Upgrading Old 80's Racer - Help Please!!

[the_kilo_1984]

Hi folks,

Firstly, even though this is my first post on the forum, I've been reding through it quite a bit in the last few months and you guys have already been a great help with what kit to buy etc.

Recently I bought and old Raleigh Record Sprint on gumtree. The bike is still in good nick and is relatively rust free. Everything still works the way it should I suppose, but I like the idea of the retaining the old steel frame and upgrading the rest of the components on the bike.

My question is where to begin?

I'm only an occasional rider at the moment (maybe 3-4 rides of around 15 miles per month) so don't need really high spec stuff.

A few of my friends have suggested starting off with the wheels and the brakes, then working on from there. I also would like gear shifters up at the handlebars rather than the down tube ones that I have currently.

As I said, I'm fairly new to this cycling game, any tips and advice would be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks,

Kilo

 

[HovR]

Your friends are pretty spot on with wheels and brakes, but there are a few catches.

Firstly, modern brakes use a slightly different system to fix them to the bike, in that the nut is recessed into the frame rather than the non-recessed version you have at the moment. This will mean you will have to drill out part of the brake mounting hole to allow it to accommodate the larger recessed nut. I've never done this, but many people have without issue.

Secondly, modern wheels have slightly wider hubs than their older counterparts that you have at the moment. This will mean you will either have to "cold set" your frame (basically bending it to the right size). The other alternative is that since the difference in hub widths is normally only 5 to 10mm you can simply spring the dropouts apart when you fit and refit the wheel, which you may or may not find inconvenient.

If you upgrade your wheels you will also have to upgrade the number of gears on the back (as older number of gears aren't supported), and you may also want to upgrade the rear derailleur (gear mechanism) and cables to achieve more precise shifting. A modern wheelset can be had from around £120 upwards.

Regarding upgrading the shifting to on-bar, you have two real options. STI shifting, where the shifters are integrated into the brake levers, or bar end shifters (click name for image of each). Both of these shifting systems are indexed, meaning they "click" in to place. STI will be more expensive, but it is also the most favored shifting system.

With either shifting system you will have to have a cable stop fitted to the downtube, you can either get ones that screw on if your frame has braze-ons, or you can get clamp on versions.

With what ever shifting system you choose you will need to have your bars re-taped and new cables fitted.

 

[Manonabike]

Hi,

I did such conversion a few years ago and despite a few people advising me against it I went ahead and I don't regret it one little bit.

I had a good starting point though, a good as new Reynolds 351c frame.

The main obstacle you will find is that the drop outs are only 126mm wide and any wheel you will find now is 130mm. You could do a cold set or do as I did, just stretch them open when you put the wheel on.

There is no much point point in fitting 10 speed shifters.... but you could find some cheap 8 speed shifters on ebay or forums.
Brakes make a huge difference and you want some deep drop callipers 57mm.

You might not need a new chainset but you will figure that out soon enough.

Good luck.

 

[headcoat]

Sounds like an interesting project, try and keep us informed of your progress, problems etc. I will be watching keenly as I am about to be given a 60's/70's racer which I am hoping to convert to similar to a Pashley Urban Clubman.

 

[gbb]

Very do-able, but not cheap to do, even if you source good second hand bits through ebay etc.
I quoted £200 in my post...it was more like £230, and bear in mind, i already had 8 speed Sora shifters. (Agree with Mononabike, 8 speed is fine, it limits the cost and is good simple reliable kit)
Here's mine, although the basic gear i originally put on it (seatpost, bars etc) have gone now for better spec stuff...
http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/this-raleigh-clubman-lives-again.7451/

 

[gbb]

Several points Kilo...
Original bars, i found the narrower bars looked odd, thats why i went for modern 420/440 wide bars, but then you need a modern stem which of course requires a 1.1/8 steerer. An Aheadset adapter solved that, but then it looks slightly odd if youlook carefully. Not odd enough to spoil the looks, but...
Does yours have 700C wheels, Mine had 27 inchers, which means i then needed deep drop calipers, which ive found only just acceptable. If you have 700s, all the better.
As HovR states, fitting modern brakes can present some problmes, but there's usually a way round it.
Mine had the old cup n cone BB, whipped all that out and fitted a sealed modern unit, along with a second hand but very good Tiagra square taper chainset off ebay.
Sora derailleurs off ebay, s/h and cheap.
New Tiagra wheelset was about the most expensive item on my build (circa £70 at the time), they're still going strong, almost 5 years later.
Downtube stops for the gear cables presented me with a problem, i adapted the original clamp, but it was a bodge (which is still working now tho)...sometimes you realise you skimped, but if you dont it all racks up the cost.
But, £230, its my winter commuter, still going since early 2008, seen all weathers, been very reliable...very happy i did it.

