#6 Update: Wheels, Brakes and Everything Else

Just a quick update on research and part search for the original parts. 

Wheels:

From doing some extensive research by looking at images, blogs and speaking to some owners of other 1985 Raleigh Equipes, I am confident that the original front and back wheel rims are Raleigh issue rims therefore the back wheel is not original. In regards to the front rim this one is a Raleigh original and I have a Maillard hub on eBay waiting to be purchased to repair the axle. However, I am still looking for replacement parts and new wheels as this one is very worn. 

Brakes: 

From giving the bicycle a quick overall clean I have found that both front and back brake calipers do not match.

The rear one as shown in the first ever post (#1 The Beginning) is a Weinmann 500 however, the front brake is a Raleigh made brake which is very similar to the ones on my other Raleigh Winner. On the back of the caliper the number "500" is embossed and on my Raleigh Winner it also has similar numbers embossed. The only difference being that the Winner has washers on the caliper saying "Raleigh Foreign" but the Equipe's caliper does not. 

When making these bikes there must have been a deal made with Weinmann whereby Weinmann was either introduced or cut-off. From doing some similar research to the wheels I am almost sure that the Raleigh made calipers are the original, but ...

If anyone can tell me which ones are original to the 1985 Raleigh Equipe then that would be greatly appreciated.

Everything Else:

Also, from another quick scan of the bike I noticed that the seat clamp bolt had been previously overtightened and has actually bent inside the frame. 

Old original bolt, nut and washers

 

The new bolt, old nut and washers will be used

The frame has been straightened out perfectly and a new seat bolt is on the way. As some of the items that I have bought are on the way in the post, I shall upload images to this post when they arrive. 

And finally I found that the Sachs Huret front derailleur has a bend/kink in it that should hopefully be able to be straightened out. 

The lesson is: Always thoroughly look-over a bike before making a purchase, I was lucky as I had this bike given to me. Obviously, you can't spot all the flaws such as the seat bolt but that can inexpensively be replaced but try and check manufacturer names.

Always check whats hiding under the dirt! 

#5 Overhaul: Shimano SIS Freewheel

The second in the series of overhauls for this blog with a in-depth look on how to remove, disassemble and reassemble a freewheel so be prepared for a long read.

Firstly before taking the wheel off the bike, if you intend on keeping the freewheel/wheel off the bike until finishing a restoration then remember it's much easier to take the pedals off the bike with the wheel and freewheel still assembled. Don't make the mistake of dismantling everything, putting it to one side then realizing the pedals are still on as you'll find yourself putting everything back together just to take them off. 
Once the wheel is off the bike then you will need the required freewheel removal tool, they come in many different shapes but if you Google what freewheel you have then it should show you what one you need. You can also search on eBay for it where you'll find an image and they should be pretty cheap, normally the older the freewheel the more expensive the removal tool. 
Once you have this tool then (depending if it comes with a built-in wrench) you will need adjustable wrench. Place the tool inside the freewheel while ensuring the freewheels teeth and the groves in the tool meet up tightly, then attach the wrench and turn anti-clockwise. It usually takes quite a bit of force (As when you pedal the bike the freewheel tightens itself) but if you are unsure then carefully add some penetrating oil and allow it to soak then try again. 
Once the freewheel is loose then you will be able to turn the removal tool by hand until the freewheel is almost off the hub. Be careful when unscrewing it from the hub, being careful not to move it too much on the threads. After this you should have the freewheel off the bike where it can be overhauled and also you will have full access to the wheel hub. (Which was overhauled in a previous post.)

The above image shows the removal tool used along with the adjustable wrench and removed freewheel. The other two above are the locking nut and spacer washer from the rear wheel axle. Now that the freewheel is removed it can be dismantled, cleaned then greased with assembly. 
This next step is important as here is a common area where people can ruin threads or seize the freewheel up for good and I find it poorly explained online.
To open the freewheel most instructions will tell you you will need to place a punch into one of the holes on the lock ring of the freewheel and then using a hammer and holding the center of the freewheel, hit the punch to turn this lock-ring anticlockwise. This is correct however, what most people don't explain is that if your freewheel is seized up or old then this is incredibly difficult to do, the difficultly being to hit the punch hard enough while holding the inside of the freewheel so it doesn't turn.  So ...

