Friday, April 15, 2011

Raleigh Persuit Restoration Part 2

Hello and Welcome,
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Continuing on with the Pursuit restoration. Above the front wheel all cleaned-up with Mother`s Mag and Aluminum polish. I use my very basic Minoura Truing Stand for cleaning up the wheel as well as for truing. These rims were so dirty I was not positive they were Aluminum alloy until I started to clean them up.
Above: A shot of the rear-wheel and free-wheel all cleaned-up with a new Kenda K35 Gum-Wall mounted on the wheel. At this point I have installed a new Jag-Wire
derailleur cable and housing. I have also installed the new Schwinn chain. Notice the cable has been neatly trimmed with a crimp-on tip placed on the cable end. Quick Tip. I normally only trim my cables (brake and derailleur) to about 4 inches until I am positive everything is correct. This will save you a lot of grief if you ever make a mistake. It is best to have a little extra cable to work with just in case you have to re-position something.
Above: The new "old-style" Dia-Compe brake levers look nifty with the new Jag-Wire
cables and housings. By the way, I did eventually realize that I needed to turn the grips around 180 degrees aprox. Opps! I was a little disappointed with the grips at first. I thought they were going to be cork not cork-infused. But once I got them on the bike I was pleased with the way they looked and felt.
Above: All the new cables are hooked-up. Both wheels and tires are on the bike and the derailleurs and brakes are functioning. However, some of this is going have to be removed (temporarily) for the next step. After all this is a commuter bike.
Below: This is how fenders are supposed to be packaged! Not crammed into a box with tires tied into a figure 8 and lots of other stuff with absolutely no protection. So they get all scuffed-up and look like crap before you even get them out of the bloody box. I`m not going to mention any names, But you know who you are! So knock it the #@&% off! I feel so much better now :)
Above: I did not get any pics of the fenders going on (my bag). But I will say this, If you are going to clip the end of the rear fender to the brace (behind the bottom bracket)install the clip first and already have the nut removed from the rear brake caliper mounting bolt. And keep that wrench handy (probably a 10mm) Also install the wrap-around mount bracket on the fender loosely (so you can still move it).The wrap-around bracket for the rear fender is very pliable metal. You should be able to wrap it around the fender by hand. You may want to crimp it on a little tighter latter with pliers. Now slide the fender into place. The clip should pop into place around the brace with a little help. Then just remove the brake caliper and slide the bracket into place and replace the brake-caliper. Now you know why I told you to keep the wrench handy. :) So if you did not loose the 10mm nut, your now in business. When you bolt the struts to the corresponding holes on the frame, keep them loose if you are also going to install a rack. The struts are adjustable and should come with an "Allen wrench" to do so. The front fender is much easier.If you made it through this ok you should have no problems with the front fender.
Above: The SKS fender sizing chart for adult bikes. If you are running 27 x 1&1/4 tires you may want to consider the 45mm fenders. The 35mm fenders don`t have much clearance and wont give you as much "tire spray" protection when riding in wet conditions.
Above: The rear rack installed. If the rack and fender struts have to share a common mounting hole or eyelet on the frame, I like the fender struts to go on first. Clearance was already at a minimum. So I did not want to spread-out the fender struts any wider than necessary. Also, the racks legs (supports) are thicker and stronger than the fender struts. Mounted outside the struts they will help protect the weaker struts. Make sure the rack you order comes with all the mounting hardware. If you need to drill-out the mounting bracket holes for your seat-tube collar bolt. Do this with the bracket removed and laying flat on a scrap piece of wood. Put a drop of oil on the tip of the drill bit before drilling and repeat this about every 5 to 7 seconds. And do not apply excessive downward force on the drill.
And BE CAREFUL the drill bit will probably bind-up at the end of the cut spinning the bracket.Do not max-out the torque setting on your drill. This will increase the chance of the drill spinning the part when it binds. Keeping the drill bit tip lightly oiled as described above will extend the life of the bit greatly. Not doing this may render the bit useless before the first hole is finished. And use a premium drill bit that lists metal on the card or package. Safety Glasses and Mechanics Gloves need to be used. They won`t be able to protect you sitting on the shelf.
Above: The kick stand was also cleaned-up with Mother`s. And the mounting bolt was cleaned up with a brass wheel brush on a low-speed (rechargeable) drill. Quick Tip
Be careful not to bind the derailleur cables when mounting the kick-stand. It is very easy to do do. Before you tighten the mounting bolt, check the cables.

Below: Some photographs of the finished Raleigh Pursuit commuter project.
I did not get any pics. But the pedals were also refurbished. I removed the pedal reflectors and "wheel and detail" brushed them. Then I polished them with the Mother`s Chrome Polish. After that I replaced the pedal reflectors with new "take-offs".
I have some cool stuff coming up. I am building another ladies commuter from a vintage Schwinn Traveler. But while I have been waiting for parts I have also been building a RAT-BIKE. It will be a single speed bare bones bike with bull-nose bars and a rear coaster and front caliper brake. Also some fat gangster white-walls. I think I will call it "Physio-fit" goes Physio-Phat.
Until next time, RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE,RESTORE & RECYCLE!
Cheers,Hugh

6 comments:

  1. Certainly it is a matter of taste, but I'm inclined to think that the silver variant of the fenders might have set off this bike better. Better yet, would have been Hugh reporting on how he has special knowledge on how to paint these fenders red in a way that the paint will NOT come off! (does that sound like a hint?)

    What drove the "commuter" fender versus the "chromoplastic?"

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  2. Hey Steve, That (chrome) is an excellent suggestion, I only wish I had gotten it sooner. The fenders and rack for the next red step- through commuter have already been ordered. And you guessed it, they are both black...lol
    The paint on plastic topic would make for a great post. And I have a great resource. One of my best friends literally grew-up in a "Collision Shop". And now owns a successful shop that does mostly fleet work. (automotive) At one time He was a factory rep for DuPont.
    Being an old Native Metro-Detroiter and former Motorcycle Guy I have a hard time embracing
    the whole chromo-plastic thing.But I`m working on it (:
    Cheers

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  3. Nice work Hugh. I've been on the lookout for a bike like that to give to my girlfriend for her birthday. I don't see too many step through or mixte frames around here.

    I just recently restored a men's Pursuit that came out really nice. Every part was original and after I cleaned 25 years worth of dirt and grime off of it, it looked as if it had come out of a time capsule. Give it a look if you have a chance:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/23580407@N07/sets/72157626311628357/

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  4. Hey Greg,
    That is a fantastic bike! Great job on the clean-up. Nice attention to detail. Not a sign of wear anywhere. What a great find! On a scale of 1 to 10 I would give it a Solid 12. Good Luck with your search for a step-through for you girlfriend.
    Thanks for sending that in. I know my readers will enjoy seeing it as much as I did.
    Cheers

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  5. Thanks for the kind words Hugh. I enjoy checking out your blog so I'm glad I could return the favor. Have a good one.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I just found the same bike by the dumpster at my apartment. It looks to be in great condition. I'm thinking of turning it into a commuter like you did. It should make for a good North Dakota winter project.

    ReplyDelete

 
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