awesomesauce!

hey la, hey la, my bike is back!

i've had it for over a week now. i took it around the block a few times and have been storing it in my bedroom for the last few nights. i really need to make up my mind as to how i want to restore it to it's former glory. i'm apprehensive about taking it apart. what if it doesn't go back together again. yikes!!!

i wanted to name my bike mr. rochester after the byronic hero from jane eyre. mr. rochester, flawed but full of vigor! i fancy myself rescuing it from ruin as dear jane rescues her loving master! unfortunately i feel naming it this will cause it to have a gender crisis. anyone that looks at the bike knows it's female. it's too pretty not to be. so i'm still searching for the perfect name. i've got a few floating around in my head. i'm going to let them ruminate awhile and see which will be best.

i bought a helmet and a bike rack today. i searched long and hard for a helmet that wouldn't clash with my vintage beauty, and wouldn't break the bank. i finally settled on a multi-sports helmet. here is a pic of the pink hawaiian print... i bought it in ♥blue♥. i must have bought the last one because the color isn't showing up on amazon anymore.

i also had my eye on a wood grained motorcycle helmet but changed my mind because it didn't have any ventilation.

i was one penny shy to claim free shipping from amazon so i threw in a bike rack. score! (^_^) i'm sure i'll be making a trip to the bike store to buy some band clamps because the bike doesn't have frame braze-ons.
 

recycled cycle

Raleigh Tourist DL1-L
Originally uploaded by blai00

that awesome hunk of steel in the picture to the right is all mine! i drove out to cedar park to test drive that beautiful brit in the freezing rain. it is in the shop getting a bit of work done. considering it is 30+yrs old it was in pretty good condition. click on the pic to see all that needs to be done (i've annotated the heck out of the pic)


the rod brakes on this bike are crazy cool, but the only problem is it is missing a bolt for the rear brake. the front brake works great. i'm having the the repairs done at a local bike shop, but unfortunately they didn't have the right size bolt. so my bike is sitting up at the shop 'til we can find something to fit. here is a pic of the missing bolt.

 

i haven't found  a stamp to help date the bike but i read on various sites that say if the sturmey archer hub is original it can be helpful when trying to figure out the general age of the bike. mine is dated 77.