Hello and Welcome, The Raleigh Technium 460 is now finished. The restoration was delayed, oddly enough by another Raleigh restoration. Now that it is "out of the way" lets see where we left off.
Below: The front hub and wheel cleaned-up. The wheel required very little truing, I might have turned (adjusted) 4 or five spokes. None more than a 180 degree turn "tightened or loosened". The rim cleaned-up fairly easily with
Mother`s Mag and Aluminum Polish. The spokes still look a little dull and will probably get sanded (lightly) before I am through. The flanges required a little brushing with a brass detail brush. As did the outer cones and spacers/washers (axle). The axle bearings and cones were an easy re-grease. The grease wiped off easily, which is usually not the case.
Below: The new tires are
Kenda 27 x 1 1/8 90 psi gum wall . I replaced the inner-tubes with new ones with Presta valves. The original tubes were Schrader valve type. So now the hole in the rim is too big. What I do to make the Presta valves work is, I use a old style brake shoe washer. The washer has a smooth side and a sharper cut side. I always keep the smooth side on the tube and the sharp side against the inner rim. I just slip-on the washer before inserting the Presta valve through the rim. Then screw on the retainer ring and I`m all set. Now before you e-mail me about it. I am aware that they make a
Schrader to Presta rim hole adapter adapter collar. I ordered them once and they did not fit. Re-drilling the rim or the inside of the adapter just seems really stupid to me. The adapter is supposed to simplify the problem not complicate it. Another plus to using a washer is, it is a much cleaner look and lighter too. I think the Presta valves give this "American Raleigh" a sleek Euro look. Also the original rim-tape was in excellent condition so it was not replaced.
Below: Here is a nice shot of the
Shimano front derailleur all cleaned up and back on the bike with a new Schwinn chain. I was able to clean-up the pedals with Mother`s and the Christophe Clips with Turtle-Wax chrome cleaner/polish. To clean and soften up the
Christophe leather straps I used ordinary Saddle Soap. It also works wonders on old leather bicycle saddles. The derailleurs also got hooked-up with new Jag-Wire cables nicely trimmed and caped with a crimp-on tip. The original chain is very good quality and will be re-used after a good cleaning.
Below: Here is a shot of the
Shimano rear derailleur all hooked-up. I re-used the clear Shimano cable housings. I cleaned them up using the bio-degradable de greaser. The original housings are not cracked and the cables slide through smoothly. It is easy to tell when they are shot. Just look for any cracking and if the cable does not slide out easily, that indicates there is rust inside the housing. And if that is the case you should replace them for sure. As always I added a few drops of a light oil to the housings before inserting the replacement cables.
< br/>Below: The Stem,
Drop Handlebars and Brake levers all cleaned-up very well with Mother`s. Fortunately the adhesive used on the original
handlebar cork tape was very easy to remove from the bars, that`s gotta be "a first" for me. I went with the original two-way levers for a couple of reasons. First, people seem to like them. Second I really like the look of this bike and wanted to keep it as original as possible. And I was able to locate the original replacement hoods that have a hole for the suicide lever post. Also I like to be able to ride with my hands up on the flats and still have easy access to the brakes. The original stem is very nondescript. I wish I had another Classic GB stem to replace it with. However this one is in fine shape, so it will be adequate I guess
Below: The rear
side pull caliper road brake all polished-up (Mother`s) and waiting for the new shoes to arrive. Notice the seat tube clamp. The collar bolt goes through the tops of the seat stays "interesting"...
Below: Here is a shot of the
Shimano brake lever hoods. I wrapped the handlebars with Cinelli "light cork color" tape. Funny thing about the finishing logo tape. Sometimes it sticks and sometimes it does not. So keep the electrical tape close-by.
Below: Some shots of the finished project. Left Click on Image(s) to Enlarge, Left Click Back(<)Button to Return.
So that is the Raleigh USA Technium 460. The Technium bikes from the 1980`s have bonded frames. "Frames made from tubes glued together with epoxy resin" Which means that instead of the tubes being brazed together at the lugs, they are bonded or glued together. I think this is done to allow the frame builder to use mixed metals. I`m not sure if this is because of issues welding different metals together. Or because the epoxy prevents direct contact of two non compatible metals. I am hoping Steve will have something to say about that. And again sorry for the delay. I had a Raleigh "Pursuit" restoration to do for a young lady. Actually it was more like a build. It started with a dingy frame that I had stuck junk wheels and tires on just to be able to move it around. It is quite a transformation. And I can hardly wait to share it with you.
Till next time RIDE SAFE and Remember to Always RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE!
Cheers,Hugh
A Special THANK YOU to those of you have been checking out Hugh's Online Bike Shop. The link to Hugh's Online Bike Shop is located on this page in the right column near the top, just below the followers / members. You probably noticed that I am now adding word links to components, tools and supplies ect. ect. that I mention in my blog posts. Like the Store these links are powered by amazon.com . I am doing this to make it more convenient to purchase things that interest you on the blog. Also if you are new to bicycle work, and you are not sure what I am talking about? You can click on the word link just to see some examples of what I am referring to. I look at this as a positive change and I hope you do too.
Thanks, Hugh
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