Adding to George's list:

Wheels

I check the wheels every few years for rim wear and spoke tension/wheel truth.

Just done a fairly extensive overhaul on my old 650B utility bike. The rear rim is at just over 14,600 kms and starting to get a bit concave, but I reckon I can still use it for a year or two. Front rim doesn't seem very worn at 9,500 kms, unlike the older rear rim it has a wear indicator. Both rims were still true, so no need for any spoke adjustment. Rims wear relatively quickly on this bike as it is my preferred choice for local riding in bad weather and/or on tracks and paths. I use the front brake more than the rear, but rear rims wear more quickly, probably because the rear wheel picks up more muck than the front.

Front hub is a SON dynohub, so I don't do any maintenance other than cleaning the outside. Rear hub is an old Sturmey Archer S5/2, so I stripped that down, cleaned and relubricated it. It still works well after 56,000 kms.

With a Rohloff, I would just check the flanges, as these can sometimes crack. Not had this happen on any of my hub gear bikes, but in 1978 I did crack a flange on a derailleur hub falling on ice.   

Transmission

The chain hadn't been maintained for two years, so I took the ChainGlider off, wiped clean the chainring and sprocket, swapped the chain for another and cleaned the inside of the ChainGlider before refitting it. The latter had picked up a certain amount of black gunk, probably from a mix of dust and chain lube. The chain I took off was black, but not measurably worn, so I cleaned/relubed it and it will be going back on next time I do an extensive overhaul. 

Pedals and bottom bracket unit didn't need any maintenance. The gear cables and housings had only been on for a few years, and still worked smoothly, so I didn't replace them.

Brakes

I dismantled, cleaned and regreased the cantilever brakes, but I needn't have bothered as the grease on the insides was still good. These brakes had been on the bike for 35,000 kms. The old Deore XT brake levers from the early 1980's (64,500 kms) just needed a squirt of silicone lube and very slight tightening to reduce play. The brake cables and housings had been on the bike for more than twenty years, so I replaced with new, the rear inner cable was a bit rusty so I should probably have done this sooner. I replaced the brake pads, which had been on the bike for about 4 years, they were very worn.

Headset

Dismantled (except for the fixed cups), cleaned and regreased. This is a Stronglight X headset with needle bearings with 51,000 kms of use.

Stem/bars and seat post/saddle

Took the stem out of the fork, seat post out of the frame, put some anti-seize grease on them and refitted them. The Tange straight handlebars (steel) had a bit of rust after 55,500 kms but not too bad so I didn't change them. The Ergon handlebar grips were worn, so I replaced these with ESI Fatty grips, which don't last so long but are a bit more comfortable. The B66 Champion saddle (69,500 kms) just needed its regular treatment - I use Nikwax rather than the recommended Proofide.

Hi folks,
Opinions and views very welcome.

My black Raven Tour is 15+ years old and in need of a good face lift.
The paint work has been patched over the years and it's had a well used and hard life taking me on several tours abroad.
Due to my health situation I wont be using it for a couple more months.

I have located a nearby company that can sand blast and powder coat the frame.
I've also found a LBS that will strip the frame down and then reassemble the bike after the paint job.

What pit falls should I be aware of?
Also, what finish? Matt, gloss....?

I'm inclined to keep it black. I like the idea of using a local company rather than sending the frame away.

Many thanks in advance for your considered thoughts, opinions and advice,

The company usually looks after oil rig equipment but have done bikes in the past.
£100 flat fee.

Matt

Lovely bike, Adrian!  Good work by your Bridport firm.

Just curious:  what gearing do you have?  Thinking about the Abbotsbury Hill...

Cheers,  John

… and in British Racing Green too. Great looking bike; ready for spring.

I thought to keep it as close to the original as possible, BRG just looked right

I'll close this one out with some ordinary looking shots (other than the rare bird), but there's a little story to go with each one. Hope you enjoyed riding along.

1  The Hokkaido red crested crane is one of the worlds rarest cranes. I felt so fortunate to have seen them on five different occasions.

2  Not the best picture, as I quickly grabbed it before this young fellow disappeared behind the building. I had met him at the campground the evening previous. In the morning, I asked him where his destination was for the day. "Obihiro" was his answer. I was also planning to be in Obihiro, however, my plan was to be there three days hence, as it was 200 km from our current location! I can't even imagine riding 200 km strapped to a 15+ kilogram backpack. Ouch!

3  Although not enshrined in law, it is generally accepted in Japan that as long as you're not bothering anyone, you can pretty much camp anywhere. When I couldn't find a commercial or municipally run campsite, I would just look for a city park, or if inclement weather was forecast for the overnight even a store awning. This was the first time I had come across a city park with a band shell. It turned out to work quite well as it kept the morning dew off the tent. The phone camera artificially brightens the scene. It was actually quite dark.

3  This ordinary photo of an ordinary delivery van exemplifies one of the reasons I keep returning to Japan. If you are unable to expand the picture on your screen to see what this van is carrying, I'll explain it. There's a case of Dewar’s whiskey, a case of José Cuervo tequila, a case of sake, quite a few beer kegs, and some other cases that I couldn't make out. Yes, this is a truckload of booze. It was parked on the side of the street in Sapporo, a city of 1.9 million. It was wide open. The vehicle engine was running. The driver was nowhere in sight, probably in one of the nearby restaurants dropping off his cargo. Why?  Because he knew that when he returned, everything would be just as he had left it.