Raleigh sprite - a good idea?

[Thxcuz]

I have a chance to get a 75 raleigh sprite on CL. Would this be a good choice for an everyday rider? I'm looking for a new main bike and the new ones just don't have much soul....plus the price is right.
http://stlouis.craigslist.org/bik/3266940255.html

It's been sitting for 30 years. What should I expect to need fixing?
I can't get it until pay day so somebody may snatch it up before me.
They always do

 

[CRASH]

My opinion, and my opinion only:

It needs tires. If it was $75 and was good to go, I'd say "Talk him down". But, it needs tires/tubes, so you are looking at $50+ easy right there. So the question is: Is the bike worth $125+ to you?

I don't think the "wow" factor is in that bike. But that's a personal opinion. Some others may really like those old Ralieghs. Heck, I may be off on the value of them and it might be a steal because collectors really like them. But, me personally I don't find them thrilling.

As far as what to expect:
Expect the chain to need lots of lube if not rusted.
Expect that every bearing surface is going to need to be repacked because 37 year old grease has probably broken down/dried up.
Expect that the brake cable housing plastic has dried up and will need to be replaced.
Expect that the brake pad rubber has dried up and broken down.
Expect that the wheels, from sitting, need to be trued.

Not all of that may be an issue, but that's what I would expect to look at and correct to make that bike an every day rider. If you do the work yourself it won't be that bad. Maybe $70 in parts + your time (labor).

Expect that some folks will have a differing opinion. 8)

 

[scrumblero]

while crash is right, it will need most or all of that work, they are pretty sweet bikes, and will bring good money from the hipsters if done up.

that color is sweet! too bad the rear fenders gone,

 

[Thxcuz]

I figured I'd need to put a few bucks into it. But I enjoy tinkering with them.
I never thought of the housing and brake pads. I bet white tires and white cables would look sic on this thing.

 

[Wildcat]

Looking at the pic and going by the description, I'd say it is good, but see if you can get it for $50. The tires don't look too bad, and the seat and pedals don't show wear in the pic. If they are original, (I think they are) then that bike hasn't seen many miles at all. They may hold air. I have a Hercules from that same time frame, a little older. it is a 10 speed but looks like the same gears and wheels, Sturmey Archer. After 1960, Hercules was an off brand of Raleigh, a little less quality but still good. I put white tires on it and it looked good, but I liked whitewalls more.

All the bearings were loose on my bike, I'd expect that bike to be the same. A magnet may come in handy.

 

[Willg]

My boss at work rides a 70's raliegh sprite that has been his daily rider for over 20 years. He loves it. He converted it to a roadbike and changed out enough parts to get it down to 25 pounds with a rack and fenders. It's a nice bike.

 

[ozzmonaut]

The color is cool so it is worth the $75 in my opinion. But my opinion ain't worth much. But it is going to need things. Try to think of what you can harvest from parts bikes. I never pay for brake pads. I can grab 100 of them from the salvage yard for a few bucks. Tires too, since the salvage man don't sell rubber he gives them to me cheap. Cables, pads, tires, tubes, all of these things can be found elsewhere. I'm not into the roadbikes but I've owned a few old ones and in my experience they just need going through. I took a 30's Phillips out of a dumpster and turned it into a daily rider with a few bucks, and it had rod brakes. So this yellow beast just needs a rider that wants to put it on the road.

 

[Thxcuz]

What size tires did they use? I'm guessing 700c but I may be wrong.

 

[Wildcat]

27", usually 1 1/4.

I've seen 27 x 1 1/2 and 1 3/8 that work too. I still would bet those tires on it have seen few miles, if they aren't cracked, they are good, and you can get the size off the sidewall.

 

[Thxcuz]

Darn sprite was too big for me.

so I got this instead

I have never heard of kalkhoff but I see they are still in business. It needs some work but I'm game.
It had a shimano eagle derailer, IRC tires that still look pretty good (though dirty) The seat looks like the one I had as a kid from target so that's gone. One of the shifters is broke so I need to replace that and the brakes need some work. It is going to be a fun fall/winter project. First thing is to get rid of those damn road bike handle bars and give this Fraulein some northroads.
I paid 40 bucks for it. I think she secretly wanted me to take both that and the Raleigh just to get them out of her house but I just don't have the room for both.
The bike seems pretty light. I'm hoping to turn it into a hybrid.

After some research I may have paid too much...but then again you can't really put a price on fun. I've already ordered some revers brake levers and some white tires. It's gonna be sweet when I'm done with it.

 

[Thxcuz]

Update:
This is what it looks like now

It still needs some tinkering but it rides pretty smooth.

 

[jackdaw]

Looks great, looks like a great rider.