Vintage Raleigh Headset Woes

Skillmister · 16 May 2015 at 13:17

Hi all

A while ago I stripped down an old Raleigh Olympus circa 1972 to convert to a fixed gear shop/commuter whip. All pretty successful except somehow in the process of putting it back together and moving house 3 times during that I've managed to lose a couple of bits, namely the Expander Bolt and whatever it should connect to inside (can't say i'm an expert!!)

My main question is, is that a piece that serves a function of holding the bike together or am I safe so long as the locknuts and races(?) are in place? It functions fine as it is so far as I can tell, i'm just slightly worried about whether the handlebars are going to come off as I ride down the promenade

I've found this which albeit not the same bike makes me think i might be missing the equivalents of 6, 20, 21 & 22.. http://sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/catalogs/1977-drawings/pages/18-professional.html
http://sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/catalogs/1977-drawings/pages/19-professional.html
I don't actually have the tools to take off the locknuts etc at the moment but will try and get my hands on some

Pics:-
How it started life

now

grudas · 16 May 2015 at 13:31

so it's missing the whole bottom end of the headset? plus the preload bolt? that's not going to ride well for long if bearings are missing haha.

Vonhelmet · 16 May 2015 at 14:01

Yeah, that could be a bit of a death trap.

Get along to a decent LBS with an aging owner who will suck their teeth and go "Hmmmmmm" with an air of nostalgia, and at he very least they'll be able to point you in the right direction.

touch · 16 May 2015 at 15:34

grudas said:
so it's missing the whole bottom end of the headset? plus the preload bolt? that's not going to ride well for long if bearings are missing haha.

It's an old-school headset, so that bolt doesnt preload the bearings. It does hold the handlebars on though.
Dont ride it like that!

grudas · 16 May 2015 at 15:44

touch said:
It's an old-school headset, so that bolt doesnt preload the bearings. It does hold the handlebars on though.
Dont ride it like that!

aha! stand corrected

Skillmister · 17 May 2015 at 20:09

I'll still note the "don't ride it" part though

thanks.

Unfortunately the only bike shop nearby is Halfords, i'll get myself the tools and take it apart to see what I need then do some thorough googling...

PermaBanned · 17 May 2015 at 20:27

As i understand it the stem technically shouldn't stay in without that bolt. It's likely that if you just gave it a tap with a hammer you'd loosen it, otherwise it's probably seized in which case there's some stuff you could try to get it out, but it's a lot more work. I don't know what the best course of action is, but you can still get quill stems relatively cheaply, might just be a case of a simple switch out.

Vonhelmet · 17 May 2015 at 20:59

Skillmister said:
I'll still note the "don't ride it" part though thanks.

Unfortunately the only bike shop nearby is Halfords, i'll get myself the tools and take it apart to see what I need then do some thorough googling...

It looks like you need a new threaded headset and expander bolt. You may need a whole new quill stem to get a suitable bolt, and you may as well order an entire new headset as it'll be a pain in the bum picking out the right individual parts. You'll just need to check the steerer diameter to check what size headset you need - 1" or 1 1/8".