Raleigh Moonrun Rescue

[Oldbikefan]

This was advertised on Gumtree as free bike. The blurb said really rough but shame to throw in the skip. I was looking for something to do during furlough last year and as it was only just down the road I went and had a look.
It was an 1990 ish Raleigh Moonrun and obviously left in the garden for years. I should have walked away, but I'm a sentimental fool and like a challenge.
Once back home I gave it a good inspection, the frame seemed good but everything else was pretty bad. Spiders had made a cosy home in the shifters, seat post was seized solid, bottom bracket was a rusty mess, all the cables were rusty, tyres were completely rotted, the list went on. But it was a Reynolds 501 frame with Suntour XC-E groupset and Alesa rims.
Over the next couple of months it was completely stripped, cleaned and bottom bracket, cables etc. replaced. It's probably not worth much and I'll never get the money spent back but it's not a bad bike so I'll keep it as an ongoing project.

 

[DRM]

That's a nice bike, they do look so much better nowadays with the dreadful 80's/90's stickers removed, was it powder coated, or have you painted it yourself?

 

[Oldbikefan]

That's a nice bike, they do look so much better nowadays with the dreadful 80's/90's stickers removed, was it powder coated, or have you painted it yourself?

The decals were too far gone to save and I wasn't keen on the design/colour anyway. The paint was surprisingly good, very thick almost like powder coat. I had to touch up the tube with a rattle can where I fought to get the seat post out. It's not perfect and I will probably do it again.

 

[DRM]

The decals were too far gone to save and I wasn't keen on the design/colour anyway. The paint was surprisingly good, very thick almost like powder coat. I had to touch up the tube with a rattle can where I fought to get the seat post out. It's not perfect and I will probably do it again.

I did the same with a Raleigh Max, the stickers were awful & also damaged, the metallic green paint is very thick and good quality, this wasn't an expensive bike when new either, I just need to find a suitable touch up shade to fill in some chips.

 

[Drago]

I had a Max Cromo BITD. Great bike that I deeply regret selling. That had a beautiful iridescent deep purply nylon powder coat, which was blighted with godawful cartoon stickers that I removed the moment I got the bike home.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

This was advertised on Gumtree as free bike. The blurb said really rough but shame to throw in the skip. I was looking for something to do during furlough last year and as it was only just down the road I went and had a look.
It was an 1990 ish Raleigh Moonrun and obviously left in the garden for years. I should have walked away, but I'm a sentimental fool and like a challenge.
Once back home I gave it a good inspection, the frame seemed good but everything else was pretty bad. Spiders had made a cosy home in the shifters, seat post was seized solid, bottom bracket was a rusty mess, all the cables were rusty, tyres were completely rotted, the list went on. But it was a Reynolds 501 frame with Suntour XC-E groupset and Alesa rims.
Over the next couple of months it was completely stripped, cleaned and bottom bracket, cables etc. replaced. It's probably not worth much and I'll never get the money spent back but it's not a bad bike so I'll keep it as an ongoing project. View attachment 589100

View attachment 589101

View attachment 589102

Thats nice, a good job well done.

 

[weareHKR]

Nice work...

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I saved one of these Moonruns from going to the tip - but with a large, and I mean large, 23" size frame. Those 501 framed Raleighs are decent bikes and weren't exactly cheap to buy new 30 years ago. The secondhand value compared to the refurbishment cost doesn't matter if you are going to keep it and ride it long term. No-one is making off the peg lugged Reynolds steel MTB's any more, so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

 

[Reynard]

Given that most of us who have 90s Raleigh MTBs have stripped the decals off them, I think we can conclude that they were universally godawful.

Paint, on the other hand, is another matter - that seems to be of better quality than most. My Max is a lovely bright cadmium red. And I love red bikes.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Given that most of us who have 90s Raleigh MTBs have stripped the decals off them, I think we can conclude that they were universally godawful.

Paint, on the other hand, is another matter - that seems to be of better quality than most. My Max is a lovely bright cadmium red. And I love red bikes.

I think it's fair to say the late 80s and 90's were not a golden era for graphic design on bikes, even though a lot of the machines themselves were very well made and have proved to be durable.
You will probably find the majority of 90's Raleighs were actually finished with very tough powder coat rather than wet paint. 30 year old examples with a finish nearly as good as new are not uncommon. Raleigh's surface coatings were probably the benchmark standard in mass produced bikes and often more durable than that of the small volume makers.

 

[Reynard]

I think the 80s and 90s totally bypassed the concept that less is more.

My friends who've seen my Max build are convinced that I repainted the frame. They think I'm funning them when I tell them that all I did was remove the decals and give it a good clean.

 

[12boy]

I have seen many decalled bikes which were clear coated over the decals. Makes it tough to get the decals off. My 92 Holdsworth is that way although the Holdsworth name and decal head bacgd aren't too bad.

 

[Oldbikefan]

Well that's the end of that. I advertised the bike on a few platforms but no takers. Plenty of people were interested in the Suntour groupset but didn't want the whole bike. In the end I needed the space so I stripped it. The chainset, cranks and pedals are on the Pioneer making it 15 speed now. The rest will be sold.
If anyone wants a 19"Reynolds 501 frame it's free if they can pick it up.

 

[Alembicbassman]

I've done a several of these 90s machines now, they look great when done. I like the garish colours though.

 

[Reynard]

I like those @Alembicbassman

Mind, there's no mistaking mine in the bike racks either...