Hi all!

I made a post awhile back when I first joined. Thank you for the warm welcome then

I have been searching and studying, trying to decide what is best for me. I have come to some conclusions! I am going to keep the ol' Raleigh and build it into a modern day commuter. During my search and research, I did pick up a nice Brooks brown leather saddle, leather bar tape and a carbon road bar. Other than that, besides tearing the Raleigh down to re-paint and re-build, I am still "bike-less".

OK, some questions:

1. Can the fork be upgraded? I would like to go to disc brakes (I know, not needed, just a preference). The current design is 1" threaded, I read somewhere that it is possible to go to 1-1/8" unthreaded without a lot of work. Is this true?

2. Can I put 700mm wheels and tires on the existing frame? Again, some work or modifications are OK by me, just don't want to create a lot of other problems.

3. Right now, the bike is completely Campanello (brakes, derailleurs, shifters). I read on how to spread the frame on the older steel bikes, and I would like to do this and add a couple more sprockets. Would I then have to replace the downtube shifters to something else? If so, what do you recommend?

I probably have more questions, but these are my main concerns. I know this sounds a bit silly, doing all this work rather that just buying something a bit more modern. But, I want something a bit different I think it would be cool to commute on a modified vintage bike that has been upgraded to modern standards. Make sense?

Again, thank you for all your input. It is truly appreciated!

Thanks!

I should have added the "details" about my commute:

6.5 miles one way
Rough city streets for approximately 1 mile, then a nice bike bath the rest of the way.
Lots of steep hills compensated by some long flat stretches
No bike shops along the way, but I do pass both a Target and a Wal-Mart, equal distant. I can pick up a replacement tire/tube etc. if I have to.
I am mid-40's, general good health, 165#
I plan on adding racks and rear panniers for clothing, rain gear, general grocery grabbing on the way home.

I think that's about it

Thanks!

I think you need a 1 inch threadless fork. You can probably use this: https://www.bikemannetwork.com/biking...FKCROSS/FK1268

You will also need a new threadless headset, and a new stem. If you replace the fork, it will be set up for 700c wheels. The rear is a different story. I'm not sure what modifications would be needed to get the rear brakes to fit on a 700c rim.

Hopefully, you really love the bike, because the costs for upgrades will add up quickly to be more than a new bike.

I'm not an expert on disc brakes so I'll stay away from that.

There's a good chance your bike will take 700c wheels without modification. 700c's are smaller than 27" wheels by a bit. If your brake pads can be moved downward a few (4) mm then you should be OK.

If your existing shifters are not indexed you don't need to replace them although friction shifting gets more difficult when you've got more gears. If you currently have indexed shifters that can't be changed into friction shifting mode then you'll have to replace them. This is where things get more complicated. If you're going to shimano shifters, want indexed shifting, then you'll need to replace the rear derailleur too.

I did something similar to my wife's old Peugeot. It would have been cheaper and easier to get her a more modern bike but I learned a lot and the results were pretty good.

I am running an old 12 speed as my daily commuter. I eneded up replacing the bars, levers, wheels, stem, saddle, crankset and soon brakes.

My paticular peugeot will let me run 700c wheels even though it orginally had 27 inch wheels. My buddies old peugeot, however, does not allow it without something like this..... https://www.ebikestop.com/tektro_r556...3mm-BR7303.php and those will require some creative mounting as described here... https://sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ra-e.html#reach .

I love the old bike but it is really pretty new except for the frame & fork.

Have you considered going with the same # of cogs in the rear but with more teeth? You don't really know if something will work until you try it. For instance, I am running a mountain bike (12-32) cassette on my cyclocross bike with a short cage road rear der. I don't really buy into the argument that you have to have a new der. for a given gearing change. Sometimes the old one will work fine.

If you have friction shifters and are willing to live with that, you have a lot of freedom to mix and match components, and should be able to use your current derailleur with a new cassette, regardless of the manufacturer. I personally use friction shifting and have one Campagnolo derailleur and one Shimano derailleur and everything works fine.

Is the bike ridable in its current condition? If so, why don't you commute with it for a few weeks and see what you really need vs. want.