For Sale: Amazingly Rebuilt Raleigh Fixie

I was the lucky winner of this auction a few months back:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110709036142&clk_rvr_id=276668317407

Unfortunately the bike is just too small to me, or rather I'm too fat! So I am looking to sell it.

It has had very light usage and I rode it a single-figure number of times. It's in almost the same condition it was sold in... EXCEPT the left crank-arm has snapped off! Not sure if it can be re-attached or if it needs replacing, looks like it might be missing a part of the join.

I can get the bike to New Cross Gate, Queens Road Peckham, or Shoreditch High Street.

Make me an offer?

...

...when you say 'lucky winner'...

You paid too much in the first place and now it has a broken crank arm. It's not too bad a build however but "Amazing" is probably not the word I would have chosen to sum it up.

Good luck.

I rode it a single-figure number of times....the crank-arm has snapped off

.

You paid £265 for that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice little photo montage.

I was the lucky winner of this auction a few months back:

Unfortunately this turd is just too small to me, So I am looking to smell it.

fify

i was eating pretzels!

Poor jimm.

His moniker is somewhat ironic.

It does look nice. A lot of fun to ride for someone smaller than me.

So erm I wonder why the crank arm snapped off. Some combination of me being a big bugger + metal fatigue?

This is what it said in the advert:

"Sakae SA Japan. Crankset with 42 teeth. 170mm crank arm length. Bought as vintage but polished up very well with few marks for age, incredible crank set."

Also what do you reckon is the most I should have paid for this bike?

Nice work everyone, you've all done a great job belittling someone.

Jim, the bike is nothing special, but the sub £300 price tag that you paid reflects that.
In my eyes it looks like an ok build with ok parts, the frame doesn't look like pig iron so it's prob a nice enough ride.

Calling it "Amazing" on this forum is prob what incited such a bunch of shitty comments.

Oh, and I don't think your cranks snapped off at all, I think the bolt came off and it fell off, that can happen and it's no big deal, pop to your local halfords and get a new set and it'll be fine.
Hope that helps get you back to enjoying riding your bike, maybe that will help solve the fat problem (that you mention) too! ha.

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_236579langId-1_categoryId_210159

Also what do you reckon is the most I should have paid for this bike?

£200 Max as I originally said:

http://www.lfgss.com/post2257268-34289.html
http://www.lfgss.com/post2258318-34293.html

Looks nice, lots of new parts and a Brooks saddle but not high end stuff.

Get it repaired and I reckon you could maybe still get £200 for it.

Thanks everyone! Yes, I'll take it to a bike shop and see how much to repair the crank.

While we're at it, the tyres seem thin and low quality too. I already had punctures on the back a couple of times.

I took the title for this thread from the original eBay listing, hence the use of "Amazing".
I guess what's amazing for eBay isn't so amazing here.

This bike was the first "proper" fixie I've ridden. I've had a Trek Soho S for years and have ridden it fixed-gear for long periods of time, but the riding position is very upright and the handlebars are wide.

In contrast this Raleigh bike - while not quite a track bike - I found to have a much more challenging riding position. It's definitely fun to ride, but I found things like looking over my right shoulder while overtaking or changing lanes to be quite difficult. So a more experienced rider would get better use out of this bike than I did.

Also although it has a flip-flop hub, thie tight riding position of this bike mean it's no good riding single-speed, you really have to ride it fixed.

I think I'll get the crank fixed and sell the bike to a friend for £150 plus the cost of the repair.

Here's a photo of the crank-arm. The socket on the left is a bit bashed about:

Also I wonder if there is a part missing.

Looks like you ran it loose... hence it being slightly, well, quite a bit, deformed.
Click the link I posted above, that's the bit that fell off 100m before the crank arm did, that's all you need to put it back on... tighten it up and keep an eye on it and it will prob be fine.

If you take it to a bike shop they will tell you it's useless and will charge you at least £50 for a whole new set of cranks.

Yes Chris, it was wobbling around then fell off completely while I was riding.

Thanks, I'll click your link! Good to know I don't have to replace everything.

depending on the bottom bracket it may be a crank nut instead of bolt check other side also in my experience fitted loads of arms like this back on bikes tightened properly but if deform is to much will loosen again sugest you try buy matching or similar arm on here or one of the other sites

For peice of mind maybe worth getting another crank arm for it before reattaching, if your not bothered about it matching the original have a look on ebay for a '170 crank arm' there are lots to choose from for not much money. As it looks very deformed it will eventually come loose again. I wouldn't take it to a bike shop and you could get in up any running for about £15.

Yes, to be honest I was expecting to have to replace it, so I'll get a new crank arm. It would be a pain to patch it up and have it just fall off again.

I wouldn't bother, seriously, don't let it become a money pit... Go get some of those crank bolts (they will match the other side going by the pic montage) and pop it back on good and tight.

Keep an eye on it, as a general rule no part of a bike should wobble or be loose when ridden, ha.
If it is a problem again then it's time to replace...

now that the crank arm is all mash up it'll just keep on working it's way loose. it's a press fit essentially, so the contacting surfaces all need to be the correct shape.

i'll take the bike for your hands for £15 and a bag of cheesy wotsits if you don't fancy fixing it.

Also check the BB spindle has nor been rounded off or deformed as well otherwise even with a new crank attached you may continue having the problem.

as said have fitted loads of these back on in shop overtightened bolts no wobbles but within hours or days bikes were back for new crank arms