rawfls

Hello there fine people of bike forums, I purchased a raleigh sports from a shop (they didn't seem to know much about the bike) a couple months ago that rode great and had minimal rust for my short commute to work, with the intention of learning about bike upkeep/repair (I have no prior experience). After being overwhelmed by the amount of information online and having a few problems with the bike I have admitted defeat and am hoping to find a person or a shop knowledgeable about these kind of bikes who can help with the repairs while ideally letting me watch and learn. I thought I'd try and get help here finding someone in Southern California before calling around so my ignorance about bikes won't end up getting me ripped off. In the meantime i will list some pics and info in case you can refer me to helpful threads/links/nuggets of knowledge.



Don't worry it came with the chain guard and fenders, they're just sitting in my garage cause I live in sunny San Diego and I don't want to carry that weight.

The main problem I've had is with the first gear sometimes freewheeling despite trying a couple things. I've made the correct tension adjustments as well as trying to flush it out with WD40 and then adding motor oil as suggested here

I would also like to raise the handlebars, but literally have no clue how to do that.



when I first started riding this bike without the fenders this brake was pushed up against the frame, so I put those gold washers in there to move it out a bit, but now the rear brake rattles the bike when engaged.



this is mostly the reason I'm admitting defeat. I took the rusty little clip off that used to cover that hole, thinking that it was useless, until a bunch of grease dripped out of it one day

lastly I would like to have it taken apart, cleaned, relubed, new bearings where needed, etc. I'll probably also take some of the parts off and try and get as much of the rust off as I can with vinegar/whatever.

rawfls

Thanks in advance for any help!

Shp4man

Try "The Bikesmith" in PB. That guy's been working on bikes for at least 30 years. What part of town are you in?

PatTheSlat 

Based on the decals I'm thinking that's older than a '69. I have a '59 with those decals.

7/8timing

Check out "ye olde bikes". They do cheap repairs. Watch out for the tweaker lady that runs the coffee shop/register though.

If your in North county check out Pacific Coast Cycles in Oceanside. Chuck is the man. Hes had his own shop for a few decades now and knows his old bikes.

That guy in PB at Bike Smith is a bit strange, to say the least.

rawfls

I live in Rancho Penasquitos, but I'm willing to go pretty far if someone really know these bikes and/or will help me learn how to do future repairs (if I have the tools).

rawfls

I said it was a 69 because thats what it says on the hub, but I suppose that might not be original.

CMC SanDiego

I drove to "Ye Olde Bicycle Shop" in La Mesa a couple of weeks ago and the shop was closed. No indication of a new location if there is one. I need to find a new source for used parts.

7/8timing

I moved away from San Diego about a year ago.

Wow. That sucks. I'm really sad to hear that. One of the last times I was there they had changed from having decently priced steel vintage bikes to have shoddy mid 90's and newer Alu and Carbon bikes. They still had the vintage parts but I guess they were trying to compete with other mid level bike shops etc.

I dunno if FIXED is still downtown off 16th by City College but he had a lot of good high end vintage parts that were reasonably priced. Might check him out.

Shp4man

Last time I was in there about 2 years ago, he had an NOS, still in the box, silver '85 Peugeot PH501 in 56CM. I wonder if he still has that?

3alarmer 

Bikes Del Pueblo is probably your best bet given your stated objectives.

There are some unique aspects of the Raleigh Sports that are difficult to explain
online and will definitely cause you grief if you are unaware of them.

Look at Sheldon Brown online for a reasonably good introduction, including the
alternate way to adjust your trigger shift cable pull.....which is usually the
problem in freewheeling situations.

There are one or two excellent videos on Youtube regarding rebuilding of the
SA three speed hub, assuming you want to jump in to the deep end of the pool.

BTW, the original brakes on these are one of the first things I replace when I
rework one for my personal use.

Bjforrestal

Cmc, call Diane at saltwater magic in ib, never sourced used parts from her but she may have a good selection and really good people. She has been my supplier for many overhauls and rebuilds prior to me going recruiting duty in Minnesota. Oh, Dianne is the owner.

Bjforrestal

Had the same problem on my fiancés SA on her schwinn. After I almost gave up, I just kept tightening the adjustment rod until the gear engaged. No issues since. From my experience SA hubs are pretty reliable and 9 times out of ten the issue is cable rod adjustment. Keep tweaking with it, don't throw in the towel yet!!

3alarmer 

Basic adjustment procedure:

1st gear (low gear) needs to have the rod pulled all the way toward the out (cable is tight).

3rd gear(high gear) needs to have the rod all the way in (cable has at least a little slack).

If you meet both of these requirements, 2nd just takes care of itself,
(if you have the correct rod for your hub, and your trigger shifter is working OK.)