Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Folding Bikes
Reload this Page >

Post your Raleigh 20" (or similar) conversion pics.

Notices
Folding Bikes Discuss the unique features and issues of folding bikes. Also a great place to learn what folding bike will work best for your needs.

Post your Raleigh 20" (or similar) conversion pics.

Old 09-16-05, 06:09 AM
  #1  
perspective distorts
Thread Starter
 
killsurfcity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: 25th and Girard
Posts: 1,345
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Post your Raleigh 20" (or similar) conversion pics.

recently, i have become mad about folders, especially Raleigh 20's and the like. i've been looking for a frame to repaint and build up into a super-light, portable fixie. it'd be perfect for my commute (bike, train, bike).
i have seen a few images online, but i'm interested to see what others have done with them. so lets see some pics. i don't care if they're fixies or not, i just want to see some tricked out folders.

thanks
killsurfcity is offline  
Old 09-16-05, 08:51 AM
  #2  
Senior Member
 
cheg's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Seattle
Posts: 812

Bikes: 2020 Thompson Randonneur, 2008 Davidson Custom Titanium, 2012 Custom Seven Steel Tandem, 1981 Shogun Touring Bike, 1974 Raleigh International

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Liked 3 Times in 2 Posts
Originally Posted by killsurfcity
recently, i have become mad about folders, especially Raleigh 20's and the like. i've been looking for a frame to repaint and build up into a super-light, portable fixie. it'd be perfect for my commute (bike, train, bike).
i have seen a few images online, but i'm interested to see what others have done with them. so lets see some pics. i don't care if they're fixies or not, i just want to see some tricked out folders.

thanks
Here's a sample of what I've found so far:



Of course I can't resist plugging my own bike .These pics are a little out of date. I now have a black stem and Syntace Stratos bullhorn bars instead of the chopped drop bars shown:




https://home.comcast.net/~cheg01/r20.html
cheg is offline  
Old 09-16-05, 01:02 PM
  #3  
perspective distorts
Thread Starter
 
killsurfcity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: 25th and Girard
Posts: 1,345
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
nice, yeah i'd seen the collage before... that's got some really nice ones.
yours looks great to. any problems in the conversion? i have heard some people have issues with the setpost, headset and bb.
i want to put a huge chainring on mine, so the bb is definitely an issue.

here's some nice ones i have found:
killsurfcity is offline  
Old 09-16-05, 01:04 PM
  #4  
perspective distorts
Thread Starter
 
killsurfcity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: 25th and Girard
Posts: 1,345
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
oops, hahaha... both twenties, neither foldies. oh well, the general aesthetic i'm going for is there.
my bad.
killsurfcity is offline  
Old 09-16-05, 02:25 PM
  #5  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,427
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Hey man,

Cool you are looking into Twenties! As for lots of info (including some very handy dandy and cheap Bracket and Fork choices & explanation) as well as lots of pics (b4 and after) of my conversion chk:

https://www.rhizomes.nl/twenty.html

And do a Search for the recent other Twenty thread, some pics and lots of great info
there too. Plus follow all the links you encounter on the above.

I'd be curious to hear what you think about my Twenty!

Also i thought it might be good to stress that if you want a Twenty frame to make a "Super light" bike.. well it is prob. not going to happen! The frame is a tad heavy hence your bike will never be ultra light. I know because i have replaced every original part on my Twenty by mostly quite light ones and few parts at that. Mine is not heavy but not super light like some other newer folders. If however you want a frame that gives a great ride, could last you decades (Steel = good) and take a lot of abuse, the Twenty is just the thing.

Good luck! And make sure to post your experiences & pics please!

