Originally Posted by
auchencrow
Palmetto - I'm not making light of your predicament, but just the other day, I briefly considered starting a
spoof thread about an "evil flipper", and what you described was exactly the most nefarious misdeed I could possibly conceive of!!!
"Paint those rotten gumwalls black! WHO will know?! Nya ha ha!" he said.
- Unfortunately, I don't have an easy solution for you, short of disassembly. Depending on what evil lurks underneath that paint, the rims are possibly salvageable through chemical means. Depending on the type of paint he used, aircraft or graffiti paint stripper ought to clean up the rims OK (read warnings and follow directions!!!) - but I'd wager that those spoke threads and nipples are
goners. Just measure them and order new replacements from
Lee (Childhood dreams) on E-bay. You'll be glad you did - and IF you never built your own wheels up, simply go to
Sheldon's page that describes precisely how to go about it in very clear terms.
HA-HA! Puhleeze do the thread!
1978 Raleigh Sprite 27 in Emerald Green with 25" frame and Sturmey Archer 3 speed AW hub
The sun finally went behind the tree line and I got out there for the "BEFORE" photo session. From what I have been able to determine from perusing the catalogs here,
Raleigh Catalog Database Archive, it appears that the years 1977 & 1978 were the only ones when a SA 3 speed IGH was offered. I assume that it was the AW both years. This bike is going to get alloy rims probably; and this may mean my first exercise in wheel building.
As far as I can tell the bike is all-original except the saddle, tires and of course the purty black paint. The original owner - quite likely a career Air Force type as the bike came from just outside Eglin AFB -
apparently had the tires replaced at least once since there are a pair of Specialized gumwalls under the paint and they have held good air for about three days now...