Looks like someone jumped it from a good height and bent the fork and seat tube. You might be able to use a hydraulic press and heat to bend the steer tube somewhat close to position. Cool project 👍. Thank you for the cool video! Good luck.
My first proper bike was a blue raleigh bomber. It was great, and i only got rid of it about 5 years ago. The paint was a kind of translucent plasticy stuff that covered the rims too. Made breaking difficult. Comfy saddle though
The replacement front wheel and bent steering tube suggest that this Bomber collided with something solid !! The bend is consistent with with the forks being bent backwards, the handlebar stem gave extra strength to the upper part of the steering tube so the bend occurred below this. It is possible to straighten the steering tube using a long steel bar or thick walled tube that fits into the steering tube ( or add some sort of strong extension to an old handlebar stem ) Clamp the forks very securely, heat the bent area and carefully bend the steering tube straight. The seat tube bend could be the result of a cumulative effect of years of riding over rough terrain, bending tiny amounts each time, This again could be repaired with the use of a steel bar of a diameter that can just slide down past the dent. Clamp the steel bar so it really can not move, apply some heat to the dented area, slide the dented seat tube over the steel bar and carefully hammer the outside of the dent, this will return the tube to round again. The steel these frames were made of are not high quality exotic thin walled steel alloy, so provided the heat applied is too great no lasting weakness would be created, after all the frames are heated at each joint to braze them together with no problems ( Actually this may be something to consider repairing the seat tube dent, it's right next to the brazed lug ).
Cool project. Over here on Northern California, we called them klunkers. After all, it's the birthplace of mtb. You should make a trip to the other side of the pond and visit our Marin Museum of Bicycling. You'd love it.
It's the birthplace of a certain aspect of "mountain biking", basically the downhill time trial. Breeze and Ritchie et al came up with a frame design and parts better suited to it than the old Schwinn bike frames and salvaged motorbike parts they had used previously. It caught the eye of a bike manufacturer prepared to take a chance, and only then did it become popular. However, people have been using and modifying bikes to ride on all types off terrain since the birth of the safety bicycle. Look at the origins of modern day cyclocross to see proof of that.
Basically there are long-stem and short-stem forks (as well as different finishes and leg-lengths). This is because the frames were altered part way through production to strengthen the headstock. It was prone to deforming (kids doing wheelies?) at the bottom so a strengthening ring was added making the headstock length a little longer and therefore the fork steerer tube needed to be longer also. Your bike (having a plastic chainring) will have the early headstock I'm sure so if you can't repair the original fork and find a later one you will have excess tube at top which you may not be able to adjust out with the top nut/threaded-race. If you try early forks on a late frame there's not enough tube protruding to fit the nut etc
Think about what someone may have used as an upgraded fork back in 82. 26" bmx cruiser forks in chrome maybe. Keep the original forks in case you can repair them later.
Not only is that steering tube bent the middle has two bulges where it looks like the stem bolt was over tightened! I have the same thing on a 40’s Humber, it took hours with a piece of emery cloth glued to a broom handle to get the stem to fit right.
I've a few bits for one of these that might be of use to you, I've posted on your FB page. The Chopper, Grifter, Bomber and Burner etc were all based on American bikes. Bomber takes it's styling queues from the Schwinn Klunkers which are the true predecessors of mountain bikes. Good luck with this one!
added to this is the fact that the Junior Bomber forks have shorter legs so you could end up with a fork with correct length steerer-tube but won't accept the 26" wheel. And finally there are the different finishes (black/blue Superchrome/chrome with black for 5-speed Bomber)
I had one when they first came out, which I think was Christmas 1980. The frame was made from cheese. It was as soft as any metal I've ever seen. The forks bent outwards just from landing from a wheelie or riding off a 6 inch kerb. After a time during which my forks bent further and further outwards, I brakes really hard one day and the head tube snapped in two. I remember the wait for that Christmas. I was 12yo and went to bed those few autumn months with the Bomber brochure on my bedside table. I don't think I've ever wanted anything as much before or since and yet it was such a disappointment.
