A Corgi collector and dealer, Lee, is something of an expert in all sorts of things but particularly pedal bikes. I had a lovely Raleigh Riviera when I was 12 or 13 and did many miles with that, even cycling to school quite often - and that was from Kings Langley to St. Albans, a pretty long way! It had a 3-speed twist grip which I liked a lot and a year or so ago I started looking for one to buy. I knew that ancient bikes like that could be expensive but thought I might be lucky and find something that could be cleaned up and made good. Nearly all the modern bikes I could see had strange gears that were not easy to change and my friend drian had given me an old bike but the gears didn't work and so I never got the benefit of it. It was also an uncomfortable ride and not really nice to look at either so it stood in the shed here for years.
Finally I spotted something interesting and asked Lee about it. He thought about it and then said that he reckoned he could make me a Raleigh Riviera from the spare parts that he had plus one or two extras, some paint etc., and he would be pleased to do this for me for the cost of the bits only.
That was a very kind offer and I jumped at it. We had soon got the project under way and, whilst I would have liked a metallic olive green, we settled on an interesting blue for reasons I never entirely understood. When someone is doing something for free, however, you tend not to want to object to their suggestions! The frame was for a Raleigh Wayfarer, a slightly earlier edition, I think, but it looked pretty much like my old bike to me. We found an angled chain guard like my Riviera, an important feature which sets it more in the mid-1960s than 1950s in my opinion.
Lee also found some transfers, although I cannot recall what they say, and a front light which looks almost the same as my old one except that this one works with bright LED lights and I don't need the dynamo device on the front wheel now. It never produced much by way of light as I remember anyway!
That was Spring 2019. For various reasons Lee didn't make a great deal of progress during the summer. He built the wheels which was quite a long process apparently but it was then autumn and getting cool. He also had some illness at around this time, lost his father and a whole pile of things went wrong for him which meant that, even if he could have found time or inspiration to work on my bike I wasn't about to remind him.
He was very quiet for many months and then this virus thing descends upon us all. I wrote to check that he was still in the land of the living and that seems to have prompted some action and in recent weeks he has set about getting the job completed. We then had the problem of him being down in Sussex, exactly 100 miles away door-to-door. When Boris lifted the restrictions on travel within the UK last week I was able, in theory, to get to his house but the bike wouldn't fit in my car. I couldn't travel with Katie as I had originally intended, either, her car having a proper bike rack but we couldn't travel together. I worked out the cost of either me driving to him or of him driving to me and it would have been about £30 or so. Parcelforce could deliver it for about £40 and I could buy a box to put it in for about £15. So I suggested he send it and, after a bit of research he reckons it will cost just £35 so that's good news.
I will have to do a little construction on its arrival but I am sure I will be able to manage that!
I have ordered a white saddlebag. It seems a bit small but it's the best I can find quickly and I'l keep a eye out for one similar to my old one. I also need a better rear light than the odd affair Lee has, in his wisdom attached which bears no resemblance to the front one design-wise at all! So now I am waiting to her how much dosh I have to transfer for this + some Corgis and then I'll sit back and wait for the big parcel to arrive. Whilst I do love driving my car and will continue to ensure it gets regular trips to keep the battery charged and the fuel from leaking too much, I am very much looking forward to getting out on the new old bicycle to post parcels or maybe just a run around the villages. Walks are fine but I think I'll enjoy the cycling just a bit more and might be inclined to do it more often.
I remember that I never actually got further than the village boundary on Adrian's old bike so I guess I may also need a little more nerve to head off further. That's why it is a bit of an adventure in a way. I am not too sure what it will be like at first as I wobbly along and get used to it all - and find new muscles too, no doubt!
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