It all started when...

Paul, a keen cyclist and triathlete contacted VELOW looking to get his inherited Raleigh Eclipse 501 returned to its original late 80s state. The bike and components were in passable condition but Paul was keen to see this classic racer looking like new. So a full strip, clean, repaint, set of decals and rebuild was required.

The Process

First things first the bike was inspected in its original state to work out what could be salvaged and reused. Paul had insisted on a full repaint of the frame so all components were carefully removed and set aside for a thorough clean and polish. The original decals were painstakingly removed from the frame so that Steve at H Lloyd Cycles could reference them in order to recreate them from scratch. Meantime the frame was professionally blasted and repainted by local metal painters Hendersons.

On return the decals were applied and the head badge remounted. A number of replacement components were sourced along with a rebuild and service of the original wheels. Replacement components included brake levers, seat post, saddle and stem.

The Build

The rebuild was relatively straightforward as many of the components were original and a Raleigh dealers catalogue from 1988 was used as a secondary reference. Where replacements had been required these were sourced while the frame was away being refurbished. 

The build was completed with a full set of new cables, tyres & tubes, chain, bartape and brake blocks.