way to protect the original colour scheme and decals is to give the frame a thorough clean down using something like car sprayers panel wipe to remove all traces of dirt & grease, and give the bike a coat of clear lacquer/coach varnish to seal the existing surface and protect the decals from the weather when the bike is in use. You can do this cheaply and easily enough yourself, you just need all the bolt-on components off the frame and somewhere to hang it from.
I don't plan on making any changes to my Gemini, apart from fitting new tyres and possibly replacing the original mudguards as they are a little bit distorted and not very fresh looking. They are still fully functional though. The "Magpie" colour scheme wouldn't have been my first choice, but it's how it was made, and as mine is in very good condition with only a few light marks, I am going to leave it alone and accept that this is what late 1980's Raleighs looked like and just enjoy the lightweight Reynolds frame and predictable handling..
No reason why you can't ride your Gemini for any long distance you want, if you are fit enough. The bike will cope with it easily so long as it is properly maintained and adjusted. The frame geometry is Touring and it is designed for this sort of use.

 

[GuyBoden]

So, with much kicking, screaming and swearing I'm getting close to the end of phase 1 of the rebuild. I managed to go out on a test ride last night. The change from straight to drop had changed the handling making the bike feel far more responsive. I'll tell you about the pains I've had with the brakes later.

I'd like some advice.

Phase two is me considering changing the bottom bracket and the front chain set. I'm a little confused about what I have hear but I can see it is square tapered. Any suggestions on how and what to swap out to?

I'll see if I can get more photos up once I've stopped swearing at the SKS mudguards I'm putting on.

There is a phase three, which is the possibility of a respray. Right now, I'm wondering if I could get the paintwork professionally restored because I'm really growing to like the original "Magpie" finish. Anyone know if it's possible to get a frame restored rather than repainted and I this is more or less costly than a respray that copies the original colour scheme?

BTW, a friend has suggested that he and I ride from Lands End to John o Groats with me on this bike in memory of 'The Old Fella. While this is very fitting, I'm still considering the wisdom of it! Any thoughts?

If the BB cups and axle are not too badly pitted, just replace the bearings and regrease. The front Shimano triples are good, unless they have been damaged. The brakes are more my concern, they're not as good as other brakes. I had no problems fitting the SKS mudguards, don't fit them too close, give enough clearance for any future bigger tyres.

 

[iC3N1]

...I had no problems fitting the SKS mudguards, don't fit them too close, give enough clearance for any future bigger tyres.

Now he tells me :-)

 

[iC3N1]

So here's what it looked like earlier this week.... View attachment 400163

Almost there. Already done a couple of hundred K's and very enjoyable.

Observations

1. Bar-end shifters. Yet to be convinced. I love the action, but they may end-up on the stem or as thumbies.
2. The SKS mudguards are not a problem but there are not the simplest to mount and get right.
3. Much happier with the Shimano BR-CX50 brakes.

 

[Melgemctc1]

I bought one as a lot of CTC club members did way back in the 80's and was really pleased with it. Today I am more in love with my vans therefore it and my other bikes lanquish in my garage. Mine needs a new saddle and had a new drive on it once . but it didn't quite suit . So that needs restoring to the original mode. Also it wants stripping down and repainting , but I don't want to lose the graphics . Is there a way to make my own or does Raleigh still produce them ?

 

[MidnightRider]

Hi all. I came across this thread and thought I would post some historic info in case anyone else is looking up this bike.

In my teens I was given a Raleigh 20 with a hub gear system and twist grip change. I started work at 18 and came home and took it out most nights without rain, but it laboured up the hills near me. At 21 I bought my first 'real' bike. I was looking for a 5 or 6 speed, around the year 1988. After much searching of catalogues and bike shops around the Gloucester/Cheltenham/Bristol triangle I saw a Raleigh Gemini 18 speed in a Cheltenham shop, Williams Cycles. I thought it was beautiful, the first bike I had really liked, instant love at 1st sight. I was put off by the huge number of gears though and did not buy it. Racked with regret I eventually found one in a bike shop near the Bear Pit in Bristol (as the one at Williams had gone), on the A38 past the Full Moon pub but on the opposite side of the road, I think it closed down some years back. It was hard to find a Gemini anywhere as they did not seem to be widely stocked. I have since read they were only made for a year or so. My friend borrowed his mums car (a Vauxhall Nova, not all that large) and we wedged the bike in. By the time I got home I was the owner of a large bruise as a bit of the bike had dug into me for 12 miles of car ride. The next few days I rode up and down the driveway, trying to overcome my fear of the gears. Eventually I switched the (early days) indexing off, as I was happier with using it as a friction shift.

