This Raleigh Raveino 4.0 is the first road bike my partner ever bought. She used this for everything: touring, triathlons, commuting, grocery getter, and joy rides. It was in desperate need of love and had been sitting neglected in favor of her mountain and gravel bikes. She was making some comments about just giving it away since we don't have space for things we don't use. We recently reached a place in our lives where road biking is back on the table. She wanted a new road bike, but nothing she test rode really spoke to her, regardless of budget. This bike has a lot of sentimental value for her, so I low-key encouraged her to hang onto it. I stealth-asked a bunch of questions about her component preferences with the intent of surprising her with a whole new modern group, but she still holds this bike as her platonic ideal of a general road bike for flogging. No major component changes, got it.
Sorry, I don't have a good pic of before the overhaul.
What was wrong:
- Front brake track was worn way beyond the safe limit; I've never seen a rim that worn without blowing out
- Chain was past 125% wear; fortunately the jockey wheels and chainrings were still okay
- Seatpost was single bolt design and we couldn't dial the angle for all-day comfort
- Cable sheaths were cracked and worn-through
- Bar tape was worn through in places
- Saddle was packed out, torn, and no longer comfortable
- Bent derailleur hanger
What got changed:
- Deep clean everything, ultrasonic parts wash for the brakes, derailleurs, and crankset
- NOS cassette (holy hell, finding the exact match cassette involved some bike part archaeology)
- New cables and housing
- New Raceface zero setback seatpost
- New Terry saddle
- NOS Bontrager Aeolus Comp 5 bladed spoke rims
- New cartridge pads
- New Rubino Pro tires
- New chain
- Aluminum lock bar end plugs
Yeah, the pedals are gnarly, but she wanted the old pedals. And I'm waiting for a pack of Fastenal stainless M5 bolts to backfill the braze-ons on the stays.
Her first test ride was a climb up the biggest hill in town and was a resounding success. She's overjoyed!
I asked because I'm a bike mechanic trainee. And And this job would have taken me a few days, I'd say. ๐ And finding specific, out-of-production parts can be a hassle indeed.