@@MonkeyShred There was mine and at least 5 others amongst my school friends that Christmas. We all experienced the disappointment which just hastened our move to BMX in 1982. I feel bad for my parents who bought my bike. It was something I really wanted based entirely on its rugged looks but it just wasn't to be. It cost £96 in 1980 which was a lot of money then and a lot of money for my parents. By Christmas 1982 I had bought a BMX frame and forks and a few of the smaller components I needed with money I earned during my school holidays. My parents bought the handlebars and wheels for Christmas and I ended up with the only Skyway TA in the area. That was an entirely different beast and lasted for years until I had a car and sold it for pennies to my brother's friend.
Interesting project. Apparently the Bomber frame was "borrowed" from an old Raleigh export roadster design for the African market, and then given BMX style bars and stem. Try taking the forks to a motor repair garage or engineering workshop with a hydraulic press used for stuff like wheel bearings, and see if you can press the curve out enough to stop it binding.
I read it was influenced by a Philips Speedtrack from the 1950's. Raleigh purchased Philips and had their IP. It was a bicycle speedway design. If you look it up on the net you will see the frame and bars have a striking similarity.
Hi m0nkeyshred. Just discovered your vid despite being into Bombers myself. I've not read all the comments so forgive me if I'm repeating something you have already been told but... re the forks. First of all there are 9 (yes 9) different forks available for the Bomber and used or NOS ones can be hard to find so it's a bit annoying if you do find them and they don't suit your frame. I'll break it down in another reply
I'm sure the forks are straightenable with the right person doing it, unless you can find a decent second hand pair. The forks haven't hit something head on as the forks are bent the wrong way, have you tried Lloyd cycles for your logos? They helped me out with some Raleigh Ace decals when no one else could. All the best with the resto. If costs look more than the bike is worth, have a think about doing a patina job on the frame, cutting paste and a couple of coats of clear coat should sort it and keep the character.
Nobody does the decals as of this moment but I have managed to somewhat peel the old ones off so they could be a decent base for some to be remade / redesigned.
Can you find a steel rod, who's outside diameter is damn near the inside diameter to the steerer tube's? Try to insert it, whilst also heating the outside of the tube with a gas torch? You have a nice big vice, great...maybe some heat-proof gloves may help you. Anyway, you're consulting a frame builder, who knows much more that me, no doubt! I do think the original fork can, and definitely should be, saved. I look forward to the next episode, nice to end on a cliff-hanger, can he turn a Raleigh Bummer back into a Raleigh Bomber we all wonder!
also the issue with dent in seat-tube. I don't think it's viable to separate the frame tubes as I think you'd need to de-braze all the joints to get one tube out. you won't be able to press it out due to access problems so I think the bast option would be to have the dent cut/ground out then a small piece of tube cut from another source and welded/brazed back in. If you put a copper pipe down the tube when the welding is being done it will prevent weld from protruding into the tube and then the seat-tube will be able to go back in
Hey! Thanks for all the info. The Bomber is still currently in bits and you're right, the search for spares is tough! I am actually about to recieve a second frame and pair of wheels though that have been donated to me which is awesome! I'll give it the once over when it arrives but it seems I have 2 to play with now. With this one I may end up sending the fork off to Mercian cycles to have a replacement steerer as it seems like the only viable option at the moment. I could also be sneaky and switch out the Raleigh threading to 24tpi. I'm not sure how I'm going to tackle the seat tube yet though.
