This past August, timing worked out that I took the opportunity to do a trial overnight trip to the Columbia River Gorge. This would be about a 68 mile round trip. I planned out the gear I would take and figured out which pannier would carry which items.
Loved the touring, just rolling and stopping wherever and whenever and I picked a beautiful weekday. The bike did well carrying the gear given it was never really designed to be a loaded touring bike. However, there was a constant wobble at the head tube, which meant no relaxing. I had to focus on keeping the front weighted with both hands.
After I returned I started a search for a steel touring bike. Long story short, I found a 1986 Raleigh Portage on eBay that needed some work, but the price was right. Research uncovered that it was a rare one, only made a few years and the only one of the Raleigh line that came with 650b wheels, plus those long chain stays which I found help with stability. The bonus is that it was in my frame size. Made an offer that was accepted and the Raleigh was on the way.
The above photo courtesy of the seller. The rims were beyond salvage as were the racks so those were not shipped. Appears to have been a while since this bike has enjoyed rolling down the road. Rust areas were all over the frame, but none of them looked to be horrendous. Since the decals were all in good condition and the goal was to get the bike back rideable again to be sure it would handle my touring needs, I decided to go the naval jelly route.
The paint mix was close enough and I figured with the bike reassembled there were enough other distractions that the touch ups would not be so noticeable. After the touch ups, I used FrameSaver on the inside, then hand rubbed the frame to bring some shine back.
Well, here she is back on the road where she belongs. Not too bad for 27 years old, heh? What work was done to get here?
All systems were disassembled, as much as possible, and cleaned, removing rust from the steel portions. The bottom bracket spindle was pitted so that was replaced with a NOS unit and replaced the bearings. The hub bearings were replaced. Feeling the need to dress things up, I polished up the aluminum components including the outboard surfaces of the crank arms.
For rider comfort I decided to go the Brooks saddle and bar wrap on moustache bars path.
Since the original rims were bad and because I wanted to use the original hubs, I was challenged to find a 650b rim with 40 holes. After a few calls and internet searching I did find a company that had a 40 hole Velocity Synergy. Great and a great opportunity to take the wheel building class at Sugar Wheel Works. Unfortunately, my rims did not arrive in time so I took the class on shop wheels and my first home project was to build up the Portage wheels.
I polished the hubs, then laced up the new wheels. Once complete I was able to take them to Jude for review. For tires I am running Pasela Col de la Vie 650 x 38B. To keep the grime off of me, I installed VO hammered fenders. Mounting them around the Tubus racks was a little tricky on the front, but otherwise the installation was pretty straightforward.
Save for the BB spindle, chain, and hub bearings, the drivetrain is original. I replaced the pedals with VO Grand Crus which are quite comfy with my street shoes.
Looking forward to taking it on a tour and see how it does.
