My Raleigh 753 worth renovating?
plug1n
Posts: 204
I got back on my bike a year ago with my 1978, 753 that's been in the shed for 20 years, done 4,000 miles plus this last year & still a delight to ride.
But rust is starting to bubble through the top coat of thick red paint that a previous owner slapped on. Also there is some rust in the grease if I take out the stem, seatpost or bottom bracket, but no flakes.
Given the thinness of 753, I'm worried about safety.
Any opinions on whether this is worth a good repaint job? (e.g. Argos, etc.)
I'm going to get something new anyway, but it would be nice to keep the old iron horse as backup.
But rust is starting to bubble through the top coat of thick red paint that a previous owner slapped on. Also there is some rust in the grease if I take out the stem, seatpost or bottom bracket, but no flakes.
Given the thinness of 753, I'm worried about safety.
Any opinions on whether this is worth a good repaint job? (e.g. Argos, etc.)
I'm going to get something new anyway, but it would be nice to keep the old iron horse as backup.
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Comments
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Save your money for the something new.
It will be difficult to get good quality parts for a bike that is 30 years old.Racing is life - everything else is just waiting0 -
I disagree - I'm building a bike with '80s components at the moment and there are lots of nice new or nearly new bits out there at reasonable prices, except for a few Campag bits which have become 'collectibles'. You just have to store some saved searches on ebay for the bits you want and wait. Other useful sites are campyoldy.co.uk and retrobike.co.uk.
Anyway, you could kit out your 753 with modern bits if you want. I have an early '80s Condor 753 crit racer, and there's no reason why it shouldn't go on for ever.
First you need to get the frame checked over by a framebuilder who knows 753. I recommend Dave Yates www.daveyatescycles.co.uk. He knows everything and is very good value. And he has a bead blaster and paint shop on site. If rust has weakened one of your tubes it's dead easy to cut it out and braze in a new section.<hr>
<h6>What\'s the point of going out? We\'re just going to end up back here anyway</h6>0 -
i'd get the frame renovated and go for it.
i'd even consider brazing on track ends.0 -
Parts (and tools) aren't a problem, I'm a bit of a hoarder and like Eurostar says eBay rewards patience.
Any other suggestions for the renovation? I'm on the Herts/Bucks/Beds border.0 -
Can't think of anyone in your area offhand. There's Robin Mather in Bath...Condor and Chas Roberts in London...Brian Rourke in Stoke...Mercian in Derby.
Condor gave me a reasonable quote for replacing my 753 top tube and getting a respray. But they may well have been planning to subcontract it to Dave Yates! He built it for them, way back when. Do Condor still build steel frames in house?<hr>
<h6>What\'s the point of going out? We\'re just going to end up back here anyway</h6>0 -
No I don't think they do. I believe their frames are built in Italy and are mainly couple with carbon forks which I guess would originate from Asia. I may be wrong if you dig deeper you may discover an enclave off Clerkenwell Green of ex Tour De France stars mingling with master craftsmen like Bill Hurlow etc, creating, crafting and developing splendid frame sets for the consideration of the British public and the rest of the world.
If you discover the enclave could you make a note of how much a No.1 Hurlow Road/Path frame set with track ends costs?0 -
It says on their site that they are 'proud to be able to produce steel frames in the UK' and that they can do custom frames in 953. This might well be courtesy of Dave Yates. I did his course recently and he told me he built the most odd Paris which is still in Condor's online catalogue. And he did some development work on 953 for Reynolds. Here's the Paris:
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<h6>What\'s the point of going out? We\'re just going to end up back here anyway</h6>0 -
As far as I know 753 does not take kindly to reheating . The metal becomes britel. Get professioanal advise.bagpuss0
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If it's a Raleigh, it's got to be worth renovating.
As one door closes, another slams in your face.0 -
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Thanks for input everyone, I'll probably get Dave Yates to have look when I've built up a hack to keep me going through the winter.
Easier to drive to Lincolnshire than go round the M25!
I have to admit that a couple of visits to Condor and their famous customer service have put me off them for the next few years0 -
i've been in there randomly and been given short shrift. however, i went in there with my condor bike and the level of service was on a different level altogether.0
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Dave Marsh at the Universal Cycle Centre, Maltby is your man. He will also be able to supply original (not copy) transfers if you want to get a really authentic job done.0
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:?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: Not from my experience.bagpuss0
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That's possibly the one that went for £200 and something on ebay a week or so ago.bagpusscp wrote:
Possibly at the other end of the scale is this http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/54-57cm-Brian-Rou ... dZViewItem pretty enough but I don't fancy the rust holes much.0 -
EEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRR . No it is not ,but you have just made me very happy .
bagpuss0
