Nubra 

Did you mean to post a photo?

SilverSteve

Yeah, I'm trying to figure out how but I think my phone has malfunctioned. Stay tuned..

Mr. 66

Thanks for the identification, I've had some time to go through. The wheels are restorable they actually roll smooth, but the freewheel is not being friendly for removal. The prawls are rusted, I was able to break loose and spin the freewheel. I have not tried to breakdown the freewheel. I'll call that almost a win.

I was able to remove the cranks, they are in great shape. Unfortunately the threading on the non drive side bb are bunged up badly. I have not been able to reinstall that cup, it appears to be just as bungly as the bb. The bb is a bummer, this may be the right time to use a threadless Mavic . The rear derailleur is functioning, the front not broken is internally rusted is not functional at this time. The headset is clean and the plastic brake levers are intact.

For now the PR10L is going to the back burner.

mrv 

when I saw the S on the head tube.


A HardRock to go with my RockHopper....

BFisher

Picked this up today from a seller about a half hour away. Nice guy. Have only seen one other like this on the webs, but it was green. I utilized @cudak888 's Raleigh serial number database, and this looks to be from about 1972. 1x5 speed with a Huret Allvit. I have a Brooks B72 waiting here for installation. Without further ado I give you, The Aristocrat of All Bicycles, The Humber:

Nubra 

May I be so BOLD as to ask, the purchase price, or is that reallllly rude?

BFisher

Much less than the outrageous list prices seen on eBay for similar bikes, but a fair price for condition/location. I gave the seller what he asked - no haggling.

Nubra 

Well, that is certainly a coy answer.

3speedslow

KK,

Hope you can get some pics up here or on the 3 speed thread! These are wonderful machines to use. I have a late 70’s brown one and love it. Only mod is going with aluminium rims for braking.

ilikebikes

I found this Nishiki sitting in a dumpster. It had years of dust on it, empty tires, no bar tape, and really crappy racks on it. I cleaned it up added some vinyl bar wrap, filled the tubes. (Tires looked like they were never ridden on and came out clean and supple)

ilikebikes

Flea market find. Cleaned it, added tires, bar wrap and fenders.

no67el

Interesting bike found quite cheap, way up in the VT islands..... older gentleman said he had it brought over from the UK by an Air Force buddy in the hold of a bomber! He said he rode it around his college campus where it was one of the only bikes with a rear derailleur. I'm thinking it's early to mid 60's given the GB Coureur 66 brakes, the cottered crank etc. The owner believed the front tire to be original to the bike, which I can believe given the bubbled, crusty state of said tire...

Anyone know anything about these early Gran Sports? Not the lightest thing ever, but some cool touches: the fork-mounted headlight bracket and light, the racer image on the down tube, the copper-colored shim on the bars, the red tint of the brake levers, etc...

Not sure what to do with this one.... it's a 56x56 frame which is just a tad small, plus I have too many bikes and too many projects...but I can't ever seem to manage to just heartlessly part out bikes for the valuable bits...



Nice looking with the white Blumels mudguards...

Interesting racer-guy graphic...

This is just very nice looking...

I wonder if I can find a new bulb, and what kind of batteries it takes? (Also: what a crusty tire!)

Brooks saddle in very good shape!

I know nothing about Campy Gran Sport..


Who made the crankset?

J.Higgins 

That should clean up nice. Early to mid-60's is where I would place it as well. I had one similar many years ago, tooling around Mildenhall and Lakenheath. Paid five pounds for it.

rustystrings61 

That is early 60s, probably built by Carlton, probably Tru-Wel or comparable hi-ten tubing - not 531. Here it is in the 1962 catalog. The cranks look to me like the same ones used for Raleigh Lenton Grand Prix and Rudge Pathfinders of the late 50s. To my knowledge, this is the oldest version of the Gran Sport, and it derives its name from the derailleurs. It disappeared at some point, then reappeared in '70 as part of the dance Raleigh did between the GS and the Competition before finally running both models at the same time c.1973-76.

no67el

Interesting--- never heard of True-Wel. A Carlton "house brand" tube set? The frame itself is not terribly heavy--- I test fit some moderately light tubular wheels and the whole bike feels decently light now. Once I file some space into the weirdly narrow dropouts, I will see how the bike rides...

Thanks again for all the insight. Interesting bike!

rustystrings61 

I have been encountering references to Tru-Wel tubing for 15 or 20 years now, but I’ve never seen much information about it. It was a somewhat better than average high-tensile steel used for frame tubing. The VCC marque specialist for Dawes suggested my c.1962 Dawes Realmrider was built of the stuff.

I look forward to the finished build!

Kdogbikes

This one spent some time out in the elements. May be able to salvage a few bits.

gilesa

> I wonder if I can find a new bulb, and what kind of batteries it takes? (Also: what a crusty tire!

Lamp made by Pifco? My guess is it takes one of the two-cell units with a front contact that touches the bulb and another on top for the switch. Popular for bike lights in the UK in the '60s and early '70s, but I have not seen one since. It does not even appear in Wikipedia's list of cell types, so I can not give a better identification. 2.5 V bulb and rather dim.

It seems stylish enough to revive, so I would put in a holder for 3AAs and a LED replacement bulb. It should be a lot brighter than the originally.

Nice finds - bike and lamp!

no67el

I think it is an Elite lamp. Opened it up and found two very leaky D cell batteries, but it looks like I can clean up the contacts....I hope.

BocaJr

There's a spare bulb inside at the bottom of the case. Try that bulb, Good Luck!

swen0171 

Performance branded Columbus SL fixer. cleaned up pretty good with a set of Mavic ceramic wheels I had lying around. Mix of components. Campy headset and bb, 83 NR derailleur and shifters, Dura-Ace brakes, and some ugly 105.

Haven’t had a true vintage racer in a while. Feels great. Maybe I’ll start a thread for the resto.

merziac

on the build thread.

3speedslow

Just saw the head badge on the Gran Sport. Not an early model. Those were a year or two? anniversary thing late 60’s or early 70’s.

Crank was made by Nicklin(N) on the backside arm. Campy GS derailleurs were a good deal back then. History of them at Disraeli gears.

Beautiful machine!

no67el

Hmm... there is what looks like an oiling port on the BB shell, and the head badge does look like the rainbow-heron version. Interesting mystery as to whether this bike is early 60's or late?

curbtender

A friend picked up a pair of freebie mb's, Marin Pine Mountain and a Rockhopper for me. Raleigh Sport came for a $40 donation to a local jazz workshop.