PS The pics you posted are very nice but neither are Raleigh Twenties i think (or did you mean they are both Twenty inch or...?)
v1nce is offline  
Old 09-16-05, 04:24 PM
  #6  
perspective distorts
Thread Starter
 
killsurfcity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: 25th and Girard
Posts: 1,345
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
hey, yours is pretty sweet man. i like the brooks saddle and gold crank.
lots of great info too. the web always needs more people that generous with information.
as far as light factor... samll is more an issue, so if it is a tad heavy for it's size, that's cool. i like the idea of the mini-fixie on it's own, and the folding just makes it cooler imo.
i didn't realize until i'd posted those that they're not raleighs. i'm really interested in folding fixed 20"s in general, and those looked cool, so i had them on my drive already. those are more an example of the style i'd like to do, tho i'd like mine to be tricked out even further.
thanks for the info. now i just need to locate a decent folder for a price i can justify, given that i already own a fixie i have dumped a decent amount of cash into.
killsurfcity is offline  
Old 09-16-05, 04:51 PM
  #7  
Habit is a great deadener
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 168
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
everything you never wanted to know:
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/raleigh-twenty.html

i'm in the midst of an old phillips (raleigh under a different name or something...) twenty fixie conversion. if it weren't for lack of funds and inaccessible hard to find parts, i'd be rolling ages ago.

this is a sweet ride:
https://www.fixedgeargallery.com/milam.htm
andy_is_me is offline  
Old 09-16-05, 07:09 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,427
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
@ Kill

Hey how about this one

https://www.speurders.nl/fietsenenacc...vertentie.html

Batavus is one of the best/most reputable dutch brands and this old school folder type seems to be real good. I see loads of em still on the road. Weird square tubing huh.

I could send it to you.. well in theory/i am sorta serious.
v1nce is offline  
Old 09-16-05, 10:28 PM
  #9  
perspective distorts
Thread Starter
 
killsurfcity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: 25th and Girard
Posts: 1,345
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by v1nce
Batavus is one of the best/most reputable dutch brands and this old school folder type seems to be real good. I see loads of em still on the road. Weird square tubing huh.

I could send it to you.. well in theory/i am sorta serious.
send me what? a bike? that would be amazing! or did you mean something else?
that one in the pic is really cool. i like the square tubing... and the name is pretty rad too.
killsurfcity is offline  
Old 09-16-05, 11:46 PM
  #10  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,427
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Yeah, that is what i meant, i could send you one of the Batavus bikes like in the picture. They are often sold on-line fairly cheaply (anywhere between E 30 and E 80).. Of course you'd have to pay the purchase cost and postage so i am not sure whether it would turn out as a cheap frame in the end for ya..?

Although i don't think postage is that excessive if you fold/maybe strip bike of unnecessary parts and don't want it to arrive within the week.

So if you'd really like one, yeah, i'd buy and send it, i am actually rather good at bike bargain hunting so i think i could get a decent priced one with a little patience.

Here is another (white) version of the same bike (also for sale on-line).

https://www.speurders.nl/fietsenenacc...vertentie.html

Plus two more but this dude is trippin he wants too much, price is per bike!:

https://www.marktplaats.nl/index.php3...n/6577473.html

The really cool thing about this frame is it has Horizontal drop outs and actually comes with a type of old skool "tugnut" so ideal for Fixed in other words!

Next to the Batavus another great old skool Dutch folder (and often sold second hand) is the Gazelle Kwikstep. These are perhaps even better, their geometry is very similiar to Bike Friday! Very nice:

https://koopjes.marktplaats.nl/fietse...n/6877312.html

Word.

Last edited by v1nce; 09-16-05 at 11:54 PM.
v1nce is offline  
Old 09-17-05, 09:21 AM
  #11  
perspective distorts
Thread Starter
 
killsurfcity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: 25th and Girard
Posts: 1,345
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thanks for the offer, but between the conversion from euros to usd and then shipping, it'd be too much for me. i'm trying to get one of under $100. if you see anything on the cheap tho, i'd be interested.
i'm kinda looking for a project here, so even if there was just a rusted old frame, i'd be into it.
killsurfcity is offline  
Old 09-17-05, 10:00 AM
  #12  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,427
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Aight.
v1nce is offline  
Old 09-17-05, 05:43 PM
  #13  
perspective distorts
Thread Starter
 
killsurfcity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: 25th and Girard
Posts: 1,345
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
hey, post more people. i wanna see some more nice rides.
killsurfcity is offline  
Old 09-19-05, 07:59 AM
  #14  
Raleigh20 PugFixie, Merc
 
LittlePixel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: London UK
Posts: 1,997

Bikes: 1982 Raleigh Twenty Hotrod Fixie; 1984 Peugeot Premier Fixie, 2007 Merc Lightweight folder

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
If you haven't seen mine in the other threads. I built mine last winter with hub gears, and just went fixie 2 weeks ago - it's great.

