I haven't had a bike in almost 45 years but just got one a couple weeks ago. I just rescued a bike from the dumpster! It's an old 10 speed Raliegh and it looks like it says "Luner Record" on the tube that really puts a hurt on young boys who slip. I'll try not to ever do that again. The bike was only a 5 speed when I got it, but that is fixed. We are back to a 10 speed. The front wheel need to be trued REAL bad. Couldn't use the front brake it was so bad. There was no seat or seat stem, so that was job #1. After truing the wheel, I was still having a bit of a time with the front brake. When I took it apart I found the shaft that the brake handles pivot on was snapped in two. Does anyone know of a parts supplier for this part? I don't know if you can just go to a bike shop and get parts for old bikes. It seems like today, you just toss things away.



One more question. I took off the front fork and didn't think about balls falling out. LOL Any idea how many balls I should have? I managed to find and clean 42 of them. Can I get these in a bike shop if I need more?

I'd love it if you say, "Just run to the bike shop. They can order one (or two)." Thanks. This is my first bike since my Huffy back in 1956, so I guess you can say I'm a newbee. ;-) Thanks for your help.

Bearings will be no problem. The brake lever part might be a bit more problematic. If you have a shop that's been around a while, they may have an old lever in a parts bin that can be canibalized for the part. Might want to post in C&V (Classic and Vintage) section of Bike Forums. They are a great resource for older bikes.

Bearings fell out on me too while restoring an old Raleigh! Didn't lose any but forgot the count. You can get more bearings at any bike shop. Once I bought an old Trek mountain bike that had the seat and seatpost removed. It wasn't easy getting the bottom bracket open, took about two weeks. After removing the cranks and spinning the axle with my fingers, I knew that attention was needed down there.

Thanks CACycling. I'm new to the forum and didn't even notice the Vintage section. I'll copy and paste this there. All the old bike shops that were around here are gone. If I was still working, I could fire up the lathe and make one.

Gurry, nice to know I can buy the bearings. I had no seat or stem and picked up a used stem at a bike shop on Cape Cod, which is where I rescued this bike. What a time I had with the handlebars, though. That stem just didn't want to budge. A couple of prudent hammer blows accompanied with some Coca-Cola did the job after 2 days of working it.