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FICHT 150

Finally riding a big boys bike
This will be the last bike on the rebuild docket for a while. It is a ladies 1973 DL1 Roadster, one of a pair I rescued out of northern Wisconsin. Thankfully, it is a 22” version, thank goodness, as I don’t know a woman tall enough for a 24”.
My first step was wetting down all the fasteners with a blend of kerosene and automatic transmission fluid. Step two was replacing damaged or incorrect fasteners, and getting some nice, red Raleigh nuts on the bolts they belong on. The bike was pretty much original, as sold, with original rubber, and replacement seat binder and rear fender mount bolts.
Plan is metal shift components replacing the plastic versions, deep clean and service, new Schwalbe delta cruiser rubber, new Fibrax brake pads. The bike has nice pedals, and an excellent Brooks B72.
The wife might spend some time on it, not sure what I will do if she doesn’t like it. But, it will be an awesome old rider. I think a ladies loop frame is a classy looking old bike.

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1973 was the first year for this transfer font

seat binder, track nuts and wedgebolts produced by Gripfast


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When I got the bikes, the story was they were bought together at a bike shop, new, by the parents, who rode them, and no longer needed them. But, that story unraveled pretty quickly, as the men’s bike is almost a decade newer then this ladies bike. The men’s bike had incorrect vintage seat and rear wheel installed, also. They may have been bought together, but, it was later then originally guessed, and one or both were probably used, if that happened.
If a bike originally had red Raleigh nuts on it, I try to replace the fasteners with correct stuff. My supply is getting low from the last two Roadsters, that were missing crank cotter nuts, and seat binder nuts. After this bike, I’m done for a while, so, it shouldn’t matter.

Ted
 
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tip for readers -

the Gripfast - Raleigh/Carlton false acorns with the red disc in the centre are of Whitworth dimension

i keep the correct Whitworth spanner on me tool board so as to be able to turn them with no risk of galling their spanner flats


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