Another Raleigh Sports awaiting restoration...Part 1

As I've mention in my previous posting regarding the Brooks saddle, this is the Raleigh Sports where it was taken off from. I've finally managed to find some spare time to dismantle the entire bike, clean up the parts and have a closer inspection.

You can see from the picture above. The cranks is in good condition with little pitting to the chrome. The pedals are original Raleigh with the logo on the rubber pads. There's also the Raleigh mark stamped onto the crank arms.

Aftern much scrubbing and cleaning, the grease and 'what-nots' finally came off revealing this...

After so long, the details are still visible as compared to my 1st Raleigh Sports. This one has been well taken care off by the previous owner.

Nice, clean caps and colour is still visible on the head badge.

Now that 's all cleaned up, I'm still considering whether to transform it into a fixie, a track bike concept or simply restore it to former glory..... ("P)

Off the beaten track....

It's been awhile since I last brought her out for a spin and not wanting the grease to harden due to lack of 'action', I decided to try out the woodlands in the East.

Cycling up the hardened mud track has been a breeze, thanks to the trusted Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub.

Stopping to smell the 'roses', I decided to take a snap shot of the surrounding area....

The new German bell is the latest addition to the Raleigh and it prove it's worth, in terms of ease in activating it and loudness...

Parting shot of the woodlands before going back the civilization and the tarmac....

Check out the bell in action....

Sunset with Raleigh...

Sunset with Raleigh..., originally uploaded by the_meadows21.

Riding into the sunset....

New year, new look, new rear view!

LGIM0351, originally uploaded by the_meadows21.

Finally got myself a leather tool carrying case to complete the look. Still contemplating whether I should remove the rear rack as I find it .....

New year, new look....con't

LGIM0350, originally uploaded by the_meadows21.

A close up view on the accessories....

New look, new year....

LGIM0349, originally uploaded by the_meadows21.

2010 is a rather good 'harvest' for me. Finally got my own spinning brass bell. Not one but two! Yes. These bells are really hard to come by. As usual, given my hectic and irregular work schedule, the moment I can sneak in a few hours of free time, I'll take my Raleigh out for a spin. Can't keep her in storage forever, right? Those wheels are meant to be spinned and grease loosen.....

Adding more stuff to my Raleigh...

Looking through some super cool pics of suped up classic bicycles on the internet, I decided what my Raleigh lacks is a front carrier rack. But searching for one is like looking for fungi in moss...haha...So I decided to customize a rear mounted rack to fit it to the front.

Then it's off for some fun in the SUN!

Latest accessory...spinning brass bell!

Recently I met a fellow collector and from our conversation, I mentioned that I've been searching high and low for a very sort after 'spinning' brass bell. I told him that I once saw it on someone's website and after which, I've lost the links to the webpage.
To my delight and surprise, he told me he actually had a few. A FEW?! My heart was pounding and suddenly, I find myself feeling like a kid once more. Jumping for joy...of course not infront of him but literally.
So, I decide to fix a date and met up with him. He is indeed a collector of bikes! Vintage bicycles. Lots of them too. Rudge. BSA. Para bikes. Raleigh....even the Lucas Silver King, he had a show case lined up side by side! I was having difficulty containing my drool....

Then he took out a wooden case and 'Wah-lah!!' My spinning brass bell! He had 5 of them, all in used condition. What the heck , right? So I told him straight in the face. Are they for sale or do I have to 'steal' them right under his nose? haha....he got the hint at my desperation to have one and decided to sell it to me as a token of friendship. Got it for SGD$150. Expensive? To me, it's not the price. It's the rarity. As I did not have enough cash with me at the moment, I only bought this 'Dog Brand' brass bell. Really, the logo on it says "Dog Brand" and there is a picture of an embossed Bulldog.

Once back home, dismantled it for some close inspection to see how it actualy works. Then lub it and give it some light polishing. Love to see the antiquated look and not too overly polished.

Spinning it with my fingers and it gives off a wonderful 'Ring-A-Ting-Ting' resonance. Told him I'm going to get his Lucas King of the Road spinning bell, thumb activated on my next visit...

Adding stuff to my Raleigh..

Got this pre-independence bicycle registration plate from an old man. Back before Singapore's independence from the British rulers, all bicycles are required to be registered. The words MCS means Municipal Council of Singapore. The plate is not painted red but is actually enamelled. That's why the top and bottom part of the plate cracked and broke off when the previous owner over tightened it.

Added a leather tool carrying pouch to pack in my tools for the long ride..

Classic bicycle speedometer

Bought this classic looking bicycle speedometer during one of those weekends trips down the local flea mart. NOS.

Finally, restoration work is completed!!

These are the items, which I bought from a dainty little bicycle shop in Johore Baru yesterday. Took them out and inspected it for rust and what-nots. To my surprise, the bearings rotated freely! After all these years in storage ( atleast 30 years ), the rubber block pedals spins like as if it just left the production line! That's the wonderful thing about vintage parts. They're built to last. Period.

This is a Made in China copy of the Raleigh pedals. Everythings the same except the heron is missing and in it's place, Weili. That's the brand of this pedal.

Love the look of those oversized spring! Will be reserving it for my next restoration work, if I do find another vintage bike for sale!

Vintage bicycle rack, NOS. Made in Shanghai.
Finally, after weeks of greasy fingers and frantic buying spree from Ebay, my Raleigh Sports restoration work is completed! Took her out for a spin for the 1st time. Wow! The feelings great. Runs smoothly and the SA shifter is working great!

Tried out the dynamo head lamp and it works. Phew.....

Isn't she lovely......

My latest 'catch'!

Today I happened to be rather free, so I decided to drive to JB to do some 'shopping'. Drove around and spotted a dainty old bicycle shop tucked in a corner of a role of shop houses. Went in and chatted with the boss, who happened to be chasing flies ( no biz ). Spoke to him about classic bicycles and I also enquire about whether he's keeping some old bikes in his shop. According to him, there's been a recent surge in demands for vintage/classic bicycles of late. As such, much of his 'old' stocks are nearly gone. Damn! I'm too late! But after much 'interagation, he relented and said he might have one or two NOS accesories somewhere in the store.
To cut the story short, I snapped up whatever he has to offer.
1) Made in China solid rubber pedals with similar designs as Raleigh (there's a pointed hook at the end )
2) Vintage hand pump
3) Vintage 1950s bicycle rack.
4) Solid spring seat, taken out from a Hercules. The previous owner wanted to change it into a cushion covered seat.
All NOS ( New-Old-Stock ) except the seat.
I drove away a happy man....

95 percent to completion!

Added decal to the top tube...

I had to use another set of SA front brake hub instead of the original ones because of the terrible rusty condition and thinking that I'll have to spend a 'bomb' in getting it done up, I might as well replace it. Found a used but in tip-top condition SA front brake hub during my regular trips to Sungei Road...

Since the viewing cover of the chain guard was already missing when I bought the bike, I decided to fabricate one myself.

Added the KOBA kick stand.

Work in Progress....

This is a vintage bicycle license plate. Back then, bicycles needs to be registered to prevent theft.

Got some customised decals added to the frame. Luv the sound coming from the bell! Tinkrrrrrring...

Customised pin-stripping, aka DIY...hehe...

This is the half-complete Raleigh Sports that's been keeping me VERY BUSY of late. I'm still waiting for my rims to be retrofitted with stainless steel spokes. The shop owner says he's having a hard time searching for the right length...

Finally, got my own Raleigh Sports!!!

This is the actual condition of the bike before my restoration work. Seems like I'm going to be really busy!!