Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - OK, so I did something stupid...

I needed a bike for my morning commute, three miles over steeeeep hills on craptastic New England roads. I set a budget for myself, carefully examined every option, asked various respected internet forums for advice. Just as I was going to lay down five hundred on a well-reviewed hybrid commuter from a respectable brand at a reputable shop...

... I went and bought a 1978 Raleigh Record Ace for $75 from a disabled vet who fixes and sells yardsale bikes for beer money. :twitchy:

This isn't the fancy aluminum frame jobbie - this is solid, lugged steel, sized just right for my inseam. It has a nice (for the '70s) Suntour geartrain (with friction stem shifters! Yay!) and nice Shimano cantilevers (with awful generic levers that look like they're a royal pain to adjust. Boo!) and nifty quick-release chrome fenders. It's beautiful, rides like new, and I had a bike just like it when I was 10.

I have no idea why I bought this thing, but just looking at it makes me happy.

OK, so... now what?

I'm 6'2", 330lbs, and am more of an "80's bad-guy professional wrestler" fat guy than a "wheeze up the steps" fat guy. I break stuff by being big. While the frame seems bomb proof, I worry about the rest of it...

Already planned:

1) North Road bars, cork grips, modern brake levers. Might as well swap out the cables while I'm at it.

2) Fat-man-friendly saddle for upright riding. I really like the looks of the bigger Brooks, but the price is hard to swallow for something that =might= suit me, or might not. May just get a cheap, padded springer saddle and call it a day.

3) New tires. The ones on there now are Swallows of undetermined size.

How else can I bomb-proof and upgrade this relic?

Making sure your wheels are up to par should be your #1 priority and at the same time make sure your brakes are functioning properly (already on your list); you wanna be able to stop the 320 once it's in motion.

+1 on checking the wheels and making sure the spokes have proper tension. How is the seatpost?

I don't think you gave up anything going vintage over modern for a commuter. Heck, all of my rides are vintage, lol.The same considerations for this bike would be the considerations for any other bike. As addressed already, the wheels, tires, and brakes. After that you working purley on personalization of the ride.We do need pics though.

I have no idea why I bought this thing, but just looking at it makes me happy.

OK, so... now what?

You post a picture of it so we all can look at it and be happy too!

congrats on the Raleigh i bought a 86 Raleigh Record last year. it is a fine addition to the herd.

1) North Road bars, cork grips, modern brake levers. Might as well swap out the cables while I'm at it.

2) Fat-man-friendly saddle for upright riding. I really like the looks of the bigger Brooks, but the price is hard to swallow for something that =might= suit me, or might not. May just get a cheap, padded springer saddle and call it a day.

3) New tires. The ones on there now are Swallows of undetermined size.

How else can I bomb-proof and upgrade this relic?

Koolstop salmon pads for the New England rain that goes with those hills.

+1 on the pictures! where are they?

My digital camera is out of town at the moment. I'll see if I can use the webcam on my iMac later on tonight... or break out the old Contax, and see if anyone within walking distance still does 1hr photo processing.

i have a slightly scuffed up padded springer saddle, i crashed the bike, cracked the front rim(cheap x-mart bike not worth fixing)
if you want the saddle, i'll send it to you for the price of shipping

edit: i just took pics of it so you can see what i mean
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/somebadlemonade/Bike%20Stuff/th_0326091406-00.jpg (http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/somebadlemonade/Bike%20Stuff/?action=view&current=0326091406-00.jpg)
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/somebadlemonade/Bike%20Stuff/th_0326091406-01.jpg (http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/somebadlemonade/Bike%20Stuff/?action=view&current=0326091406-01.jpg)
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/somebadlemonade/Bike%20Stuff/th_0326091406-02.jpg (http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/somebadlemonade/Bike%20Stuff/?action=view&current=0326091406-02.jpg)
http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/somebadlemonade/Bike%20Stuff/th_0326091406-03.jpg (http://s57.photobucket.com/albums/g219/somebadlemonade/Bike%20Stuff/?action=view&current=0326091406-03.jpg)

Wow, that's a generous offer... and it looks similar to the seat on my old cruiser, which served me pretty well. However, I already have a line on one similar to it from a family member who "upgraded" to something with fake lamb's fleece...

