Some advice / pointers on "doing up" an old bike

[RyanW]

HI all,

Can you please point me in the right direction / some posts which advice on how to do up an old, 1970's road bike.

I got my hands on a cheap Raleigh Olympus (I liked the colour scheme ) and would like some tips on how to get it up to speed.

It is currently "rideable" (the wheels go round when i peddle and there is air in the tyres) but i would like to strip it down, get everything moving as it should (The headset is very stiff) etc.

Any advice would be great, the only thing i know at the moment is about rust, and apart from a small patch below the seat all looks fine.

Rgds ryan

 

[sidevalve]

Start at one end and work along to the other. Strip out the head bearing clean and regrease then adjust. Same for all other bearings really. I would change the chain [unless it's very good] and same with the cassette [if you do check you get the right type].
Change the brake blocks, clean the rims and remove and clean the seat pillar [old 'uns seem to love seizing in].
Most 70s stuff was meant to be owner repaired and you may find a lot of loose ball bearings !
Bearings/parts for old bikes can be found new on E bay for a few pounds so it won't break the bank.
Could be a good project, have fun.

 

[dalewheeler]

Yay, i had two Olympuses in my teenage years served me well

 

[gbb]

Sidevalve hits the spot...bit by bit, one bit at a time, it keeps everything more manageable then.

Do up ? as in bring back to original working condition or to upgrade in some way ?
Upgrading quickly gets expensive, but thats not to say its not worth doing (i'm rambling now, you may not even be considering upgrading)
My winter commuters an old 27 inch wheeled 531 framed Raliegh, upgraded with new 700 wheels, modern (ish) groupset fitted, more gears, modern handlebars, saddle, better quality seatpost etc etc...nevertheless, all pretty basic modern stuff, it ran in at £250, a mix of new and used components, but its rock solid, reliable and very good value.

Immensely satisfying either way. You'll get plenty of advice, there's also plenty of online reference points as well.

 

[accountantpete]

The first step is to decide what you are going to do with the frame.

If you are not going to re-spray it then the easiest way to service the bike is one bit at a time so that you remember how the parts came off and go back together again.

I'd first check that you can get the seat post out and can undo the bottom bracket. These are the two most difficult things to do so it makes sense to deal with them first.

 

[PpPete]

70's bike will (almost certainly unless someone has been "having a go") have a quill stem (and threaded headset) , and a screw-on freewheel at the back (rather than a modern cassette).

For the headset you will likely need a spanner like this. Check the sizes of the nuts first though, there are some that don't seem to fit a 30/32/36/40 standard spanner. For fine tuning when you get it back together it helps to have two of them but you can often get away with a spanner on the locknut and a mole wrench and a bit of rag to protect the chrome plating on the top race. Don't worry about the cascade of ball bearings when you get it apart - best to replace anyway and they are a standard size.

As sidevalve suggests bikes of this era are very much owner repairable - there is nothing complicated that your average person can't figure out from first principles.... but if you can find an old copy of Richard's Bicycle Book (the one with the bearded chap and ghastly 70s jumper on the front... not the "21st century" update) it will save a bit of time.
Or there is always the website of the late lamented Sheldon Brown... his headset page is here.

 

[RyanW]

Start at one end and work along to the other. Strip out the head bearing clean and regrease then adjust. Same for all other bearings really. I would change the chain [unless it's very good] and same with the cassette [if you do check you get the right type].
Change the brake blocks, clean the rims and remove and clean the seat pillar [old 'uns seem to love seizing in].
Most 70s stuff was meant to be owner repaired and you may find a lot of loose ball bearings !
Bearings/parts for old bikes can be found new on E bay for a few pounds so it won't break the bank.
Could be a good project, have fun.

At this stage i just want to get it in good working order, i have been looking at replacement bits on 'bay to see what costs might look like.

The only upgrades i would consider at this point would be cassette, rear derailleur and shifters (I had an old Mercian Tri bike which shifted nicer then my allez elite does)

However as the shifters are not brazed on would be hard to upgrade to anything worthwhile.

I think my plan, from what i have read so far is,

1, clean it head to toe, check for rust / damage.
2, Re-grease headset / re-seat and ensure all is working fine.
3, do as above to BB
4, remove and clean / grease rear deraillure
5, Check and true wheels, replace rear cassette
6, sort / tune breaks and gears,
7, re-tape handle bars, buy a new saddle, touch up paint
8, go ridin'

Let me know if i missed anything.

 

[RyanW]

PS thanks for all your advise so far

 

[biggs682]

+ 1 re making sure all can either be undone or removed , and once decision made re frame , just start cleaning and re assembling , then use and enjoy

 

[Cubist]

Any chance of some pics? An Olympus was my first new bike.....

 

[RyanW]

Okay guys,

So far:
1, clean it head to toe, check for rust / damage. - Done. small amount of surface rust at the neck of the seat stay and the bike is a bit tatty (Shabby sheek seems to be the new term for it_
2, Re-grease headset / re-seat and ensure all is working fine. - Done, couldnt establish how to tighted the bars though, then i found the huge nut on the top , all is smooth however the headset is a bit tight, will loosen shortly
3, do as above to BB - all done, new bearings as the old ones were showing a small amount of rust, see the cotter pin post for that fun! new pins in (lubed) and will tighted in a few miles.
4, remove and clean / grease rear deraillure - kind of done, was running smoothly so removed all the crud and oiled rather then talking it off and apart, shifting smoothly
5, Check and true wheels, replace rear cassette - Wheels were true, after cleaning the rear cassette it was in very good nic (Although you would know looking at originally) front axle had a very slight bend so replaced, also replaced bearings front and back.
6, sort / tune breaks and gears, shiter is not indexed but can shift though the range, breaks are a bit loose but will tighten, need new pads,


What kind of downtube gear changed can i replace the one i have with, the rear cassette is "atom 5 speed" and its a Raleigh rear derailliure? .


Anything else i should do now mechanical?

Ryan

 

[Red Light]

You'll probably find 5 - truing the wheels - impossible. The nipples are probably well frozen by now so provided they are reasonably true I would leave alone. Check the rims have enough wall thickness left as it will be 27" wheels and rims are hard to come by. You can replace with 700c but that requires new long drop brakes and you are then on the spending slippery slope.