raleigh 1962 grand sport

[me.tarzan]

HI h.e.l.p i have a 1962 grand sport ...it's so hard to ride in 1st feel's like 10th going up hill !!!!!!
but when you turn the bike up side down, the back wheel spins free'ish not saying that i am fat but to me it's
odd ?

 

[Hugh Manatee]

What gear is first? How many teeth on the smaller ring at the front and how many on the big sprocket at the rear? Gears have definitely being getting lower in recent years. Used to be 42/52 and around 25 at the back on a 10 speed?
I get by with a 12-23 cassette only because it is flat where I live now. If I still lived in Devon I would have had to go for 28 at the back by now!
Other things to check:
Are the brakes rubbing at all? Front and back?
Is there enough pressure in the tyres?

Welcome to the forum!

 

[midlife]

Ohhh! Pictures would be nice could also give an idea about your gear ratios

 

[me.tarzan]

HI 10,000 thanks for the reply ... new to all this kind of thing fresh out of the packet ...?
brakes free....tyres rock solid....1st is the big cog ....
the bike doe's not free wheel to far 6 or 7 yards even with gravity and aided with a slop
it slows quickly to a stop ....l have removed the back wheel and spun it in my finger
should the spindle run freer ..bit sluggish all moves free until you put your weight on the bike
and ride.....

 

[me.tarzan]

l will try to put pics on .....and count the teeth on the front and rear.....cog's

 

[raleighnut]

Pictures would help too.

 

[Illaveago]

Hi and .
By the sound of what you are saying it seems as though the bearings are at fault.

 

[Hugh Manatee]

Hi and .
By the sound of what you are saying it seems as though the bearings are at fault.

Indeed, is there any sideways movement of the rim if you try? It could be it hasn't been worked on in over 50 years! Grease might be a distant memory.

 

[Cycleops]

Hello and welcome the forum.

Have you tried another similar bike to compare?
Do the cranks spin free? Any play?

 

[Paulus]

Another thought, check the spoke tension, it could be that once you sit on the bike the wheel is going out of true and the tyre is rubbing on the frame, or the rim on the brakes

 

[Viking]

Back in the day I.e. the 1960s Raleigh “ racers” like the Blue Streak were supplied with 49/46 chainrings and 14-16-18-20-22 rear cogs, so the lowest gear was (46/22) x 27 = 56.5ish. Not great for spinning uphill.

 

[me.tarzan]

HI to all .....for the want of rolling ball bearings the bike was lost me'thinks.....
this cursed bike defies simple physics will not free wheel down any slope
so off i .....WALK ....to shop and buy the roundest of all ......sorry for the shakespeare
going to renew the bearings back wheel