Is is worth it to refurb this 10-speed Raleigh someone was throwing out?

The tires are 27x1 1/4.

I rescue dumpster bikes occasionally. Our city has a large item pick-up residents can call for, and they usually pick-up the same day every week. Once in a while I will spot a pile in front of someone’s house, to be picked-up and hauled-away the next morning. If there is a bike in the pile, I cannot help myself, I have to go have a look, and if it’s a bike in decent condition (other than dirty) or a good brand-name bike (not a dept store bike) I will snag it and bring it home for a project, just like the OP. 90% of the time I do this the bike only needs a cleaning. light tuning, and lube, and maybe a new inner-tube. Most of the bikes I get this way I can sell on craigslist for around $40-$50 - so if the OP ends up not riding it, there is a way to pass it on. The few that I cannot sell after a few weeks I just go ahead and donate. To answer the OP - go for it! It’s a fun project with minimal costs.

The bike is not in that rough shape - the seat looks good, and the paint is in good shape - I definitely would have snagged it, too! If you discover rusting - that could be bad news. Tires and tubes are done, as are likely the brake pads, so you are in for at least that, cost-wise. New cabling would be wise, altho if the existing cables are not frayed or broken anywhere, and the housing is intact from end-to-end, they may be useable - but if you need to replace cables, you may as well get new housing, too - but that is not a huge cost, either. If the wheels are keepers (and, as mentioned, they may not be) you can get at the wheel bearings for cleaning and lubing with an adjustable wrench, and a set of cone wrenches (these are what is needed to remove/adjust the bearing cones on a bike wheel - they are thinner than regular wrenches). Replacing the wheels would not be too expensive if you look on craigslist - just make sure you know what size wheel you need. For the bottom bracket, there are a couple of special tools that will be needed if you want to get in there to clean and lube: a crank extractor tool, and depending on what kind of bb that is, a bottom bracket removal tool. For the rear gears (cassette), there is another specialized tool you would need, along with a chain whip, if you were going to remove it.

Before you start tinkering with it - my rule of thumb is to try to get everything minimally working BEFORE starting to take stuff apart. A lot of times something is stuck or not moving as expected, and a shot of WD-40 gets it moving properly - that way you know the part is operable or needs replacing before getting in there. Also, if you take something apart, take pictures of it beforehand so you can put it back together in the right order (e.g. the axle, bearing cones, washers, and lock-nuts).

Feel free to share more pics here if you run into any problems - I may be able to help!

Thanks for the detailed and informed advice. I’ll keep all that in mind.

Had to look into what that meant. Never knew that bike frames like that weren’t welded. Yes, it would be brazing, essentially the same as soldering but using a higher strength filler metal. I imagine this construction technique is more flexible and less susceptible to cracking.

Brazed, please.

Is this a Nottingham Raleigh? It looks newer, so it could have been made in Taiwan by Giant or one of the other builders.

ETA: found Raleigh Capri–made in Taiwan for Raleigh. Prolly '80s

I’d fix it up. I ride vintage bikes all the time. You may need some new specialized bike tools, but they are simple machines and easy to fix. 27x 1-1/4 tires are available. I’d put some new brake pads on, new tires and tubes, and see how it handles. You could change the brake cables and shift cables, too.

Go to YouTube and find RJ the bike guy. Good videos, if a bit loud.

If you really want to go all out, learn how to repack the bearings, as old grease can harden up.

No, it’s definitely welded, look more closely.

(Or if that doesn’t work, look more closely at the thread.)

I see a lugged frame bicycle. Those are normally brazed.

Ok, now try my second suggestion.

oh SORRY

I think a lot of the advice you are getting depends on different definitions of “refurbing”. If you want to make this thing look like a new bike, then yes, it will cost more than a new bike. On the other hand, if you just want something that you can ride, you’re going to be out the cost of a pair of tires and tubes, maybe a few cables, and some brake pads, which isn’t going to break the bank.

As far as tools go, you’ll need a socket set, a wrench set, you’ll probably need (or want) an adjustable wrench, and a couple of screwdrivers, which is probably already in your general tool set. The one thing that you are going to need that you probably don’t have is a set of tire tools.

Here is a set on Amazon.