Am pretty sure the threads on the original forks are 24TPI. I have the Bomber parts lists and it states (for all models) that the head fittings are 24TPI although there were early and late types. I have a picture somewhere showing my thread-gauge on the steerer-tube threads. It's on the Bomber forum but hardly anyone goes there now due to facebook
not sure if this link will work but here's a pic of RAB433 (early short stem forks for 26" wheel) with sticker saying 24TPI i1284.photobucket.com/albums/a577/ffoxy99/Raleigh%20Bomber/DSC00433_zpsbd606a3a.jpg
IS THIS BIKE WORTH THE TROUBLE? You make such an effort, Monkeyshred, I hate to see it wasted on something trivial. Early Raleigh mtbs like the Elkhorn (18 gears, gripshift, badass bull moose bars, etc.) would prove a much better use of your time. Dump that bent steering tube and find something worthy of your talent.
I've had two sets of Bomber forks with damaged steerer-tubes and thought it might be possible to remove the old one and put in a new one from any other (period) Raleigh. I have oxy-acetylene gear and figured if I heated the brazed joint enough the stem would pull out of the fork bridge but it would not shift. I guess the next option would be to have it milled out on a lathe but this would be hard to arrange
You have had some bad luck there. I would not advise straightening the steerer as it will weaken it. With the frame damage too it may be best to cut your losses on this one.
Chances are it’s all ok just in terms of risk because it’s not alloy or carbon. Based on those 2 defects, Sam Pilgrim had it for a session and dropped in from a height (and nearly died etc) 😬. It would have taken immense force to bend in both places, particularly the seat tube. The bend in the steerer tube is bizarre and suggests a huge impact but not in direction of travel which is unusual. That is either a vertical fall from a height or manufacturing defect. The steerer tube seems to be quite lumpy and imperfect to begin with. Looking at the seat tube - the side opposite the defect, it is straight but may also suggest vertical impact. For the purposes of the restoration I’d say it is fine. The bike is a gate with wheels to begin with. What you are looking at is potentially issues with workmanship.
Speaking of workmanship, I can't even find a serial number on the frame. The seat tube is as you say, perfectly fine on one side but crushed on the other. Almost as if it was put in a vice and crushed but only one side was damaged. Strange.
@@MonkeyShred Damn! Just out of curiosity, what would be a starting price for a bare frame? I don’t think there is any in Australia, so I may not have many options other than to import. Do they come up often?
Wow.....i had one of those....i loved it....deffo the first mountain bike
it's amazing to me how much things have chanced since 1982.
Nice find. I have an 85 Raleigh Mountain Tour Grand Mesa. One of these days I'm going to do a complete overhaul.
Looks like someone jumped it from a good height and bent the fork and seat tube. You might be able to use a hydraulic press and heat to bend the steer tube somewhat close to position. Cool project 👍. Thank you for the cool video! Good luck.
Wow
Seems to be like a big project.
I like the, hopefully you can get the bomber sticker of the top tube.
Good luck and best wishes from germany
My first proper bike was a blue raleigh bomber. It was great, and i only got rid of it about 5 years ago. The paint was a kind of translucent plasticy stuff that covered the rims too. Made breaking difficult. Comfy saddle though
Iv got some old bike s iv got for free to work on thanks for uploading some great videos keep up the good work
The replacement front wheel and bent steering tube suggest that this Bomber collided with something solid !! The bend is consistent with with the forks being bent backwards, the handlebar stem gave extra strength to the upper part of the steering tube so the bend occurred below this. It is possible to straighten the steering tube using a long steel bar or thick walled tube that fits into the steering tube ( or add some sort of strong extension to an old handlebar stem ) Clamp the forks very securely, heat the bent area and carefully bend the steering tube straight.
The seat tube bend could be the result of a cumulative effect of years of riding over rough terrain, bending tiny amounts each time, This again could be repaired with the use of a steel bar of a diameter that can just slide down past the dent. Clamp the steel bar so it really can not move, apply some heat to the dented area, slide the dented seat tube over the steel bar and carefully hammer the outside of the dent, this will return the tube to round again.
