I WANT TO RIDE

BICYCLE! BICYCLE! BICYCLE!

"I WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE, I WANT TO RIDE MY BIKE.

I WANT TO RIDE MY BICYCLE, I WANT TO RIDE IT WHERE I LIKE"
                                        - Freddie Mercury 

The bicycle is surely in the top 10 greatest inventions of all time. It's much faster than walking, keeps you fit, makes you happy, runs for free, can last for years, looks great. I will never tire of the great feeling of hoping on a bike and taking off, whether it's on a long training session, a pleasure cruise in the sun or popping down to the shop.

My first bicycle was in fact a tricycle like most kids. By the time I was 8 I was given a tiny bicycle with solid tyres. Ouch, my butt used to hurt even going over a marshmallow.

Triumph whatever!

This is very similar to my first 'proper bike'

I got when I was 11 in 1980. It was a 24" wheeled gents bike with bar/rod brakes. It was old, heavy and I was too embarrassed to ride to school as the other boys would laugh at my 1950s heavy metal Triumph! It was a dark navy and to make it a bit hipper, I painted it azure blue in the summer of 1982. I wonder where it is now?

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Raleigh Winner (1982)

For my 14th Birthday in 1983 my dad bought me a Raleigh 5 speed. This one had thick foam handlebar grips. I was now in the running! My first proper racer. The bike pictured is a 10 speed from the 1983 Raleigh catalogue that I read over and over and over and over and over...

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Peugeot P10S Carbolite 103 (1985)

In the summer of 1985 I worked in a steel factory and saved up for a brand new racer. I used this for 10 years and left it behind the garden shed while off travelling. It was eaten alive by rust! This was a great bike and 

this is all that remains of it today! I loved it dearly! The Weinmann brake callipers were recently salvaged and now rebuilt to good working order.

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Raleigh Team Kellogs Tour 1988 Reynolds 501 (1988)

I spotted this in a bike shop in 2011 and after one little spin I pounced on it. The group set was upgraded with Shimano 105 and it sports Mavic wheels. This bike got me back into cycling racers. It is very comfortable and great for training. I love steel frames and this is a beauty.

Now with new wheels but still lacking brakehoods as the ones on there are rotting and sticky prohibiting me taping the bars. I will eventually get it up and running for short fast training runs. I will pop Shimano cleat pedals on too.

(Sold March 2019)

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Raleigh Elan 1989 Reynolds 501 (1989)

This was bought from an advert site pretty cheaply. It came pretty filthy but is very responsive to ride and I love it. The groupset is Shimano Exage Motion. To make it even better I reckon a new set of wheels would work wonders and the ones on it are a bit jaded. It was still a bargain!

The Elan after an overhaul! This is my training bike now and it fantastic to ride. Mavic wheels, Shimano 105 components and 13-23 Shimano 7 speed cassette on the back! A beautiful machine!

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Raleigh Dyna-Tech 400 (1990)

Dyna-Tech was produced by the Special Product Division in Nottingham, England. It boasted of lightness, stiffness and a whole lot more using two different materials. This is the entry level model and it is Cro-Mo bonded to 2055 'performance enhanced tube set' made by Reynolds. Titanium bonded to Chrome Alloy appeared on more expensive models. The groupset is Shimano Exage 500EX, SR bars, and Elesa rims. So what's it like to ride? It's bloody good actually, while not as light as my other Raleigh 501 bikes it certainly has a lot of whip and goes like shit off a shovel. There are rumours of some of these frames de-bonding but this is nearly 25 years old now so I think it would have de-bonded by now! A great, if novel bike thats a pleasure to ride.

The final outcome after a bit of work. New bar tape. The four cables replaced. I resprayed the rear stays as there was a little rust by the chainring stay. Four layers of silver and three layers of lacquer and it looks pretty good. I was extremely careful and took almost 40 hours to do this. There was a strange rattle in the rear rim and after a thorough examination I found a spoke nipple hiding in there. The front brake levers rattled like hell on rough roads, annoying the shit out of me, so I shot in a little wood glue to stop that and it worked. So here it is my bike of the moment, the Dyna-Tech 400, a beauty!

Raleigh Equinox(1994)

Ta-Dah! Here it is, my first 531C machine and a beauty she is too! It's light, agile and well specced out. In the mid 80s when I a young boy I dreamed of owning a 'pro' level machine, the Raleigh Panasonic Team bike photo was under my pillow at night! Ah, how the years go by and how bikes have changed but quality can't be beaten and this is far better than your average Taiwanese mass produced alloy/plastic generic thingy! 

