Tuesday, March 31, 2009

My Next Project...

Here is my wife's mixte that we bought used in Wisconsin about 18 or 19 years ago. It was in excellent condition when we bought it. We just didn't ride together as much as we thought we would (kids have a way of changing priorities - but in a good way). It's a Raleigh Record - a really nice bike. Since we moved back to Indiana 13 years ago, it hasn't gotten much use, and spent much of that time in the barn.

A rusty old crank. A little TLC, some extra fine steel wool and oil will hopefully bring back the shine.

It even has a Brooks saddle. I think the saddle is the single component that is in the best condition.

Really cool logo on the seat tube and the head tube also. The paint is in good condition - I'm just going to clean really well and leave as is. This bike looks like a classic and I'm not going to screw with those good looks. I may replace the rims - the existing ones are steel.

I'll keep pictures posted as I go, but won't get started for maybe a week or so. The next several days will be spent visiting colleges for my daughter. This bike will be hers - maybe even to use on campus.

Thanks Jon & Myles for the inspiration!

6 comments:

Rat Trap Press said...

That's nice! It should clean up well.

At least you have a complete bike to work with. I'm having to build my wife's bike piece by piece every payday.

Doohickie said...

Old Raleighs clean up well. Trust me, you'll be happy with the results.

Jon said...

That should turn out cool. The dark blue/black paint scheme is one of my favorites. I had a Grand Prix like that, for a while, back in the day.

Keep us posted!

Big Oak said...

Thanks, I appreciate the encouragement!

Doohickie said...

And, yeah, I think it's a mixte.

Anonymous said...

Wow I got my Deb the same bike down to he color.