I found it in a bush...call it...my Brand New Bush Bike!
But! It's a 1978 Raleigh Tourist Roadster LD-4. (Judging by the hubs, Sheldon Brown, some flickr pictures, and TEH INTERNET) It's condition? That can only be described by denying it of it's bike-nes...specifically...it doesn't roll. And, as my very astute roommate pointed out, rolling is key. But come on! It's a 78' Raleigh. I don't know if that means anything. What I do know is that it's a steal-lugged frame...albeit rusted...and is a good size for me. Honestly, the best components are in the lamentable you-ride-with-that? condition.
Here's the run-down. To get it to a minimally operating state (call it "rolling"), I need a pair of track wheels. I'm looking into this. If it's a keeper, then I need to get it powder-coated and completely overhauled. Here's what I'm thinking: €100 (US $5,000,000) for some wheels, "tyres", cog, chain, and tubes. And then! I can scoot around on an old rusty Raleigh!
Better still: If I can make get the frame scraped and coated, I can make minor upgrades throughout the year. Then! I'll either have a sweet old Raleigh that I found in a bush and fixed up, and doesn't it look great, or I can sell it on ebay.ie for about €400. It's a sure bet! If anyone out there knows late-70's Raleigh componentry (ie. new stuff I can get that won't not work), leave me line.
This means I'm eating Ramen for the rest of the year...
!
Are bikes really that expensive in Ireland? (The €100 for tires, not the $5,000,000). Wouldn't it be cheaper to order them from the states and ship them in?
ReplyDeleteWhy hello!
ReplyDeleteIt has been a great many years since we've talked, but it interests me to hear what adventures you've been up to lately. This bicycle is a fantastic find; I am sure you will re-qualify the machine's bike-ness by rectifying the rolling issue soon. I think we'd have lots to talk about. If you get a chance, send me an e-mail and we'll catch up. You can find the address appropriately obscured from the web spiders at the bottom of my website. : )