Building my TI-Raleigh Team Pro 753 (…and the other SBDU Ilkeston bikes I've collected along the way…)
TI-Raleigh Team Pro 753 SB3800 (1980)
Part two of the build for SB3800, a 1980 TI-Raleigh Team Pro 753; I don’t know if I prefer the first part of a build when the grease and dirt is involved, or the second part when you get down to the detailing. I like both parts but for me, it is all about the details!
I have a few SBDU frames in the queue waiting for a rebuild. Time is just conspiring against me – It is the one factor that I lack at the moment. I sometimes manage to squeeze 30 minutes every now and again to bolt a few pieces together; it’s so frustrating having the frames and having the parts but not having the time. Even time for blogging is at a premium at the moment and most or my posts are written late at night with my eyes squinting at the bright screen.
I take all my new bikes apart! It’s what I do. There will always be a ‘Strip down’ blog post.
I don’t want to be riding someone else’s problems. Every nut and bolt gets separated and checked and greased and re-assembled. It means that when I ride a bike, I already know all about it and any issues it might have, I don’t want any hidden gremlins spoiling the ride.
It’s amazing what you can find on your doorstep. SB6398, an SBDU 753 with a Super Record 50th Anniversary group set was hiding less than 20 miles from me; an amazing bike, in my size too. So what do you think were the chances of finding another SBDU 753 in my size, this time in TI-Raleigh colours, within 20 miles of me? Well the chances were good, it has just happened. Say hello to SB3800, a 1980 Team Pro 753.
