Classic & Vintage - rebuilding a raleigh sprite - need suggestions

hi all,

i'm in the middle of tearing apart a rusty old raleigh mixte sprite which i will be rebuilding to use a daily commuter. i was initially going to turn this bike into a single speed commuter. my commute to school is a very short 20 minute ride and with no inclines until the ride home. do you all think that this bike will be too heavy to be an efficient single speed commuter? i'm trying to decide between 3 fates for this bike:

1) a single speed comfort commuter: single speed, fenders, rear basket, sprung saddle, upright sweep handlebars, etc.

2) a multispeed comfort commuter: same as #1 but i'd have purchase a cassette, rear derailleur and shifter

3) a lightweight single speed mixte: single speed, no fenders, rear lightweight rack (no basket), upsidedown mounted mustache bar (see included picture of the bike i would try to emulate).

the only reason i would even consider option 3 is because my commute is fairly tame and i don't usually carry much. the practical choices would be either 1 or 2 but i just fell in love with how a single speed mixte could look (ala the included picture) that i thought i might want a bike like that.

let me know your choices!

http://s-dome.tea-nifty.com/bike/images/Raleigh1-380.jpg

I'd go with choice #1 as it'll serve you best as a commuter, but I'd suggest swapping in a pair of aluminum alloy wheels for the steel that's on there now. That'll lighten the bike considerably and brake better when wet. The conversion you show in the pic has that sort of new wheelset.

Neal

The bike in the photo is inspiring. +1 on the aluminum wheels. Maybe a short fender on the back to keep the dirt off your books and butt. I might make 1 of those myself

I'm with Neal; it'll be a gorgeous little commuter. Get the alloy wheels, and a set of Planet Bike fenders (they weigh next to nothing and look great).

I'm resurrecting this thread, because I have similar plans as the original poster, only, well, this will be my first ever bicycle renovation, and my mechanical skills are slim (what can I say, I'm a girl and my dad ignored this part of my education!). Luckily, I've found an community organization that specializes in rebuilding bikes for refugees, so I plan to go over there to acquire some knowledge (they encourage this sort of thing). Given all this,

what are the absolute "musts" for renovating an old (1970s) bike (like the OP, I plan to convert to single speed, but first I have to make sure everything's in good working order)? I've found this website ( mytenspeeds.com ) which gives detailed instructions for this kind of stuff, but I'm not sure if it's advisable that a beginner attempt everything he describes . . .

Also, what should one expect to shell out for a decent pair of alloy or aluminum (what's the difference?) wheels?

Thanks in advance for being kind to a newbie . . .

oh, and I'm hoping to use as many of the original components as possible, due to funding issues!

mytenspeeds is very good. The author can be found right here in the C&V forum. Here, he's known as randyjawa.

Be careful, because it's easy for a project like this to cost more than the value of the bike. You're best off if you have most of what you need and you get better-than-retail prices on the stuff you buy. You might even buy another bike just to use it as a parts donor.

I strongly prefer aluminum rims. Most people call them alloy, and this is just a quirk of bike culture. Virtually every metal product is of some alloy (mixture of metals) but in the bike world, alloy means aluminum alloy. Anyway, aluminum rims are lighter where weight counts the most, and they also brake better in wet weather. They tend to be more durable than steel rims, too.

Shop around for wheels. Look at donor bikes (as I said) for wheels. And since you have that nice organization near you, get their help in evaluating the condition of the components of your bike.

Why convert to single speed? It's a hot fad, and I don't get the point. The advantages are simplicity and weight, but how important are those things, really? A conversion will cost money and it may be unnecessary. You also risk making the bike less useful than before.

Why convert to single speed? It's a hot fad, and I don't get the point. The advantages are simplicity and weight, but how important are those things, really? A conversion will cost money and it may be unnecessary. You also risk making the bike less useful than before.

Good advice as usual from Tom. Personally, I wouldn't want a single speed as my only bike. You don't have to shift often just because the other gears are there.

I'll cast my vote for a single-speed commuter as I have a bunch of them for a similar-length commute. One big advantage over derailleur bikes: you can fit them with a chainguard!

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_GmYBBzTzcVQ/TGwyGm7C0HI/AAAAAAAAHs8/vj5Twddz0QY/s800/GrandSportsKickback2.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_GmYBBzTzcVQ/R-gGSACsBBI/AAAAAAAABh0/AvtrBIjfQzk/s800/StEtiennePorteur5.jpg

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_GmYBBzTzcVQ/SPLC3HNeGJI/AAAAAAAAB74/UshqzJBZ8EU/s800/SCPorteur6.jpg

http://web.mit.edu/nlerner/Public/Bikes/Porteur5.jpg

Neal

^
Thanks for the chainguard porn, Neal!

Thanks for the feedback! This won't be my only bike, as I currently have a nice bicycle that I use for recreation (I got in to bicycles over the summer thanks to boyfriend, alas I've moved and can no longer rely on his expertise!), so in this case "simplicity" is attractive to me (all though I am yet to understand the allure of fixed bikes). It seems that it wouldn't cost anything beside the possible expense of a chain cutter (after all, it's subtraction not addition, right?). Ah, well, I will make that decision when the time comes!

I'd go with the singlespeed route. Actually, I have gone that route and with a Raleigh Sprite and a Peugeot mixte. Velocity rims with Formula hubs; get the fixed/fixed flipflop hub. You can put freewheel (singlespeed) cogs on it as well as fixed cogs for more versatility. Fixed is nice in that you can ride very slowly, even at a walking pace, with complete control of the bike. Useful on a crowded campus. I ride fixed ocassionally and it's good exercise but it's nice to be able to flip the wheel around and coast, particularly on long downhills.

Sun also makes some nice rims in either 700c or 27", depending upon the age of your bike.

Good luck with your build and be sure to post pics. And don't hesitate to ask for help or advice.