I paid around £230 for her, she was the biggest purchase I had ever made and remained so for some years. She came with a postcard sized label with a black and white photo on it and the name of a man, Clive Boot. It was handbuilt in Nottingham when the largest bike factory in the world was still there. Mr Boot was the man who built my bicycle. I do not know if that meant he was the frame welder or if he assembled the components and placed them. I have always thought of my bike as 'Clives Machine'. I realise it was for advertising but it was really nice to have a photo of the chap and it was signed by him too in biro. I still have the card somewhere. I still have the bike too, its a little bit of Clive continuing on, still making people happy.

My bike, over double the price I had hoped to spend on a new bike (falling in love is expensive!) moved into the family living room, where it lived for many years, warm dry and well polished.

About 10 days after Clives Machine arrived home from the shop, I went on my first ever cycling holiday with my friend, near Tenby. I knew nothing of bike mechanics then and trusted the bike shop. I turned down a very long hill nose to tail with tourist traffic. A huge pothole loomed. I tried to brake and the bike started to slow, but then did not continue to slow. I pulled harder and harder on the brakes, should have had plenty of time to stop but nothing improved. Unable to avoid the pot hole, I was forced to try to brake using the earth bank hoping I would not be thrown into the traffic. The bike fought to stay upright as it passed the inch or so wide gap between the bank and the pothole. I was very lucky. Its the nearest I have been to getting killed. I managed to stop using the bank. All the traffic stopped, the poor car driver nearest looking really scared. Oddly I thought the bike fought for me, I was to learn in fact over the years it has always seemed 'on my side' on tricky ground.

It was not the bikes fault. On examining the bike I found the bike mechanic had not set up the brakes correctly and I was too ignorant to have known how to check a new bike over or that it needed to be checked, as it braked OK on the flat or moderate hills. The womens frame has a weird brake cable run. It comes down the top tube, up the back of the seat tube and then because of the difficult run angle, it goes over a pulley and down to the cantilever cross wire bridge piece. The mechanic had set it up so that hard breaking pulled the bridge piece up, jamming it into the pully, so the brake could not be properly applied. It was a good lesson. I learned to do all my own mechanics from then on, as I would prefer to die from my own mistakes rather than someone elses. I have bought several new bikes since and have found many shop mechanics to be rubbish and dangerous at setting up new bikes.

Clives Machine retired from fully active service about 15 years ago. All of her components are original other than cable wires, chain, saddle and replaced ball bearings, despite being used most days for many years. I even still have the Karrimore Iberian panniers my friend bought me to go on her. Her paint and decals are pretty much as new, she even still has her BioPace sticker on the chainrings as she did not stand out in the wet. The pain looks black and white on photos but its not, its a white ground with dark grey flashing and then a 3rd layer of metallic over part of that. The paint job is lovely, let down a bit by the deckals which have not visually aged well as a design. Her rims are quite worn now which is why she does not go out much. I intend to get them rebuilt at some point but I hold back as I like her how she is and will eventually get new wheels and keep her old set. I am very sentimental about her and thats also why she does not do many runs now. I have 5 other bikes so there is no need to wear her down. I would not have those bikes if she had not been so much fun to ride. I have built one of my own bikes now, frame up. I went out of my way to kit it with retro friction shifts as I still enjoy riding them.

