Early Raleigh mountain bike. (ARAYA, SUGINO, DIA-COMPE ETC.)

[LukeTheJoker]

While planning my 26" BMX build, I decided I needed to buy or find some better wheels than what I had normally available to me, so have been checking eBay, the local bike shops and other places but not finding anything within my budget...

On my way home from the doctor this morning I realised it was a Thursday and so therefore my local Dump-Shop would be open, they have not had anything interesting there for quite some time but figured I would look anyway. Drove in, looking for bikes and only saw one mountain bike that appeared to be just an old big store cheap bike, nearly did not stop but figured I was running short on 3 piece bottom brackets for modifying on my crazy builds so might be worth picking up.

This is what i found:

:shock: Closer inspection revealed ARAYA rims, high flange hubs, stainless spokes, SUGINO crankset, DIA-COMPE brakes and levers, SUNTOUR aluminum thumb shifters all adding up to a very complete bike! Needless to say I bought it!

My problem now is, do I take the rims, cranks and brake levers off to fit up to my 26" DYNO BMX build, or am I destroying an early survivor? :?:

Luke.

Oh, forgot to mention, picked it up for the princely sum of $5! :mrgreen:

 

[user 135]

Nice bike with good components. I don't think it has any collectors value. I would part it out as needed. Those shifters are my favorite.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Nice bike with good components. I don't think it has any collectors value. I would part it out as needed. Those shifters are my favorite.

Thanks Cman, that is kind of the answer I was hoping for! I personally love those shifters to, I think they may find thier way on to my next Muscle Bike build.

Closer inspection of the frame revealed a broken dropout, can be easily repaired but makes the decision to part out a little easier! :wink:
Bring on the 26" DYNO BMX/Bomber build! :mrgreen:

Luke.

 

[Funkme]

Part it out!!!! it looks like most of it was worth the fiver :shock:
Nice score

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Part it out!!!! it looks like most of it was worth the fiver :shock:
Nice score

I would normally pay $10 for a cheap thumb shifter over here, so I am amped with the find!

I figure I have saved: $100 on the wheelset, $40 on the crankset and $20 on brakelevers, and that is just the big items. This kind of stuff is so expensive over here, but it will push my big BMX build to a new level that I otherwise could not afford... Very happy!

Luke.

 

[Toeslider]

Those handle bars, in good condition, regularly bring $75-$100 on eBay...search bullmoose or bull moose bars.

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Those handle bars, in good condition, regularly bring $75-$100 on eBay...search bullmoose or bull moose bars.

:shock: They don't look too bad, just need a clean up, might have to look into that!

Luke.

 

[oleskool]

oh man! what a shame if you split it up.. its a really clean early mtb survivor very koooooooooool!

 

[LukeTheJoker]

Sorry Oleskool! It is worth far more to me in parts than as a complete bike though, and with the split plate on the dropout it made the decision easier... Could be repaired but would never be the same...

I have had trouble dating the bike, closest going by the parts fitted to the bike seems to be a 1986 Seneca, but it is still a different frame in that this one is welded and the Seneca is high end lugged Cro/Moly. Thinking it is probably a low end later model trying to build on the success of the early ones, but it seems strange that they used fairly high end parts in that case? Probably the local Australian arm of the company doing it's own design decisions in the late 1980's...

The only stickers on it are the Raleigh "R" sticker on the headtube and seat tube and the writing "Mountain Bike" on the top tube, no other model names...

Luke.