(Left) The removed lock-ring showing both manufacture holes where punch inserted. (Right) Freewheel with lock-ring and center removed. (both quickly cleaned but unfinished).

I personally find it much easier to mount the freewheel back onto the wheel hub as here the wheel hub will hold the center for you. Now you can hit the punch to turn anti-clockwise and as soon as you realize the lock-ring is loose then STOP. Here it would be best to remove the freewheel off the wheel as when loosening the lock-ring there are bearings under both this lock-ring and the underneath of the freewheel. Remove the lock-ring now by hand with the punch while holding the center and bottom. Now you can carefully count how many bearings are in the top and then the bottom, this particular freewheel had 32 top and 38 bottom and were as dry as a bone (see above). 
Here the lock-ring can be cleaned as sometimes they can be coated in old grease or rust. Also take this opportunity to thoroughly clean the freewheel teeth, I even went as far as using dremel tools on it and the results will show at the end.

 Here you can go to town on cleaning the freewheel, I used a number of cleaners and polishes for the best possible results. Look at the previous post to see a breakdown of all the tools and products for this. 

Now moving on to preparing and cleaning the center of the freewheel. The image below shows the center freewheel taken apart, all washers have been removed and also the lock wire and pawls. You don't have to remove the pawls as they can be a pain to remove and put back, removing them does make cleaning easier.

Note: Remember what order the washers came off the freewheel, use a zip-tie or some cord to tie them together. Normally the washers go on thinnest to thickest. I would not advise thoroughly cleaning these washers as they can break and bend easy. 
Call it obsessive but I find that the best way to clean the freewheel center body is with a dremel polishing tool and some of the stain/steel polish shown in the previous post. 
Once all the components have been cleaned then the next stage is to grease all necessary parts and assemble the freewheel. 

A useful habit to have is taking pictures of each process so you can remember the order that the parts assemble.

Here the parts are being greased with marine grease before assembly. 

First, Grease the bottom of the freewheel body and then one by one add all the bearings. The grease will hold the bearings in place. 
Next, Grease the inside of the freewheel (inside sprockets) and one by one add the bearings. 
Finally, lightly grease any threads such as the lock ring and VERY lightly grease the inside teeth where the pawls rub. Do not use too much grease in this area as it can cause the freewheel to 'gum up' when in motion or spinning. 

Note: Do not grease the pawls like in the image on the left, after doing this you will find that the pawls will stick to the inside freewheel body and will not function properly. You can add a thin application of grease but only to the bottom of the pawl and not anywhere else. When installing this component be sure not to hit the bearings on the inside of the sprockets part and make sure the pawls and the teeth line up. You will know if they have as when you spin the freewheel it will make a clicking sound, that's the pawls rubbing past the teeth as they should. When happy just screw on the lock ring and then tighten slightly with a punch and hammer, make sure the bearings still move smoothly just like in a wheel hub.

Finally grease the wheel hub thread and screw the freewheel on and you are done. It would be easier to overhaul, clean and grease the wheel hub first and if you haven't done, the previous post was this procedure.

Once the freewheel is on the bike then tighten down with the freewheel removal tool and tighten reasonably tight but not too tight as to ruin the threads. The freewheel will tighten naturally as the bike is used later. If I manage to find the original freewheel for the Raleigh Equipe then I shall upload another post with that overhaul.

#4 Tools & Equipment for Restorations or Maintenance

Here is a post on some of the different tools and products that will be used throughout the overhaul and restoration. 

Tools:

The tools that I use are tools that I have acquired/collected over the years. not all of them are needed and not all of them are bicycle related. 
Without uploading images specifically tools include: 

• Hex/Alan Key set 
• Torque Key set 
• Spanner set 
• Variety of pliers 
• Screw drivers
• punches 
• tape / zip-ties/cord etc.

For the bike specifically I have tools such as: 

• Cassette Removal tool 
• Freewheel Removal tool 
• Chain whip 
• Chain removal tool  
• Lock ring removal tool






• Crank Puller / Bottom bracket puller and many more.

