Raleigh Medale - Refurb? Advice?

Hi All!

acquired a vintage Raleigh Medale and wanted some advice:

http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc501/minimiller02/DSC_0407.jpg

Is it worth doing a refurb on it?
i only want it for casual use, and going to perhaps use it to commute to uni in September.

seems to only be surface rust and managed to clean up the rims well with tin foil and water and elbow grease, i was thinking of getting the rims re-spoked as I am on a student budget.

what are the best options to convert it to single speed?

http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc501/minimiller02/DSC_0415.jpg

and anyone got any further information on the 'Medale' the frame says Tour De France 1980.

http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc501/minimiller02/DSC_0414.jpg

(only thing i've done so far is put new bar tape on and given it a good clean and started polishing today)

http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc501/minimiller02/DSC_0410.jpg
http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc501/minimiller02/DSC_0409.jpg
http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc501/minimiller02/DSC_0411.jpg
http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc501/minimiller02/DSC_0412.jpg
http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc501/minimiller02/DSC_0413.jpg

any help and further advice would be much appreciated,
Cheers
T

great bike - it'll last you a long while. looks similar in many ways to a Barry Hoban I have. Heavy, bog-standard tubing frame but reliable for many years with barely any maintenance. nice cable routing along the top tube as well.

what's this tin foil you mention? if you want to get rid of rust on any chrome parts the best thing to use is fine wire wool and a bit of 3-in-1 oil, then a metal polish like autosol

i can't see why you'd want to convert it to single speed, it won't be any less maintenance. only thing i'd want to change would be the brake calipers and a fresh set of cables, or do they work OK?

i was thinking of getting the cables replaced and new brake blocks just to freshen it up a little bit, they are working but could be better!

was using Brasso on the alloy parts today,

but tin foil worked on the rims.
Before: http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc501/minimiller02/IMG-20120818-00601.jpg

After: http://i1215.photobucket.com/albums/cc501/minimiller02/IMG-20120818-00602.jpg

Hi, great bike you've got there :), it is also very very similar to mine (see below link), mine is a Raleigh Team Europa 1979.

http://www.lfgss.com/thread90168.html

If I were you I would refurbish it but do not convert it to single speed. as Stu F said, just change the cables if they are worn out, and as for the brake calipers, just autosol them and they will come up nice and shiny. I would also remove the mud flaps and the bike will get a more sporty look.

Cheers!
I was looking at that thread yesterday, nice job!

Yeah i'm going to get some Autosol out when i have some time and get going

if thats your SP height then it doesnt fit you so probably not worth dropping much money on it.. just ride it till it falls apart!

I had a Raleigh Medale as my first serious bike circa 1983/4. If your one came from outside the Sailors Society charity shop in Farnborough, I'd like it back please. My brother neglected to lock it up in 1987.

I wouldn't make it single speed, if the gears work well, keep them. I +1 new brake blocks, give it a nice scrub up, maybe a new chain. Wire wool works better than tin foil as Stu said.
If you are going to use it as a commuter nicer tyres and full mudguards would be a sensible option.

Raleigh Medale came in two different versions, 5 and 10 speed. Both shared the same 'champagne' frame and all other components. 1980 relates to the year that Raleigh won the Tour de France. Wouldn't single speed it, but just look at replacing the wheels if they're in poor health.

cheers for all the help so far, got some Autosol as suggested and im going to just freshen up the parts e.g brakes, tyres etc.

unfortunately its probably not the bike from Farnborough.. and if it was, it definately wasnt me who stole it as i was born in 1991!

Nice bike, very different from my Medale. I'm also unsure whether to restore mine or convert it, although mine is in much worse condition so will probably turn it into a ratty commuter.

Look forward to seeing what you do with yours though.

Looks like a good solid runabout - personally this is what I'd do:

1. Get a cheap pair of 700c alu wheels and singlespeed it (700c wheels are about 8mm smaller in diameter than 27", so if you have 27" wheels you'll need to drop your brake pads by 4mm - it looks like you'll be able to do this without needing to get different calipers)
   
2. Fit full-length mudguards in silver, and fit a rack, for added practicality
   
3. Remove the 'extender' brake levers... they're ineffective at the best of times
   
   

Fitting modern 700c aluminium wheels will make a big difference in terms of weight/acceleration and braking. You should be able to find a pair of good used wheels for £30, then £20-30 for tyres and tubes (or less, if you go secondhand).

T-Cut will clean up the paint, then an application of wax (e.g. Turtle Wax) will give it a very good shine (I'm always surprised that people neglect to wax the paint on their bikes... it really does make a difference to the glossy finish). Keep going with the wire wool and Autosol/Brasso on the other components and it'll look like new.

autosol worked a treat, need to get to my local bike shop now for the other things!

thanks for all the help

I also really like to use Autosol, it works wonders. Upload some pics of the progress when you have time :)