The steel these frames were made of are not high quality exotic thin walled steel alloy, so provided the heat applied is too great no lasting weakness would be created, after all the frames are heated at each joint to braze them together with no problems ( Actually this may be something to consider repairing the seat tube dent, it's right next to the brazed lug ).
I've fortunately been offered a replacement fork, but I might give this a go just to see what happens.
They do look like B17Fs ;D
Massive undertaking this is. Good luck!
I used to geek out on WW2 aircraft. I'm a bit hazy now though.
Cool project. Over here on Northern California, we called them klunkers. After all, it's the birthplace of mtb. You should make a trip to the other side of the pond and visit our Marin Museum of Bicycling. You'd love it.
I will have to at some point!
It's the birthplace of a certain aspect of "mountain biking", basically the downhill time trial. Breeze and Ritchie et al came up with a frame design and parts better suited to it than the old Schwinn bike frames and salvaged motorbike parts they had used previously. It caught the eye of a bike manufacturer prepared to take a chance, and only then did it become popular. However, people have been using and modifying bikes to ride on all types off terrain since the birth of the safety bicycle. Look at the origins of modern day cyclocross to see proof of that.
Basically there are long-stem and short-stem forks (as well as different finishes and leg-lengths). This is because the frames were altered part way through production to strengthen the headstock. It was prone to deforming (kids doing wheelies?) at the bottom so a strengthening ring was added making the headstock length a little longer and therefore the fork steerer tube needed to be longer also. Your bike (having a plastic chainring) will have the early headstock I'm sure so if you can't repair the original fork and find a later one you will have excess tube at top which you may not be able to adjust out with the top nut/threaded-race. If you try early forks on a late frame there's not enough tube protruding to fit the nut etc
Think about what someone may have used as an upgraded fork back in 82. 26" bmx cruiser forks in chrome maybe. Keep the original forks in case you can repair them later.
Not only is that steering tube bent the middle has two bulges where it looks like the stem bolt was over tightened!
I have the same thing on a 40’s Humber, it took hours with a piece of emery cloth glued to a broom handle to get the stem to fit right.
Nightmare!
I've a few bits for one of these that might be of use to you, I've posted on your FB page. The Chopper, Grifter, Bomber and Burner etc were all based on American bikes. Bomber takes it's styling queues from the Schwinn Klunkers which are the true predecessors of mountain bikes. Good luck with this one!
Cheers Paul, I'll check over there.
added to this is the fact that the Junior Bomber forks have shorter legs so you could end up with a fork with correct length steerer-tube but won't accept the 26" wheel. And finally there are the different finishes (black/blue Superchrome/chrome with black for 5-speed Bomber)
I had one when they first came out, which I think was Christmas 1980. The frame was made from cheese. It was as soft as any metal I've ever seen. The forks bent outwards just from landing from a wheelie or riding off a 6 inch kerb.
After a time during which my forks bent further and further outwards, I brakes really hard one day and the head tube snapped in two.
I remember the wait for that Christmas. I was 12yo and went to bed those few autumn months with the Bomber brochure on my bedside table. I don't think I've ever wanted anything as much before or since and yet it was such a disappointment.
I can definitely see how the fork bent so easily. They're not made of much. Neither are the seat stays!
@@MonkeyShred There was mine and at least 5 others amongst my school friends that Christmas. We all experienced the disappointment which just hastened our move to BMX in 1982.
I feel bad for my parents who bought my bike. It was something I really wanted based entirely on its rugged looks but it just wasn't to be. It cost £96 in 1980 which was a lot of money then and a lot of money for my parents.
By Christmas 1982 I had bought a BMX frame and forks and a few of the smaller components I needed with money I earned during my school holidays. My parents bought the handlebars and wheels for Christmas and I ended up with the only Skyway TA in the area. That was an entirely different beast and lasted for years until I had a car and sold it for pennies to my brother's friend.