One of the odd things about the womans Gemini frame is its behaviour. It is quite a springly frame in a pleasant way. If you go over a sharp speed hump it feels as if the frame is a living thing, as if it kicks up invisible heels with the joy of going over the bump. Its like riding something alive in the way none of my other bikes have ever felt. Perhaps this feel is there in the mens frame - it may be why as mentioned in an earlier post, it was the favorite bike of a man who had a collection. She is robust though, and copes very well with heavily loaded panniers. She is stiff laterally. I have never seen her visibly flex. I love the heel kick ups.

Unless something unexpected happens, Clives Machine will be with me until I die (hopefully we have a few decades left togeather). I can't imagine not having her around. Mr Boot, I am grateful to you.

 

[biggs682]

Hi all. I came across this thread and thought I would post some historic info in case anyone else is looking up this bike.

In my teens I was given a Raleigh 20 with a hub gear system and twist grip change. I started work at 18 and came home and took it out most nights without rain, but it laboured up the hills near me. At 21 I bought my first 'real' bike. I was looking for a 5 or 6 speed, around the year 1988. After much searching of catalogues and bike shops around the Gloucester/Cheltenham/Bristol triangle I saw a Raleigh Gemini 18 speed in a Cheltenham shop, Williams Cycles. I thought it was beautiful, the first bike I had really liked, instant love at 1st sight. I was put off by the huge number of gears though and did not buy it. Racked with regret I eventually found one in a bike shop near the Bear Pit in Bristol (as the one at Williams had gone), on the A38 past the Full Moon pub but on the opposite side of the road, I think it closed down some years back. It was hard to find a Gemini anywhere as they did not seem to be widely stocked. I have since read they were only made for a year or so. My friend borrowed his mums car (a Vauxhall Nova, not all that large) and we wedged the bike in. By the time I got home I was the owner of a large bruise as a bit of the bike had dug into me for 12 miles of car ride. The next few days I rode up and down the driveway, trying to overcome my fear of the gears. Eventually I switched the (early days) indexing off, as I was happier with using it as a friction shift.

I paid around £230 for her, she was the biggest purchase I had ever made and remained so for some years. She came with a postcard sized label with a black and white photo on it and the name of a man, Clive Boot. It was handbuilt in Nottingham when the largest bike factory in the world was still there. Mr Boot was the man who built my bicycle. I do not know if that meant he was the frame welder or if he assembled the components and placed them. I have always thought of my bike as 'Clives Machine'. I realise it was for advertising but it was really nice to have a photo of the chap and it was signed by him too in biro. I still have the card somewhere. I still have the bike too, its a little bit of Clive continuing on, still making people happy.

My bike, over double the price I had hoped to spend on a new bike (falling in love is expensive!) moved into the family living room, where it lived for many years, warm dry and well polished.

About 10 days after Clives Machine arrived home from the shop, I went on my first ever cycling holiday with my friend, near Tenby. I knew nothing of bike mechanics then and trusted the bike shop. I turned down a very long hill nose to tail with tourist traffic. A huge pothole loomed. I tried to brake and the bike started to slow, but then did not continue to slow. I pulled harder and harder on the brakes, should have had plenty of time to stop but nothing improved. Unable to avoid the pot hole, I was forced to try to brake using the earth bank hoping I would not be thrown into the traffic. The bike fought to stay upright as it passed the inch or so wide gap between the bank and the pothole. I was very lucky. Its the nearest I have been to getting killed. I managed to stop using the bank. All the traffic stopped, the poor car driver nearest looking really scared. Oddly I thought the bike fought for me, I was to learn in fact over the years it has always seemed 'on my side' on tricky ground.

It was not the bikes fault. On examining the bike I found the bike mechanic had not set up the brakes correctly and I was too ignorant to have known how to check a new bike over or that it needed to be checked, as it braked OK on the flat or moderate hills. The womens frame has a weird brake cable run. It comes down the top tube, up the back of the seat tube and then because of the difficult run angle, it goes over a pulley and down to the cantilever cross wire bridge piece. The mechanic had set it up so that hard breaking pulled the bridge piece up, jamming it into the pully, so the brake could not be properly applied. It was a good lesson. I learned to do all my own mechanics from then on, as I would prefer to die from my own mistakes rather than someone elses. I have bought several new bikes since and have found many shop mechanics to be rubbish and dangerous at setting up new bikes.

