Raleigh Sprite Mixte Paint Job

A Raleigh Mixte Looking for the Right Color

It's a naked frame right now. All the parts are there and it will be great when the new owner tells me what color she wants me to paint it

Out of box it was a mess. 

On the back fender

Chain guard graphics

Raleigh Sprite White Mixte

 A Great Bike for Errands

This bike was from Ebay. Until you open the box you never know what kind of shape the bike is really in. At first I thought it was a repaint until I took a closer look. It is authenic, except for the rear fender.

You can see the front fender is classic Raleigh, but the rear fender is contemporary German. 

The basic fabric of the bike was intact, but of course all the things that wear out over time needed replacing.

Raleigh Green Sport 3 Speed Green Goblin

The Green Goblin

This beautiful Raleigh 3 speed came to me in good shape. It had been in a garage for a long time.

With replacement tires, brake pads, cables and housings this bike was like new. 

It was named The Green Goblin by the owner and it really fits, celebrating not only the classic color but the sense of the ease of movement one experiences when you are lucky enough to have a bike like this, tuned and adjusted just for you.

The power train showcases the best of British engineering. Notice the subtle bird on the crank.

I always look at the pedals to how much a bike has been ridden.

These are rare pedals and are in beautiful shape.   

This is the big shallow market basket from Wald. Notice how it drops straight down from the bars.

I had to cut down the supports and redrill the hole so the basket would be strong enough to hold

 a case of beer.  

This is the first basket. See how the attachments to the bars comes straight out and the supports stick out. The basket is too deep and when it is inevitably overloaded it will shift, hit the fender and interfere with the front tire and brake. Experience taught me that.

Irish Raleigh

A Piece of History

This bike also came from the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition. Most of the parts were original and the geometry of the frame makes it easy to ride. It was made by Raleigh in Dublin, not Nottingham.

The Huret Allvit derailleur is a classic.

With the Brooks seat the bike showcases its Irish roots.

The Irish Raleigh before.

Raleigh Green 60's Mixte Florena

Built to Last



This Raleigh is like a truck, a British delivery van.

brake levers, rounded ends, others called stabbers


Beautiful power train. Cottered cranks like Peugeot.

 This bike came from the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition.

The frame was in really nice shape and I liked the deco inspired graphics.

Notice how the rear brakes are supported on this mixte. 

Cammo Bike

American Eagle Touring Bike

A neighbor had a big pile of trash in front of his house. In this pile was an early 70's American Eagle touring bike. I had a bike like it back in college so I was already inclined to take on the project.

The bike is Japanese so the parts are Japanese too. Since they are inspired by the most popular bike of the time, they are compatible with Raleigh. The fact that I had a shed full of parts that would fit it clinched the deal. 

What about the paint? 

Easy is the theme here. First I looked at the camouflage pattern from a WWI Spad biplane. Then I figured out the colors and went to the local hardware store for paint remover, spray on primer, brushes and paint.