Hi everyone,

I'm a long time lurker on the English 3 Speed thread and have finally taken the plunge and "invested" in a very beaten up Raleigh Wayfarer.
The whole idea being that this will be my winter project (in Ireland the short wet winters days usually run from September to May )

The reason I went with the Wayfarer was because
1) It had a 19" fame, (I'm 5'6' and I've always suspected my 51cm road bike of being a tad too tall.)
2) It had the all important Sturmey Archer 3 Speed AW hub from 1977, 2 years older than me.
3) It had caliber brakes.

Here in Ireland old Rod brake bikes are a little more common, we call them High Nellies, but what I have seen are all single speed.

I would like this bike to be a bit of an all rounder, somewhere between a path racer and city bike, so am trying to decide what Bars, wheels and rubber to go for.....
The Chrome is shot on both wheels and the bars. In fact I suspect the tubes and Tyres (raleigh Records) are the originals.

The plan is to
1) Strip the frame de-rust and repaint.
2) Rebuild the wheels myself with the Original Sturmey Archer front and rear hubs once serviced (Suggested rims and spokes?)
3) Service Bottom bracket and head set
3) Purchase and fit a new stem and bars

but must keep the cost down to a minimum as baby no. 2 is due in November.

Here are some photos

As I found her


Rusty Mudguards, chainguards etc stripped



All comments kindly received.
Stewart

Welcome ! I hope it turns out to be an easy winter.

Very nice but what about the fenders and chain guard? If you haven't built up the wheels yet, I'd strongly recommend alloy 26 x 1 3/8 rims over steel. The bike will perform better and brake better. What about your lighting system?

Looks like it will be a nice ride.

I've also found that these frames easily fit 700c wheels if you want to go in that direction. Original brakes had quite long reach, so you'll need some with shorter reach.

I'll be cleaning up the mud guards and chain guard in time but want to get it rolling first.
For the wheels I'll probably go 26x1 3/8 alright. For budget reasons if nothing else as the brakes will be reused.
Any suggestions on value alloy rims?
With regards to the bars I assume north road will be the most versatile?
The bar that are on it are fixed so only the height is adjustable plus the chrome is shot.

Just for the record, 1970's Raleigh Paint laughs in the face of Nitromors.
Am I right to assume it's enamel?
Still, 80 grit is making easy enough work of it.

Welcome! Looks like a fun project you have there. Since the rims are shot, I agree a pair of Sun CR 18 alloy rims would be well worth the expense.
With spokes, I've found it easier to to take an original to a wheel builder and have them find the proper style and cut and thread them for you than to try to find the right spokes online. I think the original calipers with a new set of Kool Stop pads would work well enough, especially with the alloy rims.
Keep the pics coming. It's always fun to see how projects are coming along.

Cool stuff! Good luck with this project...you'll really love the outcome.

So tonight I disassembled, cleaned, lubed and reassembled the Sturmey Archer AW hub, with the thanks to a great video from RJ the bike guy HERE.
I also cleaned an lubed the SA front hub and polished a few rusty bits.
The chrome I de-rusted with a Brass wire brush and polished with WD40 and tinfoil (aluminium foil)

Here are some Before and After shots

Love that English chrome !

I got the first few coats of primer on the forks this evening and it started me think about colours.
I plan to paint the frame black and really like the look of the raleigh record tires (new ones needed) and white WECO pedals. The pedals should come up a treat and spin quite freely (doesn't look like they can be broken down to service)
Would the members here recommend gloss black, Matt black enamel or what gives the best "period" effect?
The head badge has also got me thinking about accent colours in gold or red, maybe pinstripe the lugs?
I want the look to be subtle and Classic.

Sun CR-18 rims (polished, not matte) are very good and easy to find in 590mm. As for the bars: I'd stick with North Road. You could even flip 'em over for a speedier ride.. Just be aware that if you use a non-Raleigh stem, you'll probably need non-Raleigh bars, too, as the clamps (though not the quills) are different sizes (see Sheldon's note here).

I built up a Netherlands built Royal that was a single speed coaster city bike into track inspired gravel coaster brake bike. I kept the original 26x1-3/8 wheels as the chrome was still decent but since I'm not using rim brakes it's not a big issue besides the weight.

Like Neal said. These bikes fit 700c wheels fine as I built a BSA and Hercules into fixed gear bikes many moons ago with no issues. Steering is a little slack but look what we're playing with as you can't be too greedy. Haha. If it was me and was dumping some money in this I would go with standard 26" wheels or 700's as the tire selection for these 1-3/8 rims isn't the greatest. Yeah tires are dirt cheap but also pretty crummy.

So a little more polishing tonight on the front Brake Calliper and Lever.
The Calliper came up a treat but the lever is really badly pitted.
I will have to add a new set of retro levers to the shopping list.






Speaking of the shopping list, here is the best price I could find on Amazon.co.uk for 36 hole CR 18 polished alloy rims.





I can't find them online from any Irish suppliers but most certainly will not be paying £124 ($190 US) for a pair!!

So next job is my saddle.
The original saddle's plastic was torn but the frame is in good condition.
I think I may try reupholster it with new leather.
Any ideas on how best to do that?

Also, should I have any issues with the frame or brakes I have if I decide to go with 26 x 1.75 rims?
They are easier to come by here and much better value.