Sixty Fiver

You are a good husband.

wahoonc

Trying to stay ahead of the shoe count...

Aaron

ahson

I am putting the headset and the fork back together on my Superbe. Now I am curious if anyone of you would know the exact # of the loose ball bearings that go to the head tube cup and the fork crown race? I kind of tried it and #25 is the number I got.

Amesja

I seem to remember the number 24 but don't quote me on that. Fill it dry until you can't get any more in. If there isn't any significant rattle space between the balls then take one out. That's what I do.

Amesja

Sheldon says, "The headset uses 25 5/32 inch loose bearing balls in each race."

mickey85

Well, I've gotten my first email from the Lake Pepin crew about the ride - gotta say that I'm a bit more than excited about this. One thing though - the Phillips I have and was going to take (as the Lenton could use some more work) has a head lug that isn't completely filled. It's the top tube lug, and it's enough to catch a fingernail on the back side of the head tube.

Now, it's been like this. Probably since it was built in '68. No wobbles, no jiggles, no loose feeling, and for all intents and purposes, it doesn't affect the bike at all. I've ridden it probably 500 miles by now, and haven't encountered any expansion.

Should I be concerned? I think I'm just being overly paranoid.

ahson

Thanks! Gotta try it again today.

Sixty Fiver

I start this with the bike upside down on the stand so I can load the bottom cup (use lots of grease) and then insert the fork, tie it in place and then flip the bike back to upright to load the top and finish the assembly.

Only takes a few minutes this way.

noglider 

Justin, does it feel too small because of the short top tube? You have probably spent your whole adult life feeling cramped in many situations, and perhaps you get this feeling on that Sports. But it's really normal for us road riders when we jump on a Sports. The reach is extremely short. If that seat is adjusted to your height, then the bike isn't too small for you. And if you want, you can get a long-extension stem.

Amesja

I don't even flip the bike over again. I start with the bike upside down in the work stand and load the bottom race with grease and fill with bearings. Then I carefully drop the fork into the head until it seats and aligns.

I load the top/threaded race with grease and fill with bearings and screw that onto the fork from the bottom up until it seats as well. Only then do I crack the brake on the stand and rotate it back upright again to mess around with the headlight bracket, and necessary washer/shims, and the top locknut. The design of the Raleigh races allows this where a more-modern threaded headset cone won't always let you get away with this.

Holding the fork with one hand while loading 25 bearings with the other is not the easiest way to do things. On a bike where I have no choice but to flip due to the shape of the top race being cone-shaped I use a bungie to hold the fork to the frame so that it doesn't fall out by gravity or need to be held constantly. That way I can use both hands to load the top bearings. Using caged bearings on the top race makes things a lot simpler here although I usually don't buy or use them unless they come with a new headset. I keep my bearings in little glass jars that artichoke hearts come in originally and try to always buy more before the jar gets fewer than 50 left. I put the new package of 144 inside the jar but don't open the little plastic envelope in so as not to mix different bearing batches although that really isn't that big of a deal with grade 300 cheap bicycle bearings...

I use lots of grease too. A lot of grease pushes out when I assemble but it is easy to wipe off and clean and it's cheap. A big 16 oz. tub of Castrol #2 costs less than $5 at the auto parts store and lasts for years and years. I'm not worried about wasting it.

ColonelJLloyd 

Can I make it work? Yes. It it the proper size? No. I'm right at 6'. I was in a traumatic accident just prior to my 18th birthday and my 4th lumbar burst into shrapnel. A piece of someone else's femur bone, a fair amount of titanium nuts and bolts and bone fusion later my torso is simply shorter than it would have been otherwise. I was long-legged to begin with so this just exacerbated the issue relative to my overall height. Relatively short top tubes work for me. So, the reach can be set to accommodate me pretty easily using a taller stem with a longer reach.

The seat post as pictured is not quite high enough, but works for short rides. I'm not interested in modifying this beauty. It's just not right for me. I'd rather see it go to someone to whom it is better suited. 9-10 centimeters of stem showing is my limit. More than that and I personally feel that a bike looks bad. I'm pretty much a fistful of seat post guy too.

ahson

My headset doesn't have any washer/shims in between the locknut and the top threaded race. Is that necessary? Btw you guys gave me a good lesson on how to load ball bearings in a easier way.

Sixty Fiver

ahson - There is usually some extra room between that locknut and the top race for a washer or light bracket.

ecsjr

Is it Proper to post about 3+2 speeds here?

Just aquired 2 1967 Sprites - His & Hers. Had never seen these shift levers before, but they seem to be original.

Downside is the men's bike has a crimp in the downtube. Someone hit something. Seems to ride ok, smooth, goes straight. Should I worry about it?

wahoonc

Those are 5 speeds...and they are English so I guess you can put them here.

Nice find, those are not nearly as common as the regular 3 speeds.

Aaron

Amesja

That bike is has quite the bend in it. I don't think it's about to fall apart at any second but it has to be felt a little bit as the steering geometry/rake has been modified quite a bit. I guess these bikes start with a pretty gentle steering angle to begin with so when a crash tightens it up a little the bike isn't too twitchy steering. Can you ride it no-handed and have it still track straight and not want to pull to one side or wobble? Then it is probably fine. I've seen much worse out there still riding around. I wouldn't ride it down mountains at break-neck speed unless you have a really strong neck...

curbtender

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/bik/2277778385.html

wahoonc

Japanese hub...just sayin...

Aaron

Amesja

LOL. Pedal isn't bent, it's the crank.

This guy is on crack.

jamesj

I was looking at the sports i bought my wife and i noticed one of the lugs was not looking good, i know that the 70's raleigh's were not the best made, and im petty sure this bike hasn't been in a crash. im worried about the integrity of the frame.

JohnDThompson 

That's probably just a void area in the lug. Not pretty, and arguably subject to rust, but unlikely to be a serious threat. Push some grease or linseed oil or something into the void to fill it and keep moisture out.

jamesj

thats what i thought also but just wanted some confirmation. . do you think i could spray some framesaver in there and that would work?

noglider 

Maybe you should use framesaver first and then follow up with grease to, um, seal it, kinda sorta.

Amesja

I'd use OA to clean it, maybe even some Barkeeper's Friend on a toothbrush or Q-tip. Then just seal it up with some clear nail polish. Let it drip in there carefully and fill the gap.

rhm

The real test, with that frame style, is whether the seat tube is straight. That style frame, if crashed hard enough to bend it, will typically get a kink in the seat tube right where that lug meets it. I've seen that a few times. I've never seen a lug crack along with that bend, but I suppose it could happen. Your bike seems to have a cracked lug weld as well as faulty brazing. I suppose the cracked lug could be the cause of the faulty brazing, in which case there's no coincidence. But I wouldn't rule out the possibility that faulty brazing plus a crash caused the lug to crack, in which case you could have a structural problem. I doubt it, but I can't tell. At any rate, if anything goes wrong it would most likely be that the seat tube will bend; and if you're worried about that, it is probably possible to reinforce the tube at that area by pushing an extra 25.4 mm seat post all the way down (well, not quite far enough to interfere with the BB).