1990 Raleigh Montage a long way from home

[JonTom]

The last Raleigh I rode had Grifter written on it.

I saw this Montage advertised for sale yesterday and collected it today. Saddle and tyres aside it looks to be completely original - full Suntour XCT groupset, Reynolds 501 handlebar, Alesa wheels, and Tioga Avenger headset.

I spent an hour or so giving it a tweak and a wash and it's come up pretty well. I'll get around to reviving the paintwork, and replacing the saddle and tyres over the next couple of weeks.

The first photo is from the For Sale ad.

 

[legrandefromage]

My personal favourite Raleigh paint scheme

The rims are very tough on these but theres loads of steel parts that can be bunged in a bin in exchange for lightweight bits!

I have Raleigh Cromo a stem in good nick if you need it.

 

[JonTom]

Re:

Hey LGF,

Yeah, it's an eye-catching colour for sure - almost identical to the Rockhopper Comp that came out the same year.

I need to pull a few bits off it and have a proper look at them (condition, size, manufacturer etc) but I might take you up on the stem, much appreciated. I'll let you know.

And does anyone have any tips for restoring the colour to the rims?

 

[legrandefromage]

wd40 for the rims, then armor all and then clean the braking surfaces

 

[ultrazenith]

Nice! I have the same model in the garage waiting to be unpacked when I get home at Xmas. Thanks to your hard work, now I see what mine should look like

 

[JonTom]

Hey ultrazenith,

It's amazing the difference a drop of soapy water can make. All I did before taking the photo was wash it, give it a gentle going over with 0000 grade wire wool drenched in WD40, wash it again, and adjust a few things.

The rims have since been given a decent clean and I put on some cheap amberwalls. The spokes are really rough, but I'll leave them for now. And I'll tackle the brakes and mechs this weekend - oh, and give it a polish with a paint restorer.

Also mooching around Ebay for the original Vetta Gel saddle (sadly, the mattress has to go).