1980s Raleigh Esprit for tour of Italy?

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
neil ry
Posts: 23
Joined: 24 Sep 2014, 9:01am

Re: 1980s Raleigh Esprit for tour of Italy?

Post by neil ry »

I'm the same novice to touring, luckily I got a ridgeback hybrid with all the necessary eyelets, just need's few upgrade's then i'll be off on tour,but I was looking at a dawes karakum and it's gets good reviews, at a good price and galaxy cross, also
Hobbs1951
Posts: 480
Joined: 15 Apr 2014, 10:48am

Re: 1980s Raleigh Esprit for tour of Italy?

Post by Hobbs1951 »

ANTONISH wrote:All my early cycling was on steel rims - all weathers - 100miles + in a day.
I suppose one just adapted to the braking capacity available. Maybe the brake block compounds of the time (mid fifties) were better suited to steel?


We all adapt to the prevailing conditions whatever and wherever we ride. However the prevailing conditions on the roads of the 1950s were very, very few cars, and nothing like the amount of street furniture either.

A Golden Age for cycling. My late Father was a keen cyclist in the late 1940s and 1950s (riding all over southern England, the south west* and to the Loire - in 1953) and had just about the best rim/brake setup to be had at the time - alloy rims and centre pull brakes. This combination is still good today as I have his 1951 Hobbs of Barbican with this setup (although the brakes and rims have been renewed).

Jon.

*one trip on his Evans tandem (with a friend to Lyme Regis) they overtook cars...cars were slow and few (this trip was in 1945 to celebrate his 16th birthday and the end of the war).
beardy
Posts: 3382
Joined: 23 Feb 2010, 4:10pm

Re: 1980s Raleigh Esprit for tour of Italy?

Post by beardy »

Steel rims were still the norm in the 1970s (for ordinary cyclists).

I had only seen one pair of aluminium rims (on a rich friend's bike by 1982) when I moved on to motorcycles (also with chromed steel rims). Another friend had rod operated brakes!

Even the local Police were riding around on steel rimmed bikes in 1982!
Dudley Manlove
Posts: 249
Joined: 18 Jun 2009, 10:41am

Re: 1980s Raleigh Esprit for tour of Italy?

Post by Dudley Manlove »

ANTONISH wrote:All my early cycling was on steel rims - all weathers - 100miles + in a day.
I suppose one just adapted to the braking capacity available. Maybe the brake block compounds of the time (mid fifties) were better suited to steel?


There may be something in that. Even with Koolstop Salmons - supposedly good in the wet - the braking on the R20 is appalling and if not careful will continue to accelerate on decents despite grabbing fistfuls of lever. I have swapped out the stock brakes for some dual pivots, and that's much improved both the modulation and applied force, but yet to take it for a ride in the wet. I don't want to derail the thread towards my brake blocks tho (I will get some alu wheels at somepoint).

I fully agree with some of the comments above tho, that if that's available you will simply accept it and get on with it as best as.

On track I'd echo the suggestion for the OP to just try an overnighter or weekend tour on the Esprit if he thinks it's worth a punt. Throw in a hilly ride and a wet one while at it. You'll be able to work out for yourself whether you can get on with it or not. And if you decide to buy a tourer, you'll have a better idea about what you want in it.
Hobbs1951
Posts: 480
Joined: 15 Apr 2014, 10:48am

Re: 1980s Raleigh Esprit for tour of Italy?

Post by Hobbs1951 »

beardy wrote:Steel rims were still the norm in the 1970s (for ordinary cyclists). I had only seen one pair of aluminium rims (on a rich friend's bike by 1982) when I moved on to motorcycles (also with chromed steel rims). Another friend had rod operated brakes! Even the local Police were riding around on steel rimmed bikes in 1982!


Not sure what an ordinary cyclist is, but alloy rims were the norm for me once I'd graduated from bikes with 20" wheels. My first decent bike (meaning not a kiddies bike or a roadster) had all alloy components: this was in the 1970s - it was a 16th birthday present and I rode it to school (I always rode to school).

Perhaps I'm rich then? Why do you mention motorcycle rims - motorcycles don't use the rim as a braking surface! Police bicycles were old style - usually very heavy - roadsters with rod brakes operated on Westwood rims - I fail to see the point and how it relates to the OPs original question?

Notwithstanding all the previous comments, I would not tour on a bicycle with steel rims - especially in a mountainous region (I have never had to compromise in this way so maybe that's my problem).

Jon.

N.B some steel rims were cross-hatched before chroming as a way of improving wet weather braking (but not by much, and not the Westwood type).
beardy
Posts: 3382
Joined: 23 Feb 2010, 4:10pm

Re: 1980s Raleigh Esprit for tour of Italy?

Post by beardy »

I mention motorcycle rims because like cycle rims they were changing over from chromed steel to aluminium at pretty much the same time as the cycle ones were, even though as you say they were not used as braking surfaces.

I dont believe it was for the sake of a braking surface that the changes happened on either type of vehicle, though it was a welcome bonus on the cycles.

What I meant by an ordinary cyclist was the 99% of bikes that you saw out on the roads ferrying kids to and from school or adults too and from work. Normally made in the Raleigh factory in Nottingham.
The same sort that my school mate took around Europe before signing up in the RAF. With steel rims because that is what we almost all had on our bikes in those days.
Not only were we not club cyclists we were totally unaware that such things existed, we rode bikes because our parents had better things to do than drive us around like they do nowadays.
boris
Posts: 437
Joined: 5 Nov 2010, 1:58pm

Re: 1980s Raleigh Esprit for tour of Italy?

Post by boris »

since almost all the braking in a quick stop is on the front wheel it may be he could just get an aluminium front wheel , which need not break the bank.
Ron
Posts: 1384
Joined: 5 Jan 2007, 9:07pm

Re: 1980s Raleigh Esprit for tour of Italy?

Post by Ron »

I had an Esprit and quite enjoyed it for runs around the local area, but when I decided to venture into touring the frame flexed worryingly under a very modest load.
Bicycler
Posts: 3400
Joined: 4 Dec 2013, 3:33pm

Re: 1980s Raleigh Esprit for tour of Italy?

Post by Bicycler »

Hobbs1951 wrote:Not sure what an ordinary cyclist is

ordinary.jpg

:wink:
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