Right, the next bit is to start displaying some chrome, like the old choppers used to have! Here's the "ape hanger" upgrading bit!
www.ridelow.co.uk
They sell loads of custom parts there, and have ape hangers, up to 25" for under £30! This is the simple one though, all you have to do is un-bolt everything (the stem top, brake levers, grips and shifter, both the new set in place, put everything back on and there we go! New
This is where you're going to have to be a little more careful.
The lugs (the bits that the brakes used to bolt on to) are just blocks of alloy, with a threaded hole through. To remove these, you will need a few simple tools, but be aware, after doing this, you will need to either touch up the area the lugs were in, or completely re-paint your frame and forks!
Ok, the tools you will need are: a junior hacksaw, a couple of files and some sand paper.
Start by taking the lugs off as close to the frame as you dare with the junior hacksaw. This isn't needed to be dead precise, so long as you don't actually cut in to the frame itself. Do this with the lugs on the back and on the forks.
Then you will need the files. Carefully file down what is left of the lugs so that they are level with the frame tubing. You should be able to see this, because there will be a square patch in the middle where the welding was around the lugs.
After you have filed the frame down level, take a piece of 150pi sand paper, wet & dry, and sand the area where the lugs were.
You should now have a de-lugged Chopper MK3
This is a very simple start for the old school process.
You can obtain old levers and chrome calipers, new reproductions, or original parts, bearing in mind that the original ones are more expensive.
As you will be able to see, with a MK3 chopper, there is the holes that enables it to take old caliper brakes rather than the quite sad looking V brakes. Just simply unbolt the current V brakes with a 5mm allen key and bolt the calipers on through the mounting holes, then put the cabling in place and your sorted!
Again, for the levers, remove the grips from the bars, release the shifter with a 3mm allen key, along with the 5mm allen bolts for the levers. Bolt the old school levers in place and tighten them on with a flat headed screwdriver, link the cables up to them and adjust the brakes and you're sorted!
Hello there, and welcome to my Raleigh Chopper MK3 customisation build blog, where I will update with the progress as and when I do it during the customisation of my build.
I have already started to put it all together, and start to "old school" it, but I will put the seperate sections on here for everyone to see, along with pictures when I can get them uploaded
Stay tuned for more!
Danny
