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@bothwell
Background:
A few years ago I bought a Raleigh 20 Solitaire off a chick who had apparently ran over the front end with her car. The front wheel was pringled and although the forks were only slightly twisted I figured it would be best to replace them anyway because I didn't fancy dying. I figured it'd make a fun project bike as well as being pretty much unstealable due to being so hideous, but it's just sat in my bike pile for about two years not really getting the attention it deserves. As I intend to move house soon I don't particularly want to cart it all the way to my new place so it can just sit around there too, so it is free to a good home for anybody who thinks they might like a clown bike to do up. I had in mind something a little like this: http://home.comcast.net/~cheg01/r20.html, or like Sheldon's R20.
Stuff added:
I sourced an original R20 wheel as a replacement for the destroyed front one, and picked up a set of (new) 1" threadless suspension forks to replace the squashed ones, a la the fork upgrade options here: http://raleightwenty.webs.com/upgradesmodifications.htm
The sus fork is fitted with the original crown race (regreased original bearings) and turns nicely. The fork has cantilever bosses and is undrilled, so can't be used with the original Twenty brake caliper - in any case I got a new pair of looooong-drop calipers to upgrade. You can have the front and the rear if you want, though obviously only the rear is actually fitted.
Everything else is original. It has a rocking kickstand and a skirt guard with a flower on it. A flower!
Stuff that needs done:
The steerer is a leeeetle short inside the Twenty's mega steerer tube so it will need some kind of extending (or you could go down the Sheldon route and get an extension brazed on). Because the fork has been changed, it's no longer possible to use the original Twenty bars - the original bars use some madcap wire thing to preload the forks into the frame so they need to be used with the original fork. As well as new bars you'll also need your own brake levers and grips and all that jazz. It takes a 20" wheel at the front so you can keep using the replacement wheel or swap it for something else (I had the idea that it'd look hilarious / hideous with a Skyway Tuff on the front, HHSB-style).
I have a Sturmey Archer clickshift unit (including stepped ferrule) if you want to keep the rear Sturmey Archer wheel (the rear wheel is even older than the bike (1974 to the Twenty's 1980). There's some surface rust on both rims but nothing too terrible. The rear tyre is slightly cracked.
Photos:
I will take these tomorrow when it's not dark
Summary:
Somebody please just take this thing off me before I become a chewed-up husk of guilt over this case of shameful neglect. Collect from SW12.