A little metalwork

Today I started work in earnest on Mrs Words' bike. Before the final stripping of the old paint and sanding in prep for primer & paint, there were a few frame fixings that I wanted to remove.

Like many production bikes, this Raleigh was fitted with many "braze-ons" (I put that in quotes, as these were actually tack welded on) that would not be necessary and consequently would spoil the smooth look I'm hoping to achieve. Also, given that this bike will be using a Nexus hub, some of the "braze-ons" are simply redundant.

So I set about cutting them off and cleaning up with a file. At the same time I drilled out the down tube cable stop to allow the Nexus cable to run through uninterrupted. I'd also decided on internal cable routing for the rear brake, so the top tube cable stops were removed and the new cable holes drilled.


Clearly there is still a lot of work left, particularly sanding - but in a strange sort of way that is all part of the fun. Provided the weather plays ball tomorrow, hopefully I'll get a good lick of primer going. Then it will be to Mrs Words to get going with the new, soon to be revealed Such logo. Apparently I am font illiterate.