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Tsunoda Eclipse (1982)

I had a bad crash on one of these in October 1985, and I was hospitalised for nearly three days. I was very, very lucky after being struck by a car. The bike was completely destroyed. I saw this one on an advert site and made a modest offer. The seller accepted and now I own a Japanese 10 Speed from the early 80s. Isn't that Adamas chainwheel a beauty?

The Eclipse after a new rear wheel, new tyres, new chain and beautiful noew old stock Regina 5 speed freewheel I found in an old bike shop. I picked up the old brake levers in superb condition and put banana yellow faux cork on the bars. Jagwire brake and gear lines were used exclusively. I replaced the flimsy Sunrace rear derailleur with a trusty old SunTour Honor, a man's derailleur! This is now a great bike for everyday trips about town.

(Sold Jan 2019)

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Viking Superstar II

A bargain bike from an advert site. Viking bikes were made in England until the late 60s and then they were made in Derry, NI from the 70s until they went out of business and now the name remains. This one is an early 80s job with a 23" frame that is in excellent condition. The wheels are the only thing I don't like as they have a serrated rim that seems to eat brake blocks!

(Sold in August 2016)

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Raleigh Sprint - Kamikazi Bike

Okay, this is how it goes. This bike was given to me four years ago by a relative and it had mudguards, a rear carrier, brakes and 27" wheels which were clapped out. I stripped it down and stuck on the mountain bike wheels from the Saxon Nighthawk (see below) and tested it on a stretch of road a few times. It went like the clappers and then I called it quits as with no brakes you are really asking for trouble! Like a fool I got rid of the Weinmann brakes and levers which were in great condition. I have more and soon I will put on new wheels and make a track bike out of it or just run it as a 10 speed.

The Sprint with 700c wheels. I'm a bit unsure what to do with this as I have already two better Raleighs. It's a project on the backburner. I have a set of Weinmann 500 brakes and levers for it. I was tempted to repaint it and to make a single speed bike but time will tell. (Sold in 2017)

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Peugeot PH8 Carbolite+

A mid 80s Pug that came with fenders, dynamo lighting on front and rear, a luggage rack, reflectors, a stand, clip on bottle cage! Yuck! Strip it down at once. This one is under rebuild at the moment and this is it so far. I aim to replace those wheels with some Mavics and pop a new 6 or 7 speed cassette on the back. The SunTour VX will be staying that's for sure. Jagwire brake and gear lines were used exclusively and nice white faux bar tape. There's something about those old Peugeot bikes isn't there? When I got it you wouldn't look at it twice but now it's a head turner! I've been running about on it everyday as I love the colour and the decals and people stop and stare at it!

(Sold in Sept 2018)

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PEUGEOT U08 (late 70s)

A nice vintage pug in good condition though not entirely original. The rear wheel is new, but overall after a good strip and service it's running like a clock! Every part seems to be made in France. Outstanding! This is the first bike I've had with center pull brakes!(Sold in May 2018)

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MOUNTAIN BIKE TIME!  

Raleigh M-Trax Duo-Tech 600 Ti

This is a beauty. It's light, easy to cycle, it has plenty power and can go anywhere your legs can push it. It's a Dyna-Tech meaning it has Cro-Mo rear stays, headset and fork bonded to three Titanium tubes. Shimano Exage gears and brakes. A superb MTB for knocking around and especially rainy days! Another good thing about it is that it has none of those horrible heavy suspension forks making it road friendly and sturdier off road. The serial number dates this frame to 1992.

It all adds up to a dinger!

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Peugeot Explorer 100

This I bought for €20 and it is a wreck I must admit. The wheels and tyres are shot, all the cables are broken, it's rusty and heavy! I will do it up and run it as a 6 speed as I have a spare set of good 26" wheels, a Shimano 6 speed freewheel, a Promax stem and brake levers. The Shimano brakes are ok and can be used. I will get a Shimano thumb shifter for the derailleur. It is stripped down now and it was hard work trying to get the old stem out and I had to use brute for to separate the saddle from the seat tube!

A little while later! A different machine altogether!

(Dismantled in 2016 and sold)

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Raleigh Avalanche

This came up on an adverts site, the asking price was ridiculously low and two days later it was mine. It is steel so it's heavy, but in saying that it's a pretty solid machine that you can just do what you like with on a daily basis. It has a 5 speed freewheel and three chainrings which add up to an exciting 15 possible speeds. The shifters, derailleurs and brakes are good old reliable Shimano of course, but it has plastic coated cranks which I hate! Maybe road tyres would make it cooler as it's a bit too heavy for off road trails, we'll see. All in all it's a cool colour and there's hardly any scratches on the paintwork. An outright bargain!

(Sold in May 2016)

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Concept Conquest

This heavy metal monster was given to me when I mentioned in passing I was starting to collect and hoard bikes! It's nothing special but it's in pretty good condition so it will be kept!