Clives Machine retired from fully active service about 15 years ago. All of her components are original other than cable wires, chain, saddle and replaced ball bearings, despite being used most days for many years. I even still have the Karrimore Iberian panniers my friend bought me to go on her. Her paint and decals are pretty much as new, she even still has her BioPace sticker on the chainrings as she did not stand out in the wet. The pain looks black and white on photos but its not, its a white ground with dark grey flashing and then a 3rd layer of metallic over part of that. The paint job is lovely, let down a bit by the deckals which have not visually aged well as a design. Her rims are quite worn now which is why she does not go out much. I intend to get them rebuilt at some point but I hold back as I like her how she is and will eventually get new wheels and keep her old set. I am very sentimental about her and thats also why she does not do many runs now. I have 5 other bikes so there is no need to wear her down. I would not have those bikes if she had not been so much fun to ride. I have built one of my own bikes now, frame up. I went out of my way to kit it with retro friction shifts as I still enjoy riding them.

One of the odd things about the womans Gemini frame is its behaviour. It is quite a springly frame in a pleasant way. If you go over a sharp speed hump it feels as if the frame is a living thing, as if it kicks up invisible heels with the joy of going over the bump. Its like riding something alive in the way none of my other bikes have ever felt. Perhaps this feel is there in the mens frame - it may be why as mentioned in an earlier post, it was the favorite bike of a man who had a collection. She is robust though, and copes very well with heavily loaded panniers. She is stiff laterally. I have never seen her visibly flex. I love the heel kick ups.

Unless something unexpected happens, Clives Machine will be with me until I die (hopefully we have a few decades left togeather). I can't imagine not having her around. Mr Boot, I am grateful to you.

Great read and keep enjoying your bike

 

[GuyBoden]

Hi all. I came across this thread and thought I would post some historic info in case anyone else is looking up this bike.

In my teens I was given a Raleigh 20 with a hub gear system and twist grip change. I started work at 18 and came home and took it out most nights without rain, but it laboured up the hills near me. At 21 I bought my first 'real' bike. I was looking for a 5 or 6 speed, around the year 1988. After much searching of catalogues and bike shops around the Gloucester/Cheltenham/Bristol triangle I saw a Raleigh Gemini 18 speed in a Cheltenham shop, Williams Cycles. I thought it was beautiful, the first bike I had really liked, instant love at 1st sight. I was put off by the huge number of gears though and did not buy it. Racked with regret I eventually found one in a bike shop near the Bear Pit in Bristol (as the one at Williams had gone), on the A38 past the Full Moon pub but on the opposite side of the road, I think it closed down some years back. It was hard to find a Gemini anywhere as they did not seem to be widely stocked. I have since read they were only made for a year or so. My friend borrowed his mums car (a Vauxhall Nova, not all that large) and we wedged the bike in. By the time I got home I was the owner of a large bruise as a bit of the bike had dug into me for 12 miles of car ride. The next few days I rode up and down the driveway, trying to overcome my fear of the gears. Eventually I switched the (early days) indexing off, as I was happier with using it as a friction shift.

I paid around £230 for her, she was the biggest purchase I had ever made and remained so for some years. She came with a postcard sized label with a black and white photo on it and the name of a man, Clive Boot. It was handbuilt in Nottingham when the largest bike factory in the world was still there. Mr Boot was the man who built my bicycle. I do not know if that meant he was the frame welder or if he assembled the components and placed them. I have always thought of my bike as 'Clives Machine'. I realise it was for advertising but it was really nice to have a photo of the chap and it was signed by him too in biro. I still have the card somewhere. I still have the bike too, its a little bit of Clive continuing on, still making people happy.

My bike, over double the price I had hoped to spend on a new bike (falling in love is expensive!) moved into the family living room, where it lived for many years, warm dry and well polished.

