A few updates for the bicycle!

A few changes to show on the bicycle since last time... (And better photos than usual because my brother lent me his fancy DSLR rather than my usual iphone method!)

To begin with here is a picture of the chain fitted onto the bicycle- making it rather more of a bicycle than it was previously!

Here is a picture of the new gorgeous delta cruiser tyres fitted on. I love the cream so much better than the black tires.

There is also a lightweight rack now fitted onto the bicycle which will hopefully one day be able to ferry around picnics whilst I go on rides. (In my wishful thinking at least!) I am still super happy about the brooks saddle! Looks so stunning on.

Here is a closeup of where my dad has tied the cables- looking a lot neater than when it was tied up with rags the other day. Just look at that gorgeous yellow!

Here is a photo of the whole thing- as it is looking so far! Kickstand can be seen to be doing a lovely job...

One last photo for luck! Showing off those gorgeous tyres and saddle!

We managed to find a chainguard on ebay, so here's hoping that it will arrive and fit nicely! It will then need to be sprayed yellow to match with the rest of the bicycle.

So another stage along here, my dad has some ideas in terms of making some hand grips- as the brooks ones at 50 odd pounds was rather too much.

We will see how they go.

Until next time!

Wheels, pedals and more!

Quite a bit to share in this post!

First off, as promised quite a while ago here is a photo of the gorgeous brooks saddle I bought- even fixed onto the bicycle now! I love the way that the brown looks against that bright mustard yellow.

You can also see that the white lyotard pedals that I bought specially have now been fixed on! I am happy that they look as good compared to the yellow as I thought they would.

One of the most difficult parts to find for the bicycle has now also been located- that being the wheels! They were harvested off another bicycle that my father bought for parts.

Initially we were not sure whether they would work well as the final wheels for the bicycle- as we were not sure how deep the rust on the wheels was- luckily expect for a couple of parts it was only surface rust and dirt that cleaned off with a bit of polish/ a old toothbrush and wire wool- as I can be seen doing here.

Although having polarised lenses is great, I have to say that I could not always tell the difference between where I had cleaned or not- which meant some areas got multiple cleaning sessions! Probably not a bad thing however.

Above is a lovely photo of the whole bicycle. Since this photo was taken my dad also has fixed on the chain and put new longer brake cables on. There is also now a kickstand- So it can stand without having to be leaned on a table! There is also now a rack fitted onto the back of the bicycle. (Will try share a photo soon)

Feels like the bicycle is a lot closer than it was- good thing as the weather is starting to have some sunny warm spells!

I have also just purchased a set of Schwalbe Delta Cruiser tyres in cream- as they look stunning on just about every bicycle I have seen them on. I also always wanted either cream or brown tyres and cream was easier to find. As can be seen in the picture above black doesn't look quite right with the yellow of the bike and brown of the saddle.

Need to get hold of some nice handlebar grips now! And still looking for a chainguard that fits...

Looking pretty darn good though!

Primer time! And a bit of colour...

A lot quicker an update this time around...The bicycle has had more work done to it. It has now had the frame/ wheel guards etc primed! 

But that is not all for this time!

My father has been spraying the bicycle for me, and has even been able to get some colour on it! An extra impressive feat in winter when the spray gun doesn't necessarily want to get going.

The first coat is on and looking gorgeous. The colour we chose is RAL 1037 Sun Yellow, which seems to be the perfect warm and mustardy yellow that I wanted! Lucky when choosing a colour based on a picture online.

Here's another photo to show how gorgeous it looks close up! And it looks even better in person.

I also had the luck to find a barely used Brooks Honey B17 Saddle, with a tin of proofide for sale on Ebay and managed to get it for a great price so it has been a good week for the bicycle.

I will share a picture of the saddle when I have some better light to take a photo in!

Been a while... Couple of bicycle bits to show!

Hey guys, has been ages since the last update- life, Christmas and everything sort of butted in... But I have a few bits to share as to how the bicycle is doing.

First up, here are the brakes that we found on ebay- they look good as well as being fit for purpose so a win there!

These are my happiest find- surprisingly hard to find the right white pedals that I had in mind and these are in great looking condition even at I believe over 20 years old! They were from ebay! They are Lyotard pedals and were rather stressful to get, given that after purchasing them they were not sent out when scheduled to be, and we were then informed they had none in stock... And were offered black ones- which if I had wanted black would have been easy to find.Until finally they apparently found some and sent them out! It was a relief for the transaction to be over.

