Originally Posted by
RLRider
Whoah! That is awesome. That is exactly the way I would like to get this bike looking. Luckily the bike I received is in really pretty good shape. I don't think it will take much to get it looking really nice. It is already in fine mechanical shape. What I can't get over is how smooth and quiet this bike is. There is no clicking while coasting etc. It is almost stealth. It really is true that they simply do not make things like they used to.
Shifting gears on this thing I just kept thinking, "Where did this type of precision go?" My other bike is a 2008 Redline R750 which is a really a fine bike but the Raleigh is just something special. I think I am going to keep the current wheels on hand but switch it to clinchers for regular riding. I can't wait to take this thing on a club ride and cruise amongst all the fancy, space age, carbon fiber fishing lures
That's it.
Even with all the paint scrapes and pitted chrome where the rust was really bad, and cheap replacement parts, it still gets comments when I occasionally bring it on group rides.
I enjoyed the cleanup and maintenance I did on mine. New cables and housing, regreasing the bearings, and new bar tape was easy to do. My stem was stuck due to rust, and I got good ideas from the BF forums on how to get it out. (In this case, some spray PB Blast penetrating oil worked.)
Search for oxalic acid here in BF to clean up the chrome as needed.