Still, I'm pretty impressed with the members of the forum, and you set a really good example for "paying it forward." Thank you.

well, i just hate to throw things away and if i was about to get rid of something that someone else could use, you better believe i'll offer it. . . and honestly i only paid $30 almost 3 years ago, and it scuffed so i would feel like i was cheating someone if i made them pay for something like that, i'll end up just giving it some someone else

and hell if a saddle, is what you needed to ride your bike, and i had a spare i'd give it to ya. . .
people show me generosity i want to show it to someone else

This is thru an iMac webcam in my "Junk Room" (It's a Man-Cave, dear... "Sure it is. Just don't put your stuff outside it.")

Can you spot:

1) Koni-Omega 6x7 press camera

2) Collapsable lightsaber with realistic, motion-activated sounds

3) Flat, mountain-bike bars with 1950's style vinyl grips, almost assuredly original equipment, on a bike-boom next-to-bottom-rung model Raleigh

Ride that bad boy! If stuff breaks, then start replacing it.

Jerry

Oh, and the brakes are standard Ralleigh/Weinmann center-pulls... the levers, as awful as they are, are Shimano.

ride that bad boy! If stuff breaks, then start replacing it.



+1

OK! New bars and grips are shipping, should be in by next weekend, but the ones I have now are good for the time being.

I went to the LBS, and it was impressive. I went in looking for stuff I knew they probably didn't have, like Gatorskins in 27-1/4" - but they had it, in stock. Cheaper than more than a few places online. I also picked up a pair of new brake pads, front and rear (they didn't have Kool-Stops in stock, but the mechanic said the Shimanos were a pretty good second choice), a sturdy aluminum rack and a hefty u-lock.

The pads are installed, the rack and lock holder are mounted, and the Wally-world generic pump I had gave up the ghost completely puffing up the new tires. So, no first ride yet.

Oh, since I'm being stupid, instead of accepting a perfectly good saddle, gratis, from a forum or family member, I go and spend more on a new one than I did the bike. (And it was priced waaay lower than online.) I didn't wana, but seeing it in person... well, look at that! How can you say no to something like that?

Beautiful. I think you will like it a lot more than that pictured above (after you break it in anyway) Money well spent.

Awesome!!

At 330# though you should absolutely budget for new wheels (since you'll drop down to 700c's and possibly longer brake levers plus tires) in the near future. From my sig you can read my journey from trying to make the 27" wheels work (at under 300#) to getting a 36 Deep V built from Harris Cyclerly:

De-Evolution of a Wheel, From Warnings Towards Solution:
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=253192 - First Roadie
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=262759 - Dialing in a Roadie
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=294905 - How many broken spokes are dangerous [new 5-5-07]
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=298310 - Rear deraileur rubbing - bad tension? [new 5-14-07]
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=342373 - Bombproof 27" Rims [new 9-10-07]
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=338555 - Spokes Rant [new 9-10-07]
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=349283 - Shot Rims and Clyde Recommendations? [new 10-1-08]
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=349519 - Deep V vs Dyad vs Mavic Opens [new 10-3-07]
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=352240 - Friction Shifters
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=355089 - Hubs
http://bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=355761 - ****Hubs for Clydes from the Mechanics forum****
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=384620 - Mavic Aksiums for a Clyde?
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=419896 - Penn Station --> Montauk Ride Report
http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=448401 - Ride, rebuild, or replace damaged Aksium rim

Pop quiz!

Which takes the most time, effort and frustration:

a) Installing new Gatorskins on narrow, old wheels and pumping them up with a frame pump.
b) Fiddling with the brakes after installing new pads to get the right action at the lever and the right position on the rims.
c) Making it so the fenders don't rub against the new tires.

The answer is C. I actually resorted to a hammer before I figured out the trick to adjusting the stay length. (And the hammer didn't budge 'em.) Judging by the weird angles I had to smooth out from the stays, I wasn't the first to say, "Stop... hammer time!"

