RALEIGH PIONEER 160

The excellent commuter came in for a complete overhaul and I loved it. Well, not with the mudguards, carrier and chain guard, but it is a great bike for hopping on and hitting the streets. It's very comfortable and easy to ride even though it is pretty heavy. This bike is belong to a friend who bought it new around 2002 and then it was left to rot in a farm shed for over a decade. The oil and gunk helped preserve the frame and after a tough cleaning session she came out smiling!

The Pioneer when fully loaded!

Here is a video of the strip-down and service!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg-_N6LuyLk

Dyna-Tech Encounter Rebuild Project

RALEIGH DYNA-TECH ENCOUNTER 1990 SPD

I found the frame in a bike shop and all that was missing were the wheels. The bottom bracket needs replacing, the Shimano Deore XT brake levers/shifters could be better so need replacement also. The fork and rear triangle need respray as there is a few rust spots.

The Frame is in good condition but the rear triangle needs a respray as there are a few rust spots but nothing serious. The bonded tubes show no signs of cracking or fatigue. A lot of people say there frames come apart, well that is probably a myth and more likely from abuse and the like. The colour is really nice, a kind of a cobalt blue which nicely contrasts the silver main tubes.

The headset is alloy and I love the reinforced die cast lugs, a very unique design indeed.

I love the simplicity of the rear stays. Very nice and almost like a minature front fork. This is tidy and again pretty unique as shot in or braze on rear stays were more common. 

This is where the fun begins! The Shimano sealed bearing is worn out and the leftside cup has thread damage. A self sealing cartridge is probably the best way to repair this.

 Fork stripped bare after an hour with a disc grinder.

 Even the brake bosses got the wicked once over!

 Drop outs shing like a new dime!

With wheels as a prop and painted fork!

EQUINOX

RALEIGH EQUINOX

Hurrah! At last I own a 531 bicycle and it came out of the blue! I saw it in an online selling site and made an offer as it was pretty low for a 531c with high spec Shimano RX100 groupset, Campagnolo rims and little rust only on the surface. The seller said it had suffered worn threads on the derailleur hanger and the bike shop brazed another over it much to his dismay. I said I'd pass on this but then something told me to look at it as it was only 20 miles away. So I planned to see it and boy was I surprised. I took it for a quick spin and at once it felt light, tight, very responsive and super smooth. It did need some fine tuning but I just handed him the very modest asking price without flinching or trying to barter as I knew this was a gem and he was happy it was going to a good home. The serial number dates this frame to 1994.

The Equinox as I got it.

A new RX100 chain set was bought during restoration by the owner

Shimano RX100 and 8 Speed Cassette, indexed of course!

  RX100 Brakes

The famous Raleigh badge

Shimano RX levers and view of beautiful teal fork

Chrome seat tube but not original seat

Shimano RX100 front changer

It says made by SPD and we all know what that means!

The badge of steel bicycle envy! Reynolds 531c tubes

Campagnolo 'V' rims

Lambda to be more precise

Raleigh bars and nondescript stem

Shimano RX rear hub

 Fork drop outs and Shimano RX hub and QR skewer

Another view of that winning badge!

 Shimano RX brake levers

Tasty Vittoria Zaffiro tyres

Badly worn Equinox decal

Aah the nostalgia of the golden age of steel bicyles!

So, the Equinox needs a little makeover, it's a little shabby in parts but feels great on the road. I took my hands off the bars and it ran true without a slight wobble. It's a very nice machine and I plan a complete overhaul soon!