About 10 days after Clives Machine arrived home from the shop, I went on my first ever cycling holiday with my friend, near Tenby. I knew nothing of bike mechanics then and trusted the bike shop. I turned down a very long hill nose to tail with tourist traffic. A huge pothole loomed. I tried to brake and the bike started to slow, but then did not continue to slow. I pulled harder and harder on the brakes, should have had plenty of time to stop but nothing improved. Unable to avoid the pot hole, I was forced to try to brake using the earth bank hoping I would not be thrown into the traffic. The bike fought to stay upright as it passed the inch or so wide gap between the bank and the pothole. I was very lucky. Its the nearest I have been to getting killed. I managed to stop using the bank. All the traffic stopped, the poor car driver nearest looking really scared. Oddly I thought the bike fought for me, I was to learn in fact over the years it has always seemed 'on my side' on tricky ground.

It was not the bikes fault. On examining the bike I found the bike mechanic had not set up the brakes correctly and I was too ignorant to have known how to check a new bike over or that it needed to be checked, as it braked OK on the flat or moderate hills. The womens frame has a weird brake cable run. It comes down the top tube, up the back of the seat tube and then because of the difficult run angle, it goes over a pulley and down to the cantilever cross wire bridge piece. The mechanic had set it up so that hard breaking pulled the bridge piece up, jamming it into the pully, so the brake could not be properly applied. It was a good lesson. I learned to do all my own mechanics from then on, as I would prefer to die from my own mistakes rather than someone elses. I have bought several new bikes since and have found many shop mechanics to be rubbish and dangerous at setting up new bikes.

Clives Machine retired from fully active service about 15 years ago. All of her components are original other than cable wires, chain, saddle and replaced ball bearings, despite being used most days for many years. I even still have the Karrimore Iberian panniers my friend bought me to go on her. Her paint and decals are pretty much as new, she even still has her BioPace sticker on the chainrings as she did not stand out in the wet. The pain looks black and white on photos but its not, its a white ground with dark grey flashing and then a 3rd layer of metallic over part of that. The paint job is lovely, let down a bit by the deckals which have not visually aged well as a design. Her rims are quite worn now which is why she does not go out much. I intend to get them rebuilt at some point but I hold back as I like her how she is and will eventually get new wheels and keep her old set. I am very sentimental about her and thats also why she does not do many runs now. I have 5 other bikes so there is no need to wear her down. I would not have those bikes if she had not been so much fun to ride. I have built one of my own bikes now, frame up. I went out of my way to kit it with retro friction shifts as I still enjoy riding them.

One of the odd things about the womans Gemini frame is its behaviour. It is quite a springly frame in a pleasant way. If you go over a sharp speed hump it feels as if the frame is a living thing, as if it kicks up invisible heels with the joy of going over the bump. Its like riding something alive in the way none of my other bikes have ever felt. Perhaps this feel is there in the mens frame - it may be why as mentioned in an earlier post, it was the favorite bike of a man who had a collection. She is robust though, and copes very well with heavily loaded panniers. She is stiff laterally. I have never seen her visibly flex. I love the heel kick ups.

Unless something unexpected happens, Clives Machine will be with me until I die (hopefully we have a few decades left togeather). I can't imagine not having her around. Mr Boot, I am grateful to you.

Nice story, and a nice bike to ride too. I sold my Gemini as I didn't like the canti-brakes, but they are very good bikes.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I sold my Gemini as I didn't like the canti-brakes, but they are very good bikes.

I've got no intention of selling mine, they are good frames and there aren't very many of them around. They are much, much, rarer than Raleigh Pioneers, and were quite a bit more expensive to buy new.
No complaints about my brakes, and the blocks might even be the originals. I've been riding it for three years now and I haven't changed them.

 

[MidnightRider]

Thank you all, glad you enjoyed the tale.

I have found the technical specs listed here
http://classiclightweights.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Raleigh1988-6.jpg

Info, serial numbers, old Raleigh catalogues here
http://classiclightweights.net/united-kingdom/raleigh/

1988 Raleigh Lightweights catalogue scans here (inc Gemini) - people are riding them in the photo
http://classiclightweights.net/unit...ogues-etc/1988-raleigh-lightweight-catalogue/