phatatude

What up fellas...

Its been a while since I've been able to post, but its busy season here in the U.S. if you are a photographer.
Im sad to say I havent been able to inject comment onto our folding forum in a while, but I check it daily before I go to bed. There are some really great posts on here and its a perfect end for my days...

I got a chance to work on my R-20 yesterday and hope to be done with teh paint on it by the end of next week. I am just dealing with a few detail on the bike right now, and need a lil help from the Folding Forum crew.

This might seem like a rediculously easy question, but you guys have got the remember no one within thousands of miles has ever seen one of these bikes

I am planning on replacing this shiny decal, but I am not sure if it was originally silver or gold. When I first received the bike I started cleaning it and the decal appeared to be gold, but when I wiped, it turned silver (chrome).
The other question is about the bands on the shiny strip. Does anyone know what color they would have been? I see that one band is still black, but Im not sure if there were others and what they would have been.


I still have my blog that is tracking the progress of my build, and I have a ton of info to post to it, I just havent had the time. So stay tuned...

https://web.mac.com/phatatude/Green_S...enty_Blog.html

Thanks a ton fellas, and keep foldin' em

Folders : Half the bike, Twice the fun...

Ps. If you are wondering, this on the seat tube (Vertical). (I forgot to rotate the image sorry)

LittlePixel

Yay! Nice to have you back. I know what you mean about busy... My spring summer has been pretty relentless too.

They are usually gold of sorts. Not always decals - sometimes they are pressed and enamelled badges that are riveted on, sometimes they are actually cast alloy with glass enamelling. Pressed tin ones are probably most suited to the period of the bike. The one on mine is actually a fairly modern one just glued in place with epoxy resin glue.

I've not seen those before and my spidey sense tells me they aren't original equipment. I might be wrong here though. Do they show signs they were maybe put on as extra reflectors or to secure something to the frame?

Look forward to it. My 520 is no further on since last time bar the introduction of the splendidly excellent forks donated by the über-generous Guy_Retreaux

[EDIT]
I just realised it's on the seat-tube not the head-tube. In this place it'd always be a decal - my bad. Where to get them... How about trying these guys:
https://oldbiketrader.co.uk/

what bike?

good luck with fixing up that bike sounds like fun and looks like a great little bike , im thinking of a project myself but im not sure if i should spend my money on just a old frame and buy the other parts for it or spend my cash on a new dahon , would you choose a dahon d7 (7 speed) or a dahon piccolo or a 1990s moulton (the bike i would be fixing up)?

pics of moulton:

phatatude

Im thinking I am probably going to have to recreate the bands on the foil. So you're thinkin' the band was gold, and your not sure what color the pin stripes would have been? On your 20 what color were the bands on your seat tube, and are the ones on yours now, still original Lil Pix ?

And again I thank you all for your help...

R- 20's : Build it and they will Ride...

LittlePixel

Ok so I completely misunderstood - I thought for some reason you were mainly talking about the Griffin decal. Regarding the bands - these are the things I've not seen before and things I'm not sure are authentic or added on later in the bikes life. My bike didn't have them - it was a later model from around 1977 I think so had a sort of groovy '20' logo in lime green and white. No metallic bands I'm afraid...

What's the story with paint gonna be anyway? (excited to find out)

LittlePixel

@ What Bike - I'd go with the Moulton of the three if you want to make something your own; but if you want a good bike with a minimum of fuss then either of the Dahons will be good - Piccolo's are the really light 16" wheeled ones right?

phatatude

Lil Pix, I know there is more than you and me who have a R-20 on the forum... There has to be someone else out there that has seen a white, early model 20. Twenty owners unite! Im thinkin the bands are factory because the seat tube would be pretty bland without them...

Oh, and What a Bike, I wish I had your problems The Moulton would be a no brainer for me. It would be like driving a space shuttle down the street around here. People would be wrecking and peeing all over the place. Mass histeria, Dogs and Cats living together... Wait, I can make your choice a lot easier, Sell me the Moulton. No wait, you might have a problem thinking what the price should be. So tell ya what, I'll let cha give it to me... I like to think of myself as a problem solver


R-20's : Sometimes you can feel like you're on an island even if you live in the middle of the United States...

what bike?

i dont have the moulton yet but its for sale on ebay.co.uk

CaptainSpalding

My Twenty has the bands. Black and gold.

what bike?

phat are they the original handels for the twenty because they make it look alot like a BMX

Elad63

My 72 Raleigh Folder doesn' t have them either.

Sammyboy

If you read carefully, that's not even the 20 in that pic.

