The mixte just keep coming! Art F.’s sent in this 1984 rescued Raleigh, complete with MSDGCS, nice rear rack and some of those super long SMR.
Hi Cameron,
Art F here with some pics of a 1984 Raleigh Mixte that was rescued as it was headed for the scrap metal pile at Montgomery County , MD recycle center . This bike was being dropped off and I spotted it in the back of the truck and asked the owner if I could have it. It was a mess . Rusty rims , blackish chrome fork tips , no seat, tires with gum sidewalls that looked like the surface of the moon. But I’m partial to Raleighs as I still have my 1974 Raleigh Super Course that I bought new and has been my sole personal bike since then . I know you can’t kill a Raleigh . I let it sit around in my backyard for about 9 months while I worked on easier restoration projects Then one day in May 09 I decided it was time . I put old mixte on the repair stand , sprayed down the chain with motorcycle chain wax spray and kept turning it until all the stiff links were running smooth , peeled of the old tires and scrubbed off the tire residue on the rims with medium steel wool , greased up the cables , wiped down the frame with alcohol , dripped some oil into the freewheel and I knew it would be running again pretty soon. It didn’t mneed any parts replacements except tires, tubes , seat, brake pads and a kickstand . I probably spent about 6 hours cleaning and adjusting and put in $20 in purhased parts along with seat and Blackburn rack salvaged from other bikes . One strange thig about thias bike is that there is no model designation on the frame . I knew it was a 1984 because that was stamped under the bottom bracket. Anyway I listed it in Washington DC craigslist for $195 and resubmitted the ad about 4 times and sold it about 6 weeks later with a trade in of a Columbia women’s 3 speed that I gave a $40 trade in allowance to buy. It’s a nice looking , nice riding bike now and maybe you’ll see it resubmitted in another 30 years when the new owner passes it on.
Thank again Art