Products:

The products that I use all suit different purposes when restoring a bike or performing basic maintenance jobs. These include: 

• Degreaser  - Preferably bike degreaser like Muc-Off but any will do                               
• Penetrating Oil - Used for loosening tightened/threaded parts
• (Marine) Grease - Final application, to be used on all bearings and some threads. 
• Steel polish/cleaner - Normally Bar Keepers Friend.
• Brasso etc.    

I will also use a variety of cloths, rags, brushes and maybe a finish with a dremel tool to get perfect results.  A lot of the stuff that I use can be found by Parktool but if there's a budget involved then eBay is your best bet.

And I NEVER use WD-40 

 

#3 Overhaul: Wheel Hub

This is the first overhaul post of many and considering that I had to go through the effort to remove the freewheel to get to the hubs, the overhaul starts at the wheels or more specifically the rear wheel. 

(left) The freewheel with the freewheel removal tool inserted inside. (Right) from the top down: the axle, locking nut, cone and then the bearings can be seen. The bearings on this particular hub are closed bearings, some wheels (typically older ones) come with free/loose bearings.

Firstly, to access the rear wheel hub the freewheel has to be removed. To remove this the correct removal tool is needed and they come in many different shapes; e.g. some have indent teeth to slot into the center of the freewheel. Some removal tools come with a built-in handle to help stable the tool upon removal, my tool does not therefore an adjustable wrench is needed with the tool to remove the freewheel. If you want further detail of the removal of the freewheel then stay posted or check 'Blog Posts' for the future post on the freewheel overhaul.
Once having access to the hub the next step is to remove the outer nuts and sometimes washers and then the outside of the cone is exposed. Once the cone has been undone then the bearings can be seen and if a cone and nut from any side has been completely removed then the axle can be removed from the hub. If the wheel has loose bearings then be careful when opening the cones as the bearings on both sides can fall out; you will want to count how many bearings are needed in the hub or you may want to reuse them, not lose them.

Grease used: Lithium Marine Grease

Here is a before an after image of the cone, bearings and axle. All components have been thoroughly degreased and cleaned before being greased and installed. Normally it is recommended to cheaply replace the bearings with new ones but these bearings were in great condition and I decided to reuse them. An important step is to make sure the threads on the axle and inside the cone are not damaged and are clean before reinstalling into the hub. Once cleaning is complete then lightly grease the threads, the cone and apply a thorough amount to pack in between the bearings (image on the right). Once these parts are finished then move on to the hub. 

Here is the before and after image of a full degrease and clean of the hub and I mistakenly left the bearings in the first photo. Any bicycle degreaser or mineral spirits will work fine here, I have even found amazing results when using car engine spray degreaser. It also helps to have a variety of brushes and cleaning tools, even an old toothbrush will work perfectly and remember to wash off the cleaner with water and then dry the components and try not to use a metal scrub (e.g. wire wool). Once all components are clean then they are ready to be greased and installed.

Thoroughly grease the inside of the hub and insert the bearings on both sides, the grease will hold these bearings in while inserting the axle. Insert the axle being careful not to move the bearings and then screw on the cones, leaving an equal amount of axle on both sides of the hub to be put back on the bike later. As this is the rear wheel, on the freewheel (threaded) side there will be a metal spacer between the cone and the locking nut, make sure there is still an even amount of exposed thread on both sides of the axle after installing this. Then add the locking nuts after the cones but before tightening the nuts, make sure the cones are securely tighten leaving next to no play but making sure the bearings can still more smoothly/freely. When happy with the cones position, use a wrench (typically 15mm) to hold the cones while using another wrench to tighten the nuts. When complete, test that the wheel spins smoothly and with no play (movement) when pulling the axle, it should look like the image below where I have also added the skewer. 

Final rear wheel assembly with the skewer added. The freewheel has also been added but will later be removed again for a maintenance overhaul.

The next post will be a double on which tools and products to use and also the overhaul and the dissemble of a freewheel. 

#2 Wheel Inspection

As mentioned in the first introduction post I have inspected both front and back wheels and hubs to determine their condition. 