(Sold in March 2016)

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Batavus M Action Line Dasher

This bike is another freebie. I don't know much about Batavus but I do know they are Dutch and pretty good quality. I have a soft spot for this even though it's a lofty 23" frame and weighs a ton. It needs some TLC and all that but it looks like the kind of bike that would go forever. The frame is unusual in that the headtube is lugless but the seat tube and cross tube are joined by lugs and then the bottom bracket and stays are again lugless. The dropouts are of high qulity and well made. It has Shimano Exage groupset but the brakes and levers are nylon. Boo! I hate plastic on bikes. The Biopace chainrings are well worn and I reckon this bike is from the late 80s early 90s. It is a big bike and I have nicknamed it "Green Giant" 

(Sold in 2016)

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Raleigh Max

I bought the frame for €20 and built this one with spare parts! It's a Cro-Mo and from the late 90s and lighter than the other run of the mill monsters from that time partly because it does not have those ridiculous suspension forks. (Sold in 2018)

Orbita Europa

Bought cheap with intent to sell. This aluminium framed bike is not to heavy but I don't like the suspension fork malarky. It's in good hardly used condition. (Sold the day after I bought it!
(Sold in 2018)

Trek 3700

An early 00s Trek aluminiun framed bike with the old heavy suspension fork. These are nothing special but at least the quality us good. I'm in two minds wether to sell or not! We'll see.
(Sold in Oct 2017)

Raleigh M-Trax 1000 K2 Cro-Mo(1995)

I bought this online and had it shipped. It's a lot heavier than my M-Trax 600 titanium/Cro-Mo but it's super smooth and cruises like hell. On inclines it's a solid push but this only serves to strengthen the legs. It came in good nick but I stripped it down and gave it a super cleaning! I'm really drawn to the M-Trax and Dyna-Tech SPD bikes. Did the mixing of Titanium, alloy and Cro-Mo bonded with Scotch Weld really make a difference? Probably not but what we're left with are fascinating, beautiful looking riding machines that came in all kinds of weird and wonderful colours.

Raleigh Dyna-Tech Encounter (1990)

I picked up this frame without wheels from a bike shop. I popped on a pair so I could take the photo. It's an A serial number so that's 1990 I reckon. This is one of the first and it looks lovely even though it has a few rust blemishes on the metal. It's mainly steel but the headset is alloy with extra supports in the moulded construction. It needs a bit of work before it's brought up to scratch.

Raleigh M-Trax 1000 K2 Cro-Mo(1995)

Another online grab and this was only €60 but the wheels were shot and it needed a good overhaul. Now, contrary to popular belief, this 1000 is an entry level M-Trax and I'm pretty sure the tubes are not bonded. If you read there 1995 Raleigh catalog it specifies the models that are bonded and there are a couple that are not and are assembled using tradition brazing methods I presume. Over a weekend I replaced the chainset, front and rear derailleurs, wheels put on Schwalbe City Jet slicks and now it's a flyer. It's not light, but it's superb to ride and now I think it's time to do a little detailing and put on yellow pedals, cable housings, bar grips and downtube M-Trax logo! 

Saxon Nighthawk

Cheap aluminium mountain bike from 2004 to 2010. I didn't own a bike when I bought this in 2004. I never used it off road as it was too heavy. I used to cycle it 25 miles a few times a week. I then put on road tyres as the knobblies are awful. The Shimano gear on this was pretty poor and rusted away. The cranks were plastic covered steel. The bottom bracket started to give trouble and the shifters got stiff. I broke up and sold piecemeal. The fork was heavier than the frame! There is a reason good bike gear is expensive. This bike was cheap and had cheap parts that will last forever as long as you don't use the bike! At least the wheels were good!

(Dismantled and sold)

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BMX Corner!

I was never really into BMX even though I grew up right through it's crazy. I bought one from a friend in '85 but sold it back to him a few years later.

Turbo BMX (1982)

I bought this heavy old BMX from a friend in early 1985. It was yellow but I painted it white with gloss paint by hand! It had of all things, cottered cranks! Not much good in the harsh world of BMX I'm afraid!

(Long gone)

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X-Rated Snare BMX

I saw this abandoned and I circled around like a vulture. Next thing a guy was wheeling it away and I asked him who owned it. He asked me if I wanted it. I said yes. He was about to dump it! There was no rear tyre, no chain and the back brake needs a cable. That's it. Looking on the web, this bike is from Halfords and has a lightweight aluminium frame with a front disc brake and rear V-brake. It's pretty solid, but I will never use it so it will be sold to some kid.

(Sold in 2015)

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Methepeople Reason BMX

I must say, what a weird name! Methepeople? Not a reference to crystal meths? Anyway, this was lumped upon me and is now going under the hammer!

(Sold in 2015)

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