You need 3 of them. They have sets with more of them, but you don’t need more than three.

You can tighten spokes with an adjustable wrench. If you want to get fancy you can buy a specialized spoke wrench.

I have never used this so I don’t know how well it works, but here’s one.

I have a specialized 3 piece tool set that I got back in the 1970s. On one end each tool is a tire lever. The other end has cutouts so that they function like different sized spoke wrenches and can even handle most of the common nut and bolt sizes that you find on bicycles. It’s basically a compact 3 tool set that you can pretty much assemble and disassemble an entire bicycle with. Back in my biking days I used to carry them around in a small case under the seat along with a spare inner tube. I wasn’t able to find anything similar being sold today.

Anyway, it’s hard to tell from one picture, but the bike doesn’t look to be in too bad of shape. The spokes look to be in reasonable shape. The rust on the rims is a bit concerning. If it’s just surface rust it’s no biggie but if the rust is deep then the rims are shot. Once you get the tires off check the rubber piece that covers the inside of the rims. If it’s worn out or dry rotted you’ll want to replace it too, along with the tires and tubes. But more importantly, look for rust where the spokes attach to the rim. If there is a lot of rust, then the rim isn’t worth saving.

The next issue is going to be the brakes and the gear shifters. The mechanisms don’t look rusted so I don’t expect too much trouble there. If the brake cables and shift cables don’t work smoothly, you’re probably best off just replacing them. Once the cable inside rusts, they’re shot and can’t be repaired.

Other than that, it should be good to go. Like you said, take it apart, clean and lube, and put it back together. Adjust the brakes and the deraileurs and it should be ready to ride.

If there are any bike co-ops or recyclers in your area, check them out. Sometimes you can borrow tools or work on your bike there. One in my neighborhood sells parts cheap–a new set of wheels set me back $10.

Beat me to the punch! I was just thinking along these same lines over lunch. A co-op is the perfect place to do this work - not only do you get access to all their tools, so you wont have to buy them, but you also get access to expertise, to show you how to do it. Perfect for the noob bike mechanic, or just someone wanting to save some $.

The Raleigh Capri shows up in the Raleigh USA catalog for 1986:

The specs show it to be a low end model:

It’s not the nicest bike, but definitely worth what you paid for it. I’d get some tires and tubes and clean it up and ride it. If you want to go all out, do so, but if you just want it to ride around the neighborhood it will be fine.

WD40 and aluminum foil will take of some of the rust on the wheels.

I used to read Randy Jawa’s My Ten Speeds, which sadly ceased to exist, even though I’m not really into drop-bar bikes. But the wayback machine produced this 2019 version: INDEX OF ALL PAGES

I am not a cyclist, though I own a decent bike. I use it to ride in the desert at the South African spin-off of Burning Man.

I have a couple of suggestions.

Get a small toolbag, with minimal tools for changing a tyre, or fixing a puncture, plus an entire spare tyre tube*. Obviously a pump too!

Get one of these micro cellphones for when you can’t.

* you can do this with no more than a shifting spanner and a spoon, but bike shops have way better alternatives.

There is a terrific book for beginners, that will explain everything you need about how to fix this bike.

Anybody's bike book by Tom Cuthbertson | Open Library

It’s called “Anybody’s Bike Book”, and is written in a humorous style, with VERY easy-to-follow instructions.
The book was written back in the 1970;'s exactly for the type of bikes that were sold back then, and the new type of riders who bought them…This Raleigh which you found is a perfect example. Back in the 1970’s , Americans discovered a new idea: that bikes aren’t just toys for children. They learned that that there were these new-fangled 10 speed bikes-- made for adults. It was a newly discovered sport for adults. This Raleigh you have is typical of the basic, intro-level bikes that were being sold, and the book was written exactly for these new riders, to learn how to maintain their bikes.

I had such a bike project maybe 2 yrs ago here on the dope. Cost was not too bad to get it to a good state of ride-ability and I learned a lot about bikes, but I did get lucky with a new rear wheel with tire which has a cassette that worked with it that I got for something like $20. I ended up riding that bike from Albany NY to Buffalo NY (about 300 miles IIRC). The bike however was not as old as the one you have. I have since moved on with a new bike, but that experience with that bike has helped me maintain and understand my new one better.