My First Project- What bike is this?

Hello all. I am a newbie. I have only had my fixie for a while, but have been customising my off the rack job while working on the messenger circuit.

Then I found this in my garage:

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She's about 22 years old (or at least that's when she arrived in my household).

As you can see the badge is gone from the front, so I can't tell what make it is. She has a very small serial number on the bottom of the frame which may say RS or RF but I'm not sure. I don't think it was originally orange.

I like the lugging. I totally ignore the hideous replacement seat.

Basically I was wondering what you guys think I should do with it. I already have a fixie and wouldn't mind having a road bike, but there again I do love the frame and think it would be a great fixie.

If anyone has any idea what make it is, I'd love to know. It still "rides" after 20 years of inactivity (albeit on flats and with no chain movement.)
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I'd also like to see if I can salvage the Sakae drops, will take a lot of elbow grease though.

I've decided also now that I want to give this bike new gears like nature intended. Would it be possible to keep the gear lever on the down tube (replacing it of course)?

I think RS is a Raleigh marking

Thanks Sumo. I guessed it might be. Anyone else have any ideas? You reckon it's salvageable?

Thanks Sumo. I guessed it might be. Anyone else have any ideas? You reckon it's salvageable?

Put it in a neighbour's skip, you'll know in a day or so...

That's how I got it actually.

stem's an inch past the limit.

It has the look of a raleigh about it. Those lugs are on all their heavy steel frames. However the lack of holes for the headbadge, and the fork crown says it's one of their lesser brands, such as Triumph, Sunbeam, BSA, Hercules, etc.

Looks like a old low end frame. Perfect for a budget conversion, anything more is a waste imo.

Plus with the mudgaurd mounts it'll be a good as a winter beater/pub bike.

Hey Op...

just to add to what everyone else has posted...I know you have gone all misty eyed about saving this bike, however, and it's a fricking huge however in fact it's lots of howevers..

1) Are you a midget? this frame is about 50cm...
2) It's already running 27inch wheels (check the tyres) with deep brake drops, it will be hard to get better wheels for it..ie...if you put on 700c's you may not get brakes to fit.
3) it's quite heavy, you can just tell that by looking at the damned thing
4) it's really not worth salvaging the gear lever, it's a poor quality huret or huret copy....though yes..if you want to put a gear lever there it's fine this one is band on though it doesn't have a soldered/brazed post to accpet the new one, it will need to be band on.
5) when you have finished making it, it still wont be a show stopper, far far from it...is it worth all the effort?
6) if you are going to spend time restoring something, you may as well choose something nice or something thats going to be worth all the effort you put into it.
7)if you have now fallen in love with it and don't care about all this, then I apologise and you can carry on making sweet love to this frame....

I feel like the guy who goes onto Antiques Roadshow with a painting he thinks is worth thousands, only to be told that it was painted by a carnie with bad breath who became famous for his flatulence rather than his painting skill and it's worth £15.

But I feel better for knowing. Thanks to everyone for their input. I will take the Dragons' advice and cut my losses (I put 900,000 of my own money into this project already...)

Cheers. Back to the skip I go...

p.s. I now wish I hadn't spent time replacing "it" with "she" in my original post.

I feel like the guy who goes onto Antiques Roadshow with a painting he thinks is worth thousands, only to be told that it was painted by a carnie with bad breath who became famous for his flatulence rather than his painting skill and it's worth £15.

But I feel better for knowing. Thanks to everyone for their input. I will take the Dragons' advice and cut my losses (I put 900,000 of my own money into this project already...)

Cheers. Back to the skip I go...

though you don't have to skip it...;D

break it and keep the bars that only need a polish...and sell the frame on here for a bob or two as it's a small frame and may be of some use to a polo playing lady that need a small beater frame..keep the wheels just in case that someone pinches one off you in the future...(a knacker 27'' is better than no wheel at all)...

and then get a nice frame that is deserving of your love and affection...

though you don't have to skip it...;D

break it and keep the bars that only need a polish...and sell the frame on here for a bob or two as it's a small frame and may be of some use to a polo playing lady that need a small beater frame..keep the wheels just in case that someone pinches one off you in the future...(a knacker 27'' is better than no wheel at all)...

and then get a nice frame that is deserving of your love and affection...

There's the love that this forum lacks sometimes. +1

Don't skip it. Why don't you spend an afternoon cleaning it up and use it as a beater? Or, alternatively, you could try stripping it and rebuilding it into whatever you fancy and treat it as a learning experience in preparation for your next project. The first bike I properly converted/rebuilt was a Halfords Olympic that weighs a ton. It's not going to turn any heads but I learnt a lot doing it.

Perfect frame for a retro pashely guvnor style pub bike. Once you've bought a spray can of dark paint from Halfords of course :-)

Thanks guys. Yeah I was joking about skipping it, but that is a valid point. It will be worth me experimenting on it so I can get a good idea about how to reconstruct a bike. I don't want to be messing about when I do get my hands on a really nice frame.

Thanks very much for all the comments, I knew you guys would have the answer.

Thanks guys. Yeah I was joking about skipping it, but that is a valid point. It will be worth me experimenting on it so I can get a good idea about how to reconstruct a bike. I don't want to be messing about when I do get my hands on a really nice frame.

Thanks very much for all the comments, I knew you guys would have the answer.

Translation:

It was still in the skip this morning... ;-/