jt5405

HI, I'm a newbie, so be gentle. I have a early 80's Raleigh Olympian. It really needs updating. The shifter is getting kind of clunky and the barakes are not great. I am the original owner and I really love the frame on this bike. I have long legs and this is a 27' frame with a 502 chromemoly sticker on it. The shifter is a Shimano. Is it worth the money to upgrade this bike to more modern amenities or was this just a low end Raleigh? I looked through most of the pages on this forum and did not see anything specific to this model. Thanks for any input.

T-Mar

The Olympian was an upper, entry level model. The frame is plain gauge CrMo, which is good, but not great. The most important thing is that the frame fits you and you like it. Given the relative scareness of 27" frames, it probably warrants some upgrades.

Brakes can often be rejuvenated by simply installing good quality, modern pads like Kool Stop. New cables and teflon lined housing will make operation a lot smoother.

The clunky shifting could be due to a worn chain and/or freewheel or the derailleur. Or it could be as simple as needing a new cable or an adjustment of the shift lever tension screw.

jt5405

T-Mar, thanks for your info. I will look into what I can do.