 

[PpPete]

It's certainly not cheap (he says - having done several).
By the time you've bought new wheels, mechs, shifters, cassette, chain you will be looking at close to the cost of something like a Triban 3 and there is very little you can do "in stages".
If you decide to go ahead, cold setting the frame is no big problem, but if the frame has a band-on downtube shifters rather the shifters screwed on to brazed studs then personally I'd not bother.

 

[biggs682]

surely its easier just to get the original bits working as intended rather than the way they currently are , ie new cables and better quality brake pads like kool stops would help .

new style allen key calipers can be fitted without frame drilling simply swap them over and use fr on rear and rr on front secure fr by attaching nut through fork crown boss hole . have done this a few tims with no issues and is mentioned by sheldon the great god

 

[HovR]

Very do-able, but not cheap to do, even if you source good second hand bits through ebay etc.
I quoted £200 in my post...it was more like £230, and bear in mind, i already had 8 speed Sora shifters.

When I was thinking about upgrading the whole groupset on my Dawes to 2300 I seem to remember working out it would be cheaper to buy a Triban 3, remove the groupo and sell of the frame, forks, other unused parts etc. For now I've just left it as is.

 

[the_kilo_1984]

Wow guys, thanks for all the amazing advice - i honestly didn't expect so many people wanting to help!

To be honest I'm fairly wet behind the ears when it comes to all this terminology - I understand most of what you guys are saying but I'll be learning as we go along I think.

With regards to just buying a triban 3, the thought had crossed my mind - and i've nearly went for it a few times. It's just that I kind of like the idea of taking an old bike and making it up bit by bit so that it's unique.

I'll buying new bits of kit each month after getting paid so I'll keep you updated with what I'm buying and any issues I'm having. Also I'll try and get some pics up tonight of how she looks before I've started.

As i've said in my first post, the bike is in pretty good condition - it's had a full service at my LBS and the lad commented that he was surprised at the good condition of most of the cables etc. The only element that looks dodgy is the wheels, they're slightly wobbly and it looks as if a few of the spokes are slight bent.

I've been looking into buying a set of shimano R501's - they look good, have had decent reviews and aren't too expensive, any thoughts on this?

Finally I really appreciate your help and input folks, a few months ago i thought a bike was just 2 wheels, a frame and a set - how wrong could i have been!

 

[the_kilo_1984]

Also, I'm fairly sure my current wheels are 700c. It says 700c on the tyres as well so I would guess that would confirm this, no?

 

[HovR]

I've been looking into buying a set of shimano R501's - they look good, have had decent reviews and aren't too expensive, any thoughts on this?

With regards to just buying a triban 3, the thought had crossed my mind - and i've nearly went for it a few times. It's just that I kind of like the idea of taking an old bike and making it up bit by bit so that it's unique.

Finally I really appreciate your help and input folks, a few months ago i thought a bike was just 2 wheels, a frame and a set - how wrong could i have been!

Those wheels should be fine, as you say they seem to get good reviews and will almost certainly be an upgrade over the (most likely) heavy, possibly steel, wheels you have on the bike at the moment. And yes, if your current tires say 700c on them, then that confirms the wheel is the 700c size.

I know what you mean about building the bike up yourself, making it unique. In addition to this many of the older quality steel frames (Reynolds 531, 501, Columbus tubing etc) are just as light if not lighter than the Triban's alu frame.

If you're looking at buying parts I'd recommend buying some of the more expensive parts now from Wiggle or CRC - They have some excellent deals at the moment, but make sure you compare prices to get the best deal!