Raleigh Grand Prix and MKS Sylvan Touring Pedals

I decided to swap out the old Raleigh quill pedals in favor of a new set of MKS Sylvan Touring Pedals. The quill pedals were a bit small for use with regular sneakers, but the MKS Sylvan Touring are great.

I was impressed with the quality of these pedals. They run smoothly, are lightweight, and cost under $30 on Amazon. They have a 1970s-style look, but with the smoothness of new parts and new bearings. I think these are winners.

Overall, this Raleigh has turned out reasonably well. The Carlton frame has some nice elements: cutaway lugs; wrap-around stays; and a good fit for me.








 When you build a bike, I think it's important to use good-quality parts, especially new stuff. The Velo Orange fenders look nice and are of good quality. They're not all loose and rattly like cheap fenders.





 The Weinmann center-pull brakes are nothing exotic, but they're solid and work well. The Raleigh headbadge is also always a nice touch.

By the end of my ride tonight, a thunderstorm was gathering, so I headed home.

Summer Evening

It reached over 90 degrees today, which led to a warm, humid evening. I really like this 1947 Schwinn Continental for those kinds of conditions. The lighter weight of the Cro-Mo frame and several aluminum parts makes it a little less work to go up hills in the hot weather.

The blue paint really shines in the evening sunlight.

Good Weather, Good Bike: Raleigh Sprite 5-Speed

 Nice night for a ride: 75 and sunny. There's plenty of daylight and you can't ask for better weather than this. This 5-speed Raleigh Sprite is a great choice.

 It rained for about three days here between last Thursday and Saturday, but it's well-cleared now and there's plenty of riding to be done.






Even these Mallards are enjoying the weather.