Originally Posted by Gotte
I'm hoping to get my hands on a mid 70s Raleigh 3-speed upright, but I'm tempted to swap out the cheaper parts for better, newer variants.
Raleigh Sports models are excellent to upgrade, not to mention that their original appearance is easily retained after such a conversion.
I'd highly suggest a pair of aluminum EA3 rims for better braking, aluminum seatpost, and aluminum North Road handlebar (Harris Cyclery carries a Nitto model). An aluminum handlebar stem can be substituted as well, in which case I'd suggest a short-reach SR stem.
The original Heron crankset can be changed out for a 3-piece cotterless crankset (Sugino comes to mind) if you wish, although I, personally, would retain the original for asthetics.
If your machine is running Raleigh self-adjusting brake levers, remove the lever assembly and brake cable, then remove the black self-adjuster barrel from the lever. Remove the small steel strap that held the self-adjusting barrel onto the lever, then slide the lever back onto the handlebars. This will eliminate the self-adjusting mechanisim, a device that never worked properly in the first place. Pre-'73 and post-'76 Sports models will not have the self-adjusting mechanisim.
-Kurt