Above is both the left and right side of the rear wheel hub. The hub appears to be in great condition and there is virtually no rust to the cones, nuts and most importantly the threads to the axle. The left image shows the freewheel removed and the threads to the freewheel which have had a quick rub over to show no rust or worn threads. The brown coating on the hub is old, worn grease and not rust that any degreaser will just cut straight through. 

However, Looking at the front wheel the condition of this one is sadly not good. 

Upon removing the wheel from the forks it took a great amount of force and a heavy application of penetrating oil to loosen the locking nuts. After removing these it appeared that the hub axle was so rusted and worn that it had ruined the threads and chewed the locking nuts. 
The inside and overall body of the hub itself seems to be in good condition but I am now left with the decision to either: 

• Replace the axle and nuts, washers, etc. 
• Buy another wheel of the same manufacture to keep original (later buying a same wheel for the rear to match)
• Buying the same wheel as the rear therefore having both matching wheels but not the original produced for the bike. 

The first option is the cheaper one as a new axle can cost anywhere between £3 to £10. However, the actual rim of the wheel is poorly pitted and possibly beyond repair therefore an entire new wheel is in thought. 

Here the axle is so worn that all to the right couldn't be removed

 Rust. Is. Bike. Cancer.  










The next post will be the start of the overhaul process which will probably be uploaded tomorrow (04/07/2015)

#1 The Beginning

 
Here is the blank canvas, the unrestored 1985 Raleigh Equipe which has been dry stored for over 30 years.

The Breakdown: 

Frame: 
The frame has areas of rust but from first inspection all the mechanical components are in great condition. The frame itself is a 18 - 23 vintage steel tubing with the original Raleigh Nottingham England badge still intact.
The handlebar stem is a Custom (custom being the company name) and the seat post is in great condition, the seat however will need to be changed. There are no dents or holes and forks and frame are all straight.


Wheels:
Both wheels on the bike are 700 x 25c and are not matching as the rear wheel is a Holland made Van Schothorst 28 x 15/8/662 with a Berko by Bitex hub and the front is a Raleigh England 622 x 28 700-280 with a french made Maillard hub. The rear wheel is a newer made wheel that is in great condition however the front wheel that is presumed to be the original looks to be in VERY poor condition. From this it may not be useable and the next post will be an update on it's status as I will have to check the hub.
Both wheels come with short mudguards and worn Michelin tyres with one useable inner tube. 

Unless I find another identical frame, the bike will undergo a full repaint as I am unable to find the original decals/stickers.  The colour of choice will be an all black finish.

Gears:
It has Sachs Huret downtube gear shifters with a 6 speed (28-14) Shimano SIS Freewheel and a Custom 2 speed (52 - 42) chainrings and crank. As the rear wheel was changed at some point I'm guessing they changed the freewheel too, making the Shimano SIS not original. After doing some background research and comparing to another road bike I have (Raleigh Winner), the original freewheel was either a French 6 speed made by Maillard or a Japan made 6 speed Suntour. I shall restore the Shimano but will continue to look for an original freewheel.
 



   




Derailleurs & Pedals:

The front derailleur is Sachs Huret and the rear derailleur is a Shimano SIS and I am assuming the front is the original but unsure of the rear so this may be replaced. The saddle pedals are not original but I have the originals although I may choose to upgrade with some NOS 'rat trap' pedals that I have available.

Brakes:
Both front and rear brake calipers are original Weinmann type 500 and the brake leavers come with added safety leavers The brake pads/blocks have very little wear indicating low millage from it's last use and the cables are the older, thicker kind from the bikes production that will need to be replaced.
  


Finally, the bike comes with some other parts such as wheel and frame reflectors.

Overview:

All mechanical components of the bike are aimed to stay as original as possible however the seat, cables/cable housing, chain, tyres, and handlebar sponge/tape will be changed.

All components will have a greater description and images during the thorough overhaul and restore period. All posts will be as detailed as possible and with perfectionist tips, tools/equipment used and mistakes to avoid. 

If you have any questions or feel that I have made a mistake somewhere feel free to ask and I'll answer when I can. You can also email me personally ryandavidjones95@gmail.com and have a few other bikes, some vintage and some recent but all road bikes.