Sno-proofing, err, Proofiding my saddle now, everything should be a "go" for tomorrow after work.

Yay - good luck!!!

Don't forget your camera!

Do you ever ride the East Bay Bike Path? Or go to the shop on the path? Ever notice Bailey in the trike?

OK! New bars and grips are shipping, should be in by next weekend, but the ones I have now are good for the time being.

I went to the LBS, and it was impressive. I went in looking for stuff I knew they probably didn't have, like Gatorskins in 27-1/4" - but they had it, in stock. Cheaper than more than a few places online. I also picked up a pair of new brake pads, front and rear (they didn't have Kool-Stops in stock, but the mechanic said the Shimanos were a pretty good second choice), a sturdy aluminum rack and a hefty u-lock.

The pads are installed, the rack and lock holder are mounted, and the Wally-world generic pump I had gave up the ghost completely puffing up the new tires. So, no first ride yet.

Oh, since I'm being stupid, instead of accepting a perfectly good saddle, gratis, from a forum or family member, I go and spend more on a new one than I did the bike. (And it was priced waaay lower than online.) I didn't wana, but seeing it in person... well, look at that! How can you say no to something like that?


that is a way better saddle than the one i offered. . . and honestly it's uncomfortable after you get used to riding on your sit bones

Hey R.I. swamp Yankee,

Where are you from in R.I. with the title of swamp Yankee this sounds like South County, I live in Charlestown an Im getting new bike this week and cound be looking for a riding partner

George

I was down in Saunderstown, but now I'm in Providence. (And they use "Swamp Yankee" as a pejorative throughouth RI and MA for a New Englander who, as Jeff Foxworthy puts it, possesses a glorious lack of sophistication. Usually compounded by pathological thriftyness. Hence the $75 Raleigh, which is now a $275 Raleigh, which is about what I could have bought a brand new Raleigh for. A-yup. Savin' a ton of money doin' it this way...)

I don't know if I'll have time for riding on the weekends... the bike is more for getting around town without having to worry where to park.

I have an 1983 Raleigh, I have not rode in a while but always riked the ride. good luck with yours.

OK! The Raleigh Record Ace rolling restoration took to the road today as my everyday ride, after many diversions, dead-ends, delays and dilly-dallying.

This Ace is indeed the special "racing" model with the moly frame... I figured this out when a name-brand u-lock and a 500-sheet pack of generic copy paper strapped to the rack almost doubled its weight hauling it up the steps. Before, I was just thinking it was my fat-man strength that allowed me to haul a 40lb+ bike around like it was a bag of groceries. Now I realize that it's because it's closer to a 25lb bike, even with the steel wheels.

I know they're steel wheels, because they're shiny, hefty, and the brakes suck. New Shimano pads, new cables, new Tektro levers (after the old ones disintegrated during a panic stop), and all for naught. Squeezing the carefully calibrated levers scrubs off speed in a leisurely, yet whisper-quiet deceleration as my painstakingly aligned pads and tensioned calipers do their damndest to dig in. Fail. If the wheels were aluminum, they'd squeal like stuck pigs and stoppie me right over the bars. I've tweaked all I can tweak... I just need new wheels, but they're not in the budget right now. It's really gonna suck in the rain.

The Brooks B33 saddle is definitely Clyde-approved. It's comfortable from the get-go... the sprung suspension really works with my weight. It's too soon to have broken in, but it was a definite step up from the padded vinyl seat that came stock on it (Also a Brooks. Kind of a novelty item.), and the super-padded cruiser seat I had on it for a bit. One caveat: I had to torque the mounting nuts at the post to "break the wrench or strip the nut" levels to stop it from tilting all of a sudden. I may have to weld it on level if this doesn't work. I'd be paranoid someone's going to steal such a nice looking saddle, but unless they have a pair of long-handled 13mm wrenches and a breaker bar, it's going nowhere. (The 14mm seatpost nut is similarly torqued down. Vice-grips just ain't gonna do it.)