Sadly the wheel rims that we ordered from the same place were then also apparently out of stock so are still waiting to find some from elsewhere.

In the meantime my dad has ordered me some yellow paint and primer and is starting some more work on the bicycle- being lovely enough to go out and work on sanding it etc. in the cold! Here are some of the rusty spots on the bicycle after being treated and painted.

Still on the online hunt to find wheels, tyres, the right brooks saddle and a good basket!

Things are looking shiny.

Well, yesterday I undertook a tad bit of cleaning and a couple of the bicycle parts have cleaned up nicely. Namely the handlebars which have gone from a greasy rust spotted look to a rather nicer one.

Here is a picture of the beauty! Certainly looks better without the cheap looking plastic handles. Luckily the rust spots were only on the surface so with a bit of wire wool and metal polish it has cleaned up nicely.

Spokes from one of the wheels

My dad was dismantling the wheels meanwhile for me- although the spokes are in good condition with no rust and came out cleanly with no breakages the rims are not salvageable. They are rusty as anything!

Here is a picture of one of the rims- and one of the areas in a better condition, some of the parts were thick with rust.

I am going to get some new rims and my dad is going to show me how to rebuild the wheel with the hub etc.

The hub is in good condition- looks to be a Sturmey Archer although I haven't yet worked out when it is from. It needs some cleaning up, but looks clean and non rusty underneath the rust.

The gear shifter also cleaned up very nicely- once again the rust spots seemed to largely be on the surface so with a bit of steel wool and metal polish they came straight off, leaving me with a nice shiny little piece of kit.

Given the amount of parts needed to do this bicycle up to the quality I would like wherever we can save a bit of money by polishing up or fixing an existing part is worth it!


I have ordered a few parts from an eBay store which seemed to have a lot of old unused stock for raleigh bicycles etc so will be posting up pictures of those when they arrive...

Oh and as a bonus picture; showing how although parts may have got cleaner my hands definitely did not!

And so it begins... (Bicycle Makeover)

I have decided to follow in the footsteps of my dad and do up my own bicycle.

This has been in my mind for nearly a year, particularly after realising that my favourite bicycles were either only available in America or were way above my budget.

After spending months searching for the perfect frame to use as a basis yesterday we finally found the perfect frame at the perfect price (i.e. cheap!) on gumtree.

And here it is. (Ignore the photobombing dog sunbathing in the background- enjoying the rare English sunshine!)

It is a Raleigh frame of unknown model from about the 90s. Will be trying to find out what particular type and when it was made so will update when I know!

This bicycle needs a lot of work done. (And would not be the most comfortable ride at the moment!) 

This was exactly what I was looking for, as I want to replace most elements of the bicycle- I was mainly after the curved dutch style step-over frame.

My dad will be assisting me in this project  heavily as he has the know how and the skill- I am supplying enthusiasm and time.

Although it looks pretty nice from a distance (and clearly when originally done the paint job was gorgeous) this bicycle is in need of some work.

There are lots of rusty spots and screws and no working brakes. The wheels also need replacing or fixing as they look like they might have been in a fight from the dink marks. Many parts look like they might benefit from either a heavy clean or new parts. I would also like a nice looking chain guard to cover the chain and some new more vintage looking pedals and a dynamo light installed. As well as new handlebar grips.

A saddle is of course required... (I am dreaming of a honey coloured Brooks B-17)

Tis looking to be a big project.

One of the largest parts of the project I want to do is due to personal preference. Although it is currently a lovely colour it has several rust marks and scratches, especially on the mudguards (as can be seen in the above picture) and I therefore want to re do the paint in one of my favourite colours. 

I have always wanted a mustard yellow bicycle so this seems the perfect opportunity! Still have not worked out what will be the perfect shade or method, so at some point will have to do some experimenting.

The bicycle is not looking as whole currently- having taken advantage of the good weather to dismantle it, the rusty screws etc are now sitting in old ice cream pots. This will give us much better access to strip down and clean the parts ready for treating and eventually repainting. As well as get a closer look at what needs doing.

This is a project that will be done in my father and I's spare time so probably a long one. But the end result will hopefully be worth it... Especially when I can get a basket on the back and go for a group picnic!