MyrtleBeachGolf

I think mine is a '72 ( I just got it and havn't had a chance to research) and I have the bands on the seatpost. I wish I could remember the colour, but I'm in the office and the bike is not.

J.T.

phatatude

What a Bike, are you refering to one of the images from my website/blog? On my blog there is a page that I put a couple of different handle bars on it just to see what things might look like. One of them was a downhill bar. I have a pursuit bar for it now.

Lil pix, the pin stripes you have on yours arent reproductions of the original?

I attached three images to this entry, the first two are lil Pix's bike, and the third is my frame when I first recieved it. The arrows are to help you guys to understand where the gold/silver bands are.



Phatatude-Ride em' till the wheels fall off! (or your jewels go numb...)

R-20's : What the cool kids ride...



https://web.mac.com/phatatude/Green_S...enty_Blog.html

phatatude

Myrtle Beach!
What color is your bike? It seems like the bands might have only been on the white ones? And do check to see if youo have pin stripes on it pretty please with sugar on top And Welcome into the R-20 family!
What are your plans for the bike?

R-20's : Old Steel, New Ideas...

CaptainSpalding

what bike?

oh ok phat

LittlePixel

Nope -just stripes made from electrician's tape. (and duly removed as they looked poopy)

MyrtleBeachGolf

Phat,

My Twenty is green. The stripes appear identical to yours ( a wide gold center band then black and white narrow bands.)

What am I going to do. I absolutly love looking at the various projects on the different sites and blogs. I will definately mod it up somehow. A previous owner has allready gone 5-speed with an alloy rear wheel. Front is still original SA as is the rest of the bike. I will do the bars next. I find the originals make for a pretty crramped ride. I'm 6'0 225# so I need some more room.

I have already had a blast taking it to my neighborhood bar where it drew a lot of interest ( although in falling off it on the way home I learned a lesson in "drinking responsably".. broken rib, two black eyes and a forehead wound that I will have to invent a hockey story to explain...lol) They say "live and Learn"-- at least I lived

If I make any progress on the bike I'll post some pictures. This site is a great resourse for anyone interested in Flding Bikes.


J.T.

what bike?

are raleigh 20's rare?, lots of people seem to have them on these forums but they seem like a rare and desirable bike if people are prepared to restore them and even go to the trouble of the colour of the bands of the sticker on the bike!, or are they just a nice bike to restore and modify and they are a nice ride?, or are they both?

phatatude

-They are like works of art when they are finished...
-Depending on where you are, they can be INCREDIBLY rare, and at the same time some here have figured that is is probably the most sold folding bike ever.
-They fold with a horizontal fold AND are steel so they are INCREDIBLY stable.
-They are OLD. Some were built in the 60's. For me that is a cool way of recycling!
-They can be an inexpensive, but dependable option for anyone needing a folder
-Mods on them go from Mild ot WILD...
-To customize them thoroughly, you have to be crafty and do your research.
-When you are finished (not that you always do finish lil pix you will truely have a one off bike.

Im sure you guys will add a few more to this list...

Buy one and join the club "What A Bike"... Just be warned, the R-20 you get for 40 bucks, can soon bleed you of hundreds if you arent careful. Heck it can happen if you are careful too!

R-20's : If you dont know, you better ask some body...

check THESE out...
https://web.mac.com/phatatude/Green_S...gh_Twenty.html
And thats just the tip of the iceberg...

Do a search for "Sheldon Brown Raleigh Twenty" ... Then get on ebay and buy one
(Or ask me to sell you one of my three

stevegor

....hundreds of $$?....I stopped counting when I did the Wasp's second rebuild, which might transform into another rebuild.......AND after brazing on V-brake bosses on my wife's R20, that rebuild is waiting patiently in the shed to be finished, then there's the R24 type that I'm gathering parts for......

phatatude

"Why an R-20"

The R-20 has provoked some killer Work Arounds too... Stevegor cut a a handlebar in half and welded it back together to run the internal hub on his R-20 (had to mount the shifter somewhere )

Im sure there are some others who whould like to sound off on the topic of "Why an R-20 ?"

And besides there are no other active R-20 threads

And thanks for the photos Capt'n... That is exactly what I needed to know...

R-20's : Old Steel, New Tricks

what bike?

raleigh 20 on gumtree london if anyones interested

https://www.gumtree.com/london/52/25903452.html

Tom W

I apologise for being a total moron - however I am trying to track down a longer than stock seat post for my most wonderful and definitely unpimped shopper.

Any ideas where I can order one from in the UK ?

With thanks

Tom