The new Velo-Orange Milan bars are a step up from the flat bars that came stock, but I think I need a taller stem to get really comfortable. I wound some vinyl handlebar tape I got from the Job Lot for a buck around the bare metal, and carefully twisted on the cork grips over top, going against the spiral as not to peel and bunch up the tape. You'll feel it through the handle when this happens, but the cork is surprisingly resilient, and didn't break as I backed it out, re-taped, and tried again. The grips are on super-firm, and didn't budge even when I got out of the saddle to mash my way up a hill. Since I didn't need to superglue them on, I can take them off again if I need to. They're comfy, and look awesome. I don't know if I'm going to shellac them or not yet.

The back rack was a peach to put on, with a bit of Yankee ingenuity (Why do it the right way when I can do it the cheap way?) - Copper pipe holders are two bucks for a bag of ten, and bend quite nicely into mounting points on the seat support tubes. One of the mounting eyelets on the back dropout was partly stripped from having a fender stay mounted to it incorrectly, but some loc-tite red was cheaper than buying a tap-and-die set or thread-chaser to clean it up, and a blow-torch will melt it, unlike JB Weld, if I want to take the rack off someday. It's on there real solid: I mount my u-lock to it, and a pannier bucket-bag full of booze was handled with aplomb.

On Monday, I'm going to start commuting with it daily. That should be an adventure...

That's a nice find, RI. Enjoy it! And don't worry about it too much. It'll be fine.

I was delusional when I said it was a 25lb bike. It's closer to 40lb than further, but it's still sleek and very, very quick. I haven't started commuting with it yet, but I do run most of my around-town errands on it. I'll start the trek to the train station on monday.

Most importantly, I've learned a whole hell of a lot about bicycles and the way they work by doing my own upgrades and maintenance. It's pretty satisfying to see a part you installed work better than the original it replaced.

Work done so far:

- New brakes. Tektro MTV levers, Shimano pads, generic cables.
- New 27-1/4" Gatorskins tires
- Brooks B-33 saddle in Honey, treated with with a light coat of Snow-Proof top and bottom, and a spritz of silicone leather waterproofing spray on the underside.
- New Delta riser quill-stem. Not as pretty as the Nitto Periscopa or Dirt Drop, but way more beefy, and only $30 at the LBS.
- New Velo-Orange Milan handlebars
- New cork grips (forget the glue. A loose spiral wrap of $1/roll generic bar tape keeps them on =tight=, and still lets you take off the grips easily.)
- New brand-name-I've-forgotten aluminum bike rack. It weighs about as much as a peanut M&M, and is beefy enough to take a pannier-load of groceries and stuff without swaying. It needed some finagling, as the old Raleigh frame didn't have braze-ons for racks. Home Depot came through, with some copper pipe supports deftly bent to suit the purpose. I need to re-tap the mounting eyelets at the dropouts, but Loc-Tite will do the job for now.
- New lights, jerry-rigged rear LED bike light from the hardware store, and jerry-rigged flashlight mount up front.
-Fold-away cargo pannier that doubles as a shopping bag. Had it kicking around as a camera equipment tote, and I forgot completely how I came to have it. Works awesome, tho... took a 2-liter bottle of soda, three pounds of beans, two big cans of crushed tomatoes, two pounds of potatoes, a Delta riser stem, a set of shifter cables and a tub of lithium grease.

To Do:

- New shifter cables, and re-position the stem shifters to the top of the new stem. This will likely require some finagling, as the part I want to mount to flares outward, and is thicker than the base of the stem.
- Clean everything down to white-glove clean, swap out the chain, a lube it with something modern and cleaner than axel grease.
- New wheels. I want to find a decent used or NOS 27" alloy wheelset. Converting everything to 700c isn't in the budget for this summer, especially considering how expensive new wheels are to buy ready-built, and how time consuming it would be to build my own. Maybe over the winter.
- New 8sp freewheel. The hills around here suck, and I don't like walking my bike up them.
- New triple ring crank and derailleur. See above.

Your chainrings on the wrong side. :roflmao2: Sorry it's late.

Hey! My decal's written in some strange glyphics, too! (Stoopit webcam. I have a nice digicam, but it's currently "on loan" to family member on vacation.)

man youre really doing this