gster

So, where was it built?

3speedslow

Good question! I have not checked the serial# yet. First letter should be an indication. Today is tear down and clean, relube day.

Putting the calipers to it shows me the parts are modern standard sizes. Makes the idea of switch outs easier to achieve. Rims are 36 hole.

3speedslow

Do you still have any of them?

gster

Sadly, no.

3speedslow

gster

Looking at the S# today I saw a faint M so Malaysia would be my answer. I’ve had one other Raleigh from that part of the world.

Tear down was limited to cleaning the frame, lubing the HS and wheels. Unfortunately it looks like the PO put grease in the hub. Might be why the shift change is so-so. The HS was a crisis moment when the 3 indent lock ring refused to come off. The cheap reflected bracket had messed with the threads. Trying to get the lock ring off only made it worse! Out came the Dremel tool. Saved the day but have empty space to fill. The front wheel did not have the set cone only on one side so was easy to clean and put together. Typical, one side had grease the other was burned.

The flamboyant red colour really shows when in the sun. My black Carradice bags will be perfect for this machine. I also have just gotten a nice Sella Italia city saddle from a BF member so it will start for me on this bike.

Pics when I make the bike roadworthy!

3speedslow

Really, really need to get a cotter crank tool!

GamblerGORD53

One day I was goofing around, about 1967, with darts and put some holes in 5 of my brother's hockey cards.
Might still have the rookie Bobby Hull card. Value went from $800 to zero, and that was the value 20 years ago.
5 years ago I sold a bunch of 1960s collectables, only got $85. CFL cards from cereal boxes got 7.5 cents each.
About the same for Jello prizes, plastic circles with 100 airplanes and cars.

RustyJames 

I broke down and bought one from treatland(?) or some such thing. It has taken some improvising to make it work well but I'm a newb at cottered cranks so maybe that is normal? I just reassembled the cranks on my Raleigh with the tool and all went well since I have figured out a few "tricks". PM me if you have questions about the tool.

PS - no, I haven't touched the Sears bike yet. Many projects and trying to focus on a few so they get done-ish. I have an old Bianchi city bike (~1955) that I am going to spend WAYYYYY too many Lira on to get it purdy.

tjfastback66

Just for fun I bought and repurposed a chain tool from Harbor Freight I mean it was only like $16.00

$16 Cotter Press - Bike Forums

I am also on the waiting list for one from Bikesmith Design & Fabrication.

BikeSmith Design and Fabrication

BFisher 

Like RustyJames, I also got one from treatland.tv (Link-Cotter Press).

In order for it to work on my Raleigh cranks I had to grind the end of each "C" down about 1/8", otherwise it hits the chainring before clearing the pin. After that it has worked great on several bikes.

3speedslow

To all,

Thanks for the suggestions. Have always set my sights on the bikesmith DF. Maybe one day. I also did the harbor freight one a try and eventually destroyed it on a few stubborn cranks. Never heard of the treatland choice. Hit or miss as well with the C clamp and sprocket attachment.

Not without though.... I have a friendly LBS with an old fashion Park Tool cotter press and he actually lets me use it out of shop. But it’s time to buy my own!

RustyJames 

I still need to do that and on the NDS I found that if you place the box end of a ~10mm wrench over the head of the cotter, the tool will have enough clearance over the cup so it sits square.

RustyJames 

Soooo….I took my 1965 Raleigh Sport for its maiden voyage (since I bought it) after doing a bit of deferred maintenance and the front brake works well but the coaster brake is basically non-existent. (TWC hub). I haven’t done anything to the hub other than put some oil in it. Is tear down next or do I just get to live with it? In other words, was braking always terrible?

Salubrious

I've been having an issue with my front brake. The 1970s brakes are different from earlier brakes (not sure of the cutoff year). It employs a threaded bolt, with a threaded shoulder (rather than one that is not threaded, as on the older brakes) on which the caliper arms move. That shoulder was worn to the point that the caliper arms would flop about, resulting in noisy braking which could not be adjusted out. The threaded shoulder spacer is a good idea (as long as its not worn), as it makes the brake a lot easier to adjust.

I tried to install an older front brake but the brake cable is entirely different. Its also incompatible with the newer brake parts. Since I've been running Weinnman brake levers, this meant the older style cable was incompatible with them as well. My solution was to create a new brake using Weinnman and Raleigh parts, creating a bit of a Frankenstien, since the Weinmann caliper was a rear, not a front. Turns out the Raleigh threaded bolt at the heart of the brake can be used with the Weinnman brake arms with a very minor bit of convincing. The threaded shoulder was still used, but the worn bit that supported the original brake arms was removed, resulting in a threaded spacer. It has a groove on its backside meant for the brake spring- I used that and the Weinnman spacer to hold the spring in place, preventing the brake arms from being squished too hard when the whole thing got tightened down and also mount to the front fork and accommodate its radius. On the backside of the fork I simply used the original Raleigh nut and washer.

In this way I didn't have to do much to the brake cable. I'd have preferred to use the Raleigh brake, being a bit of a completest, but that threaded shoulder spacer thingy is a bit of an obscure part to find on its own. The result of all this is that I have most of the same hardware mounting the brake, with different brake arms and no more braking sounds since the brake arms no longer shift with the braking pressure.

Salubrious

Is it better in first gear?

RustyJames 

Hmmm…didn’t try that. Is that a thing? This is new territory for me.

clubman 

The TCWIII can have an outstanding brake... I have one that will lock up or just modulate as required. If you're adventurous then it might be worth the trouble to open up and see what's cooking. The biggest problem with the Hub is the brake not engaging when you are between gears

RustyJames 

I am adventurous so I may poke around a bit until things get uncomfortable. I’ve seen exploded view diagrams but maybe the problem will be self apparent before I have a table with bits everywhere.

Salubrious

IIRC in later years (l1980s?) they fixed that but in most of the older coaster brake hubs (even the German Sachs Torpedo) the braking was always better in 1st gear.

3speedslow

1979 Raleigh Roadster

Took the old knurled seat post out and cleaned it up some. Put the micrometer to it again and was given more reliable reading around 25.79 Gave me an idea. Went to the bin and pulled out a Kalloy Uno 25.8 microadjusting SP to see about the fit. Slip in there with not much effort. A clean of the seat tube should have me a lighter, better holding saddle post! Small things make me happy sometimes.

JohnDThompson 

, the The problem with the TCW brake is that it was actuated through the internal gearing; IOW, in 3rd (high) gear, the mechanical advantage of the brake was decreased (when you likely would need increased mechanical advantage). In 1st gear (low) the mechanical advantage was increased, so if you took care to shift into low gear when you apply the coaster brake, you would not have problems.

RustyJames 

Ahh yes, this is giving me flashbacks to English cars. Somethings - like SU carbs - are brilliant and other things, not so much. Opening a water valve in the engine compartment so you have heat in your car?

I’ll try the downshifting/braking thing and post an update. Thanks for the help JohnDThompson

gster

I'd be interested in your opinion on the build quality vs a British counterpart.

Dan Burkhart 

Correct except that you only need to shift down to second to get the mechanical advantage. Shifting to first makes no difference over second.

3speedslow

Tried 3 times to answer in length, thrown off the site. Second tier parts with good frame, HA!