Before that it was running a SRAM spectro 7 hub which was also cool. you may tell by my photos that I was tentative about running a fixed rear wheel - hence the fact there's still the gear clickbox, back brakes and general cable-age still going everywhere.

Anyway - now it's running 12t -> 54t but I've got a 56t chainring on order to make it a bit longer legged. I ride it 8 miles a day across London UK and I love it.

One thing - whatever you do to your Twenty- it will never be superlight! You could counter it's girth with *everything carbon* but it still will only be a lighter 20 not a Bike Friday or Moulten SP. It will, however - be amazing fun.

Be sure to post any pictures when you get to it...

Oh - if you go over to www.fixedgeargallery.com and do a "google this site" for 'raleigh twenty' you should find a few more of these Nottingham beauties!

Huw


Last edited by LittlePixel; 09-19-05 at 08:05 AM.
LittlePixel is offline  
Old 09-19-05, 11:59 AM
  #15  
Habit is a great deadener
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 168
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
56/12!? holy crap, do you have knees of solid steel? seriously though, i get that the gearing needs to be higher than a typical big wheeled fixed gear bike, but can you get up hills? how about accelerating from a dead stop? i'm interested to know how this gearing works out for you. do tell.
andy_is_me is offline  
Old 09-19-05, 02:23 PM
  #16  
perspective distorts
Thread Starter
 
killsurfcity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: 25th and Girard
Posts: 1,345
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
littlepixel...
did you replace both your bb and heaset? did you need to get anything re-threaded?
if so, do you have any fear of the bb not being able to hold up in fixed gear use?
i'm trying to decide between rethreading and using a *** bb and i want to make sure i choose the most durable option.
killsurfcity is offline  
Old 09-19-05, 02:31 PM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,427
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
@ Pixel: Nice Fixed Twenty man! Real nice. Say if the S-Ram hub is ever for sale let me know aight? I'd be interested.

My two cents on rethreading, according to Sheldon the thread are weakened. Personally i would never go for this option. I would choose for the *** (as i did ha ha) or if i really wanted to go for max. durability and strength i'd buy some Phil Wood rings and the Shimano BB. Of course this costs about 3 to 5 times more than the *** option. I'd be much surprised if the *** won't stand up to heavy use, I am quite a masher and as stated on my site some pretty extreme bikers (clients of Bikers Best) seemed to get away with the ***. But then again i could be wrong! So i am also curious to Pixel's solution, judging from the rest of his bike i'd guess the Phil W rings or perhaps even complete Phil Wood BB. Nothing beats that but you got to spend some crazy loot.

Do you actually have a frame yet Kill? Otherwise it is somewhat moot. Perhaps you will be able to get a brand/folder that has standard BB threading...?

Last edited by v1nce; 09-20-05 at 01:57 AM.
v1nce is offline  
Old 09-19-05, 05:08 PM
  #18  
perspective distorts
Thread Starter
 
killsurfcity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: 25th and Girard
Posts: 1,345
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
thanks for the bb info v1nce. i guess i'll probably go with the *** when the time comes, i was just curious.
i don't have a bike yet, i found one in philly tho, and i may end up getting it. i'm flaking on the name at present, but it looks like an exact copy of the raleigh 20.
i think anything with standard threading in the bb would be out of my financial range anyhow, as newer is generally more expensive. i also want to stick with what has worked for others so far, as it will give me less headaches than figuring it all out myself. which is especially good, considering that i'm fairly new to bike tinkering as it is.
killsurfcity is offline  
Old 09-20-05, 01:59 AM
  #19  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,427
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Yeah? You might wanna post the name of it. The Twenty was marketed under a huge variety of names and most are the exact same. With two notably concerns:

One or two of the versions do not fold and seem slightly less beefy tubewise.

Raleigh also made some other/older folders which look somewhat similiar but kinda suck in terms of the folding mechanism, tubing etc.

