asoralvin

Nice bike. I hope that you havent looked here before with no luck, but it would appear that the following page is the answer to your question source.

robtee92

Used to think this was from 77 based on what previous owner told me but it has a Huret rear derailleurs and was made in England so now I'm not sure:

Can't find any identification numbers on it other than one scratched into the metal by what looks like a screwdriver.

It also has these really uggo reflective stickers stuck on all over. I removed one from the other side of the fork using nail polish remover but ended up taking off some of the paint.

noglider 

It's definitely 1975 or earlier. Leave the reflective tape on. It serves a purpose.

bikeboy100

I was given this one this weekend. I have traced the serial number to a model made in August of '76, but the paint scheme seems to be newer. How come? Don't worry, I won't spend much on it. lol

Pathfinder27

I posted this in the Catch of the Day thread but I figured this thread is the place I should be. I picked up Grand Prix for free on CL this morning. I got almost all of the parts off and cleaned up today. I'm having a hard time getting the stem and forks to line up. Neither are bent, they are just off by about 45 degrees. Not sure if it matters but the top bearings were almost all gone and there was no grease. There were only 12 bearings in there where the bottom seemed to have almost double that. Anybody have any tips on how to get everything lined up without putting too much torque on something?

Murray Missile 

You loosened the stem bolt a few turns and tapped it down with a soft face hammer, correct?

bwilli88 

Loosen the top bolt on the Stem and wack it with a hammer so it releases the wedge inside of the fork. then every thing should slide nicely.

Pathfinder27

I did not. Thanks for the tip. I have never worked on a bike to this level before and the last thing I want to do is break something.

Again, thanks.

Murray Missile 

Just a few turns is all you should need, the bolt goes into a tapered wedge at the bottom of the stem. You need to tap the bolt down to unseat the wedge then the whole stem will turn OR you can pull it all the way out. You'll want to it out anyway to access the headset bearings to clean and grease them. If you go too far and the bolt comes all the way out don't worry, the wedge should drop out of the fork steerer tube if you turn it upside down.

Pathfinder27

I have another question about my GP. I picked up some rims off of CL here, cleaned them up, and started the install. The rear doesn't seem to fit and I'm not sure if I'm doing something wrong or the frame is bent. My issue is that the threaded bolt on the non-drive side seems excessively long and won't lock into place because the skewers don't make any contact with the frame. Any ideas.

bertinjim 

Pathfinder 27-

Measure the space between the inside faces of the rear dropouts. It will probably be 120mm. Measure your later wheel from locknt to locknut and it will probably be 126mm. To get a fit, the rear triangle has to be permanently spread by a bike shop or you just pull on the stay to open the dropout once you have the non-drive side of the axle in the left dropout. That should allow the drive side to slide in. There are multiple widths out there, 120, 126 and 130 being common. Good luck with the fit.

Pathfinder27

Is there an option to get a 120mm axle? I could have swapped that out when I had them apart to clean and regrease the hubs.

USAZorro

Yes. That may be an option.

bertinjim 

Pathfinder27-

If you can find a quick release drilled hub or axle in 120 mm, you should be able to swap the 120 for a 126. I've done it on French hubs and see no reason why not for Shimanos. It may even be possible to swap axles across brands as I have used Shimano cones on Maillard 700 hubs as direct exchanges so the threading and axle diameter seems completely compatible.

flyfisherbob

Posted this in Catch of the day, so a duplication. Picked this one up last week. I think a 77, as it has cotterless cranks. Suntour derailleurs, wheels do not match. I think the rear, an araya is the replacement. More after it is finished. Did these have hoods on the brake levers?

Pathfinder27

I took all of your advice about scrapping the Simplex derailleurs and went to the LBS today to see what they had. There was nothing in stock but one of the guys said they had an old bike scrap pile out back and I could have any RD I wanted for $10 and FD for $5 so I walked away with a set of Suntour AR derailleurs. They are in really good shape in my opinion and they cleaned up really well. All I need for the bike now is handlebar wrap, a seat, and cables. It's almost ready to ride and looks a whole lot better than when I picked it up.

redrider3637

Chillin after the climb to Hurricane ridge.....

pm04

Picked up a '86 (guess) Grand Prix.
This has been updated pretty much throughout. Shades of Classic.
Shimano 105 STI / Sora mix. Loving it...

non-fixie 

My '79 Malaysia-built example. I've added bar tape since:

3speedslow

Not from the 70's. More like 80's. From the time of Raleigh USA.

3speedslow

I have that bike in original condition, runs great like that too ! Looks like a good job of upgrading it.

flyfisherbob

The finished product. Just sold this a couple of days ago, and thought it appropriate to post these since I posted the before pics above.

bikamper

This followed me home yesterday.


Gazelle built in the summer of 1974, if the serial number is to be believed. $20. Those stem shifters gotta go.

bwilli88 

Here is my Gazelle built 74 with a few upgrades

Just finished the build with Shimano 105 FD & RD, crankarms with 42/39 chainrings
Sweet brooks saddle for $50

700c conversion with wheels from my Fuji over in Cambodia and a pair of Continental Top Touring 2000 tires
Dia-comp aero brake levers, swapped a wineman 750 for the front 610, Shimano 8 speed Sora DT shifters, and some nice rat trap type pedals from the Co-op.

bwilli88 

Update to show my 76 and my 74