Interesting project. Apparently the Bomber frame was "borrowed" from an old Raleigh export roadster design for the African market, and then given BMX style bars and stem.
Try taking the forks to a motor repair garage or engineering workshop with a hydraulic press used for stuff like wheel bearings, and see if you can press the curve out enough to stop it binding.
I read it was influenced by a Philips Speedtrack from the 1950's. Raleigh purchased Philips and had their IP. It was a bicycle speedway design. If you look it up on the net you will see the frame and bars have a striking similarity.
You could always straighten the tube. Heat it up , insert a bar and true it that way. Once done re-temper the fork .
Seen Raleigh choppers with bent forks, think it's the leverage from the monkey bars, if u crash it.
Hi m0nkeyshred. Just discovered your vid despite being into Bombers myself. I've not read all the comments so forgive me if I'm repeating something you have already been told but... re the forks. First of all there are 9 (yes 9) different forks available for the Bomber and used or NOS ones can be hard to find so it's a bit annoying if you do find them and they don't suit your frame. I'll break it down in another reply
how does the fork tube even get bent like that? If it were me I'd just try to put in any old steel forks you may have access to.
I'm sure the forks are straightenable with the right person doing it, unless you can find a decent second hand pair. The forks haven't hit something head on as the forks are bent the wrong way, have you tried Lloyd cycles for your logos? They helped me out with some Raleigh Ace decals when no one else could. All the best with the resto. If costs look more than the bike is worth, have a think about doing a patina job on the frame, cutting paste and a couple of coats of clear coat should sort it and keep the character.
Nobody does the decals as of this moment but I have managed to somewhat peel the old ones off so they could be a decent base for some to be remade / redesigned.
Can you find a steel rod, who's outside diameter is damn near the inside diameter to the steerer tube's? Try to insert it, whilst also heating the outside of the tube with a gas torch? You have a nice big vice, great...maybe some heat-proof gloves may help you. Anyway, you're consulting a frame builder, who knows much more that me, no doubt! I do think the original fork can, and definitely should be, saved. I look forward to the next episode, nice to end on a cliff-hanger, can he turn a Raleigh Bummer back into a Raleigh Bomber we all wonder!
Oh man this video is old now. That fork and build are long gone!
@@MonkeyShred I noticed, about two seconds after having pressed 'send' hehee! Cheers!
I would not trust those forks now they have been bent. Are they the same wheels as the raleigh activator? Good luck with the resto.
You could put a 5 cog chainset and a derailleur on did it to mine back in 1983
That's the plan! And a double up front.
also the issue with dent in seat-tube. I don't think it's viable to separate the frame tubes as I think you'd need to de-braze all the joints to get one tube out. you won't be able to press it out due to access problems so I think the bast option would be to have the dent cut/ground out then a small piece of tube cut from another source and welded/brazed back in. If you put a copper pipe down the tube when the welding is being done it will prevent weld from protruding into the tube and then the seat-tube will be able to go back in
Hey! Thanks for all the info. The Bomber is still currently in bits and you're right, the search for spares is tough! I am actually about to recieve a second frame and pair of wheels though that have been donated to me which is awesome! I'll give it the once over when it arrives but it seems I have 2 to play with now. With this one I may end up sending the fork off to Mercian cycles to have a replacement steerer as it seems like the only viable option at the moment. I could also be sneaky and switch out the Raleigh threading to 24tpi. I'm not sure how I'm going to tackle the seat tube yet though.
Am pretty sure the threads on the original forks are 24TPI. I have the Bomber parts lists and it states (for all models) that the head fittings are 24TPI although there were early and late types. I have a picture somewhere showing my thread-gauge on the steerer-tube threads. It's on the Bomber forum but hardly anyone goes there now due to facebook
not sure if this link will work but here's a pic of RAB433 (early short stem forks for 26" wheel) with sticker saying 24TPI i1284.photobucket.com/albums/a577/ffoxy99/Raleigh%20Bomber/DSC00433_zpsbd606a3a.jpg
and here's the fork with thread-gauge on 24TPI i1284.photobucket.com/albums/a577/ffoxy99/Raleigh%20Bomber/DSC00446_zps73d97434.jpg
I'd like a Bomber just update to today's disc brakes stems gears tires.
