After finishing the restoration of the Motobecane I became excited to do another restoration. So, I ended up purchasing an old Raleigh Spirit off Craigslist for $40. I wasn’t sure if it was worth it or not but I decided the bike looked good enough and would be fun.
So, over the next several months, I set out to restore it. The paint wasn’t terrible so I thought I would just remove all the rust spots.
I really liked the plate on the front. Unfortunately, the method of removing rust discolored it.
Rear mud guard and rack.
Crank and cotter pin.
The wheels and freewheel were bad. I put the wheels along with the frame in an oxalic acid bath to remove the rust. I had to trash the freewheel because I force removed it. I wasn’t willing to spend $20 for a special tool that should cost half that at most, and only be used once.
For the chain guard, I ended up using vinegar and aluminum foil. It was rusted and scratched bad and the chrome was removed on a lot of it, but looked nice in the end considering the condition it was in.
The wheel’s probably need to be replaced since the inside is so bad. I got the rust off but there is no more chrome protection on a lot of it and it was rusting inside the little holes.
The rust on the handlebars removed very nicely.
The brake levers came out nicely after some soaking in vinegar and polishing. I bought a new friction shifter off Amazon.
The derailleur was in nice condition and still works great.
The steerer tube and bearings were completely dried out.
The bottom bracket was difficult to remove.
Bottom bracket bearings.
Seat tube and stem.
The pedals came out nice after soaking and polishing.
All the rust was removed from the frame after soaking in an oxalic acid bath for several days. I Wish I would have taken time to remove the decals but I didn’t know how or think about it.
After several months of research and careful planning, I finally finished the bike. I’ve ridden the bike several times to work and is very pleasant to ride, as long as the hills aren’t too steep.
Since the bike is only a 5 speed, it can be tough especially when pulling your kid in a trailer up a big hill with a 15 MPH wind against you.
I will say though, it made me proud when I passed others going up hills on my commutes to work. A bike like this you wouldn’t think is fast, but when your lowest gear is 28 teeth, and you are pushing a heavy steel bike up hills, it really works your calf muscles!