Saturday, September 18, 2010

Raleigh Chopper MKII going places!

Brought her out from some fresh air and sight seeing before bidding her good bye.
The bike rides well, with positive gear shifting.
The new tyres also grips well on the soggy grassland...

One last spin to the playground from some parting shorts. "This used to be my playground...", the sound suddenly pop into my mind. Reminds me of the time when I was a kid, riding my mod Kris around the neighbourhood. Well, memories are meant to....just memories. But good ones. :P




Sunday, September 12, 2010

Raleigh Chopper, 1977 MKII

Score this original Raleigh Chopper several months back. It was stripped down and stored and away as I've run out of storage. Finally managed to squeeze in some free time and decided to do it up. My intention is not to spent a bomb in the restoration. Just enough to make it road worthy, that's all.
End caps with the 'R'
These hooks, does it really helps in braking power?

Yes, without 'it', this bike is just another 'KRIS' or it is?
Luvs the handlebars..

"Sir, there's a rip on your a@#!"

SA 3 speed hubs, dated 77
The original bike's linkage was missing when I bought it from a LBS. So, no choice but to have it ordered from UK. Lucky for me, I have an aunt residing there and she's my main source for helping the get those darn "Made-in-England" spare parts.

The condition of the chrome on this bike is rather pitiful. The previous owner must have left to face the elements alone. There are plenty of pitting. Thus restoration work can really be a challenge and also costly. Given my tight budget, I decided to let it go.

Got this Sturmey Archer 3 speed stick shifter from a fellow collector in exchange for my original Kuwahara Owners Manual. It needed repair. The indicator's not working. Upon stripping it, i discovered that one of the tiny parts in connecting the moving armature was damaged. Well, guess it's time for some DIY. Atleast I got it working fine again...

Well, this is the last time I'm going to ride a Raleigh Chopper again as this one has since been sold to a local collector.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Old School BMX, no brand


Bought this old school BMX for SGD$250 from a LBS. NOS. Some BMX 'purist' might say that I'm crazy to spend that amount of money on a Taiwan made BMX, even though it's a classic. But wth, this is the bike that I once rode when I was a kid. Not a Kuwahara, Apollo, Skyway...these bikes was way out of my family's financial means. I'm buying a memory, nostalgic feeling right here.


The think I like about this bike is the frame. I've seen countless 'chiong' type of BMX frames ( for the uninitiated, the word 'chiong' is in Hokkien, meaning imitation. ) But this design is unique, atleast in my opinion.


I find the weld not bad as compared to some really bad weldings I've seen before. I'm glad to be able to get this bike NOS, including the blue coloured chain.


From the design of the gusset, it's looks like a MT, but from further research, it doesn't look like it because of the rear drop out design. So, what name/brand is this bike? I'm all clueless.

The parts are excellent. 'MX' type calipers. There is even the '1000A' embossed wording at the back of the caliper! 1000A? humm...Check out the tyres too. Old school....

Sumo alloy rims. Neat.

Took her out for some sun and fun. Managed to do some Bunny Hops and Endos. Lucky the tyres are still holding well.

MX imitation race type 2 fingers brake levels. Cool. Hard to get these nowadays.


This crank is one of the parts I love most and also the deciding factor for my purchase of this bike. It's a Tracer brand. Everything is stamped 'Tracer', right up to the nuts. Stay tune for more pics on this ride.....This one's for keeping. That's for sure. BTW, this bike is damn light. Yes. I can lift it up with one arm and load it onto my bike rack.