So this was the first RestoMod to leave the Barn. What is a RestoMod? It's the restoration of a bike using modern components.
This Raleigh Equippe was originally sold around 1990 making it 30 years old. The customer brought it to us to be restored to a condition that it could be used to commute on. It had previously been owned by the customers father.
We were delighted to welcome the Raleigh and the family heritage it held. We done our assessment of the bike to see what was needed to get it back on the road.
The bike was not roadworthy in it's current condition. Thankfully the customer was happy to replace the wheels which were not safe and we were able to agree that the wheels should be replaced with a modern wheelset and tyre. This would guarantee that the old bike could deal better with the modern roads and provide a good solid rim and braking surface.
The wheels were replaced with a set of hybrid wheels with a wide rim and high spoke count for reliability. We had to change the hybrid rear wheel axle spacers to fit in the 1990 dropouts and we provided a modern Michelin tyre with tan walls to suit the original features.
The bike was treated to a deep clean. The frame and all components were cleaned and lightly polished to remove the rust spots. The Raleigh was rebuilt with new inner and outer cables and new bar tape. Retro brake blocks were used with modern compound rubber to provide a safe and reliable braking block match to the new wheel rims.
The end result looks amazing! Hopefully the customer will use it as planned. I could be tempted to hang it on my wall. I own a similar aged bike and they are really nice to ride. This one with the added volume in the wheel and tyre was super smooth and would be a joy to ride on a daily basis.
After finishing this build it has really set the cat amongst the pigeons about what we would rather ride. Old v New? We will pit the 1990's Raleigh and the modern Bianchi against each other soon!
In the meantime enjoy the videos of our finished RestoMod and a before and after comparison.
Bike Barn are experienced in restoring all types and ages of bikes. This Raleigh wasn't our first but it was the first RestoMod. We have also got some very nice retro mountain bikes back on the road and are just about to finish our first, and very cool, retro mountain bike build.
Get in touch if you have something you would like to get back on the road. Most bikes can be saved. This week we bought our first old bike and we will buy an old bike from you to save them from the recycling centre!
Happy cycling!
Shug