Raleigh Competition MK. II Restoration

The Competition joined Raleigh’s lineup of racing and sports bicycles in 1969 as an affordable alternative to their top-of-the-line Professional and International models.  This one is from 1976, built by Carlton and featuring a Reynolds 531 frame & fork with Huret dropouts.  It came equipped with Huret Jubilee derailleurs, which set world records as the lightest production derailleur ever made and which are now rare pieces of kit.  The derailleurs, matching Specialities T.A. Professional crankset, bottom bracket and headset are all original to this bike, which I recently restored.  Read on to learn more about the Raleigh Competition MK. II!

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1970’s Peugeot UO-8 Restored

peugeot_uo8_01

A couple months ago, I found a Peugeot UO-8 frame by the side of the road in Brooklyn.  I lugged it home in the pouring rain, eager to strip off the MAFAC brakes and leather saddle, which have become hard to find.  After I cleaned up the frame in my workshop though, I realized that it was in fantastic condition!  Immediately, I knew this Peugeot was going to live again.  Read on to learn about the restoration process…

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Cayne Uno polo bike

Cayne Uno side view

This is my current commuter / beater / tarck / polo bike.  I built it up around a 51cm Cayne Uno frame.  The Uno is a budget steel frame with large rear drop-out guards; not that sexy but rock-solid.

Its got an FSA Pig headset and FSA crankset with a 42T chainring up front and 16t cog in the back; the rear wheel is a flip-flop for fixed or freewheel.  The wheelset is a pair of Weinmann DP-18 deep-V rims laced to Joytech hubs with yellow Panaracer Stradius tires.  The funky chunky stem is an adjustable Kalloy Uno, as are the purple anodized pedals, seatpost, chain, and handlebars which give the bike some budget bling.  The side-pull brake calipers are Promax while the seat is a budget copy of the Selle Concor by CCM, the same model that I used on my first single-speed conversion.

More info & pics after the jump…

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