Originally Posted by
nlerner
And then there's the Competition dressed as a Gran(s) Sport(s):
I still think the
Gran Sport shown in the 1972 Raleigh USA catalog is a 1971 Competition like the one nlerner shows above. Look at the top tube on a big enough screen - I swear it looks like the one long word "Competition" and NOT Gran Sport or its variants. Note also the crankset - is that a Zeus like the ones used c.1970? And note the unchromed rear, too. I still think it just took Raleigh a while to figure out how to market the same geometry as a racy bike and as a general purpose sports tourer. I will note again that my '73 Competition and my '73 GS have identical geometry despite different lugs and chainstays and crowns.