Buyer Beware and all that.
v1nce is offline  
Old 09-20-05, 03:38 AM
  #20  
Raleigh20 PugFixie, Merc
 
LittlePixel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: London UK
Posts: 1,997

Bikes: 1982 Raleigh Twenty Hotrod Fixie; 1984 Peugeot Premier Fixie, 2007 Merc Lightweight folder

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by andy_is_me
56/12!? holy crap, do you have knees of solid steel? seriously though, i get that the gearing needs to be higher than a typical big wheeled fixed gear bike, but can you get up hills? how about accelerating from a dead stop? i'm interested to know how this gearing works out for you. do tell.
I don't have knees of steel. I think I've made an error - it'll be 56->14 not 12 as I boasted. That should give me enough speed on the flat. Right now I top out at about 23mph where my legs won't really go any faster. They prolly would when I start daring to use the clippy pedals again...

New chainring came today - Yay!
LittlePixel is offline  
Old 09-20-05, 03:44 AM
  #21  
Raleigh20 PugFixie, Merc
 
LittlePixel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: London UK
Posts: 1,997

Bikes: 1982 Raleigh Twenty Hotrod Fixie; 1984 Peugeot Premier Fixie, 2007 Merc Lightweight folder

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Liked 4 Times in 4 Posts
Originally Posted by killsurfcity
littlepixel...
did you replace both your bb and heaset? did you need to get anything re-threaded?
if so, do you have any fear of the bb not being able to hold up in fixed gear use?
i'm trying to decide between rethreading and using a *** bb and i want to make sure i choose the most durable option.
Yes I did - I did it the 'classic sheldon' way with Phil Wood english-threaded rings and a UN72 bracket (can't quite remember the axle length).

I've read about the *** and it sounds like a reasonable hack though I'd say I'd rather be safer with a proper fit - esp if running fixed. But if you get the bb rethreaded I'm sure it'd be pretty solid. The direction I took was quite expensive but the Phil rings and UN bracket seem pretty bomb-proof and are probably worth the outlay. If you do get the Phil rings (from Harris Cyclery) Be sure to get the fitting tool as the rings are not standard.

The headset is a Tange affair - kinda a workhorse. It was a pig to find one the right size for the forks. Getting 1" threaded was fine - just getting one that fitted the unusual crown-race size of the forks was the difficult part. In the end I got it imported from the US to the UK. I wanted a black anodised one really. It's good and solid though. Nice and turny for the bends
LittlePixel is offline  
Old 09-20-05, 07:15 AM
  #22  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 21
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Here is mine. 1973

Stock Crank, Fixed 15t rear wheel. Longest Kalloy seatpost I could find. Stem made from a bmx seatpost, shim and 1" threadless stem to get something high enough. Parts pile Cinelli bars, tektro levers, stock brakes.

Hjalti is offline  
Old 09-20-05, 08:52 AM
  #23  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,427
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Hey Hjalti, nice wheels! Also digg the webpage you made for it. Almost the exact same frame/version as i got. I like the Drop bars and wheels/tires (those are the ones you mention on your page or?).. Also what Saddle is that, any good? I'd say it deserves a nicer BB/Cranks and Fork some time in the future. But that's just my opinion.

Last edited by v1nce; 09-20-05 at 08:57 AM.
v1nce is offline  
Old 09-20-05, 12:18 PM
  #24  
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Posts: 21
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Thanks for the kind words. The specs are the same as listed on the webpage, still going strong. I may change the BB and crank at some point, but I like the stylin' heron chainring, and don't mind cotters for now (I have access to a cotter press, makes all the difference in the world). I may put some slightly fatter tires on at some point, and also put the original fenders back on. I have the original dynohub that it came with as well and might play with some type of lighting system. It is a pretty fun bike, good for around town exploring, and I don't want to put too much more into it.
Hjalti is offline  
Old 09-22-05, 06:23 AM
  #25  
perspective distorts
Thread Starter
 
killsurfcity's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: 25th and Girard
Posts: 1,345
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by v1nce
Do you actually have a frame yet Kill? Otherwise it is somewhat moot. Perhaps you will be able to get a brand/folder that has standard BB threading...?
so the bike i found near me, is called a "superdeluxe". it looks pretty generic... i looked, but couldn't find any other brand name. the guy at the shop was asking $75. seemed kinda steep for me for a no-name bike. anyone know this brand? it looks almost exactly like a raleigh twenty. if i can't find any info on it, i think i'll just hold out for something better.

by the way, anyone know the other names that raleigh 20"s were sold under?
killsurfcity is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.