A disc brake upgrade would be a lot of work! Interesting thought though.
Put it in the vice heat it a bit like a little bit and use the vice to straighten it
Had a 82 bomber the forks are prone to bending mine did and a friend replaced his twice
IS THIS BIKE WORTH THE TROUBLE? You make such an effort, Monkeyshred, I hate to see it wasted on something trivial. Early Raleigh mtbs like the Elkhorn (18 gears, gripshift, badass bull moose bars, etc.) would prove a much better use of your time. Dump that bent steering tube and find something worthy of your talent.
I've had two sets of Bomber forks with damaged steerer-tubes and thought it might be possible to remove the old one and put in a new one from any other (period) Raleigh. I have oxy-acetylene gear and figured if I heated the brazed joint enough the stem would pull out of the fork bridge but it would not shift. I guess the next option would be to have it milled out on a lathe but this would be hard to arrange
bulge on steerer tube..bike has landed hard,hard hit to the front,bends Fork blades back & BULGE THE STEERER TUBE
It's the earliest mountain bike, isn't it?
Not quite. Some people hint at that but it's not really that true.
You have had some bad luck there. I would not advise straightening the steerer as it will weaken it. With the frame damage too it may be best to cut your losses on this one.
I've got a replacement fork so it should be ok now. I've somewhat sorted the seat tube too.... hopefully.
And i thought me buying a rough 1997 era Scott Purgatory bike was painful.... hope it works out not too expensive...
Wait till I finally succeed in freeing all the parts on my 1987 Scott.... that one is a toughie!
Chances are it’s all ok just in terms of risk because it’s not alloy or carbon. Based on those 2 defects, Sam Pilgrim had it for a session and dropped in from a height (and nearly died etc) 😬. It would have taken immense force to bend in both places, particularly the seat tube. The bend in the steerer tube is bizarre and suggests a huge impact but not in direction of travel which is unusual. That is either a vertical fall from a height or manufacturing defect. The steerer tube seems to be quite lumpy and imperfect to begin with. Looking at the seat tube - the side opposite the defect, it is straight but may also suggest vertical impact. For the purposes of the restoration I’d say it is fine. The bike is a gate with wheels to begin with. What you are looking at is potentially issues with workmanship.
Speaking of workmanship, I can't even find a serial number on the frame. The seat tube is as you say, perfectly fine on one side but crushed on the other. Almost as if it was put in a vice and crushed but only one side was damaged. Strange.
So, what happened to it?
First real mountainbike is the Swiss MO 05.
My friend heated his up did something and his is straight not the same bike but. The idea. But he is a metal worker. So
THOSE ALLAN BOLTS on the handle bar boss are wrong they had ordinary bolts I had a Bomber , the planes are b17s
You have too many of these. Send me one, at once!
I have none now!
@@MonkeyShred Damn! Just out of curiosity, what would be a starting price for a bare frame? I don’t think there is any in Australia, so I may not have many options other than to import. Do they come up often?
enjoyed as always..little tip,invest in a dead cat for your microphone,cuts all that wind noise.just sayin..bon continu
I was actually wondering what he's using now. Because other than the wind here and there, the quality is pretty good.
@@BruceChastain agreed fella,I did a video course last year,it's a very cheap upgrade with good results,like I said, just sayin
He has a cat
@@pmd7914 true..
Heyyyy leave Torvi out of this! But yes, I'll definitely look at that. To eBay!
Bad luck, I think I would give up.
It'll be reborn! Soon.
you talk more than you work mate
To camera yeh. Stuff needs explaining on a "vlog" style channel.