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yoshy
Along similar lines.
A Raleigh Tempest rescued from a hedge.
Wheels shot, headset notchy, bars rotten, miss matched cranks and cup & cone BB etc etc.
Stripped out, checked frame over and forks. Went from 12 spd to SS with a special price set of wheels from Planet X of DP18 rims and novatec hubs for about £100 added a Shimano SS 18t freewheel (go dicta or Sturmy Archer as cheaper).
Added new brake pads and cables and outers, some old risers bars and canti-brake levers. Used the cup and cone BB until it properly ate the bearings then slipped in a cheap sealed cartridge BB. Had an old Raleigh chainset from a record sprint so used that straight away as a matching crank set.
I came joint 4th in a Euro SS champs and 2nd and I think the second time 22nd in the Klunker Classic. I think this picture is set for the second Klunker.
Brakes barely worked even with new cables and pads due to caliper flex so racing downhill in the wet and trying to stop was exciting. Front would take maybe a 42mm CX tyre, the rear I reckoned would do a 38mm "maybe" a 42mm I went with 35mm front and rear Conti CX Races.
Best bike ever, raced it, crashed it, had loads of fun on it.
Downsides.... way too flexy frame for what I was doing. Have since skipped the frame, in theory nothing wrong with it on the outside. Starting to rust and things I have done to it ment I wasn't happy letting anyone else take it on so binned it... but kept the fork..
Still got the wheels and chainset on a Steamroller which does the same job just without the internal rust issues and a stiffer 1 1/8" headtube set up and stiffer frame :)
Don't overthink it. I did a Badger ride on the Roller with CX Speed tyres on and Mashton attacked it on a pink missile Tarck bike.