"A Serious Ride": Getting Serious Again...

Shop deals on ebay
BOXKARS
shop deals on amazon
Advertise with us
Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum

Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
IronDio

IronDio

Joined
Nov 22, 2011
Messages
404
Reaction score
308
Location
Grand Rapids, MN (USA)
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
This is my next project bike. I've had it since I was a teenager, I can't remember what year I got it, but it was somewhere '93-'95. It's a Raleigh M20 mountain bike.
IMG-20120223-00313jpg.jpg

I originally planned on doing the bulk of the work last Saturday, but came down with a TERRIBLE stomach bug, so, hopefully this weekend will work out!
It's been a great bike...but I just don't care for mountain bikes...and I don't really like the lines of this frame anymore...
 
Re: Next Project: Raleigh M20

Got a little work done on this project today...
IMG-20120311-00337.jpg

I have whitewalls to put on it, getting a layback seat post, putting different handlebars and stem, brake levers and going to re-route the cables...oh, and grind welds! lol (sorry about the fuzzy pic, my dog tackled me as I was taking it)
 
Re: Knocking the Mountain Out of a Raleigh M20

Awesome. Looks like a Kona Cruiser.
 
Re: Knocking the Mountain Out of a Raleigh M20

Put on the whitewalls on my lunch break...put a slice in the front tube though:(
IMG-20120313-00340.jpg

I'll swap the stem and handlebars tonight and start playing with the brake cables before I do any "body work". But, I'm REALLY liking the look now with the tires. I think my seat post will be here tomorrow
 
Re: Knocking the Mountain Out of a Raleigh M20

Green P1 said:
I really like where this one is going. I'd get rid of that bottle holder and front derailleur, kinda clean things up.
Click to expand...
Thanks! That's my iHome To-Go iPod dock/speaker holder. lol I was thinking about mounting it up where a tank would be, but, I might just put it in the sidecar (spoiler alert). I hadn't thought about the front derailleur though...
 
Re: Knocking the Mountain Out of a Raleigh M20

What did you do to attach the seat?
 
Re: Knocking the Mountain Out of a Raleigh M20

Georgeediii said:
What did you do to attach the seat?
Click to expand...
It's actually just sitting there. I have a layback seat post coming for it...should've been here today...it should put the seat close to, or about even with the top tube (I'm hoping, judging by the last one I got)
 
Re: Knocking the Mountain Out of a Raleigh M20

Masked it off last night and sprayed it before bed. I really liked the green color, but couldn't match it, so I two-toned it with an off-white for an old school look. Got the seat post in and the seat mounted. Just have to pinstripe the color breaks, get the brakes back on, and it's a rider. Still have a headlight I'd like to mount, and I have a friend cutting me some new Raleigh decals for the frame.
IMG-20120316-00344.jpg
 
Re: Knocking the Mountain Out of a Raleigh M20

Got it pinstriped :D
Getting frustrated trying to get the brakes working trying to reuse the original cables...think I'm going to get a kit and start from scratch. This is why I usually go with single speed/coaster brake setups...straightforward and simple. The shift cables are fine, but I didn't mess with the bottom of the bike. So, gave up on that for the day. My 3yr old is sick, so my mind's not really into it. I did figure out the mount for the LED headlight I'm building for this bike though :)
 
Re: Knocking the Mountain Out of a Raleigh M20

Sweet Transformation!!!!!!!Great use of a MTB! That change creates its own one off look 8) I agree with ya I usually stick to single speed myself,my theory is more cables more problems 8) :mrgreen:
 
Re: Knocking the Mountain Out of a Raleigh M20

Bought a brake cable kit from WalMart last night. It's a Bell kit for a whopping $4.96. Going to ditch the cantilever brakes and use some single-pivot side-pull Dia-Compe calipers I have from the Opportunity Knocks project. Got the front caliper mounted, but have a family thing to go to, so I'll have to wait to finish.
 
Re: Knocking the Mountain Out of a Raleigh M20

Made some good progress tonight. Got the new brake cables and calipers working...brakes are a good thing! I used Dia-Compe levers and calipers off of a Schwinn World Tourist. I had to extend the legs of the calipers a bit to reach around the bigger tires, but they seem to work pretty well. The real test will be when I get the chain back on and ride it.
I built the headlight out of an Ikea chandelier and one of those Eveready 6volt floating lanterns. It had a 3 LED diode, and, given the wide voltage range on LEDs, it's running on a rechargeable 12volt Li-Ion battery pack that's in the saddle bag.
I also put a seat off an older Raleigh on it. It's a little wider and it has the exposed springs in the back. It also was a little deeper, so I could flip the seat clamp and get it lower on the post. Should have my Raleigh decals tomorrow, then I'll touch up some scratches I put in the fresh paint, get the bag hanging a little nicer, and get some better pics! Yay!! lol
IMG-20120319-00351.jpg

IMG-20120319-00352.jpg

IMG-20120319-00353.jpg
 

Latest posts

Back
Top