rustystrings61 

New thread on this bike. It's looking like it will be a long way from stock but hopefully a lot of fun!

the sci guy 

I was dubious about the Stronglight crank when I first got my Super Tourer - I thought it looked a little doofy with the chainguard. But I definitely grew to love it. I took it apart and cleaned it and it looks pretty dope now on the bike.
I will say though I didn't measure, based on what was said above I definitely think the crank arms are longer than usual (or what I'm used to anyway) because twice now I've taken a corner on my Super Tourer while pedaling and sickening ground the corner of my pedal into the pavement. I've never ever done that before. The big ring is also pretty dang big. The chainguard does make it seem even bigger, too. But apparently it's a well loved vintage part so I kept that sucker on there.

CriticalThought

Speaking of which... I finally had some time to disassemble it and after pulling the chain was pleased to find the crank and BB bearings all spinning smoothly.... then I saw it... a wobble. Everything seemed straight, the frame, and so on.... but when I took apart the cranks and chainrings (and the curious chainguard, which as far as I can tell is original, if uncommon, on this Raleigh Competition Mk. II), I saw that one of the five arms of the Stronglight was bent slightly, maybe only a mm or two. Nothing else is bent and there is no sign of damage on any of the chainrings. Hopefully I can bend it straight without incident.

J.Higgins 

The first thing that looked odd to me were those crappy brake levers. I worked at a Raleigh shop all of my high school years ('72-'76), and I never saw, or - well at least I do not remember any upper-tier Raleigh coming with those pos brake levers. Added by a previous owner maybe? I joined the USAF in '76 right out of high school, and never got to work in an LBS again, until I did it PT while stationed in Florida, and that was '82. By then, those "safety" brake levers were on everything. I'm definitely not a bicycle historian, so if anyone would care to correct me, or add a comment on this, I would be much-obliged.

rustystrings61 

On the cranks, yes, you can GENTLY bend the arm back into place. I did it several times back when I had a PX-10 fetish, and I just took my time and it was fine. Were this my bike, I would track down a nice clean Stronglight 118 mm spindle and install that, then remove the chainguard and fit both rings directly on the crank with standard double-length bolts. I suspect that this crankset has been on the bike for a long time, maybe even from when it left the shop - but I also strongly suspect someone a long time ago swapped out a T.A. crankset and put this one on in its place.

The brake levers on the OP's bike are NOT stock. Standard would have been Weinmann with quick release tab, oval cutouts on the front face of the levers and black Carlton hoods.

CriticalThought

Thanks @rustystrings61 I'll give gently bending the crank arm back into place a shot. I may go with my original intention (like yours, ditching the guard), but I'll polish it up first... it's quirky but it may grow on me. We shall see.

So I was told the brakes are stock (turkey bits aside) though you come across as fairly adamant that they are not, though they are Weinmann's with oval cut outs. Where would the quick releases be on the stock ones you speak of? (I've done a precursory search for black Carlton half hoods... don't seem to be any reproduction ones around.) Thanks for your perspective.

chainwhip

rustystrings61 

Dang it, I shoulda looked closer!

Looking at your recent pix, you DO have the correct levers, but they have been modified to take the extensions. The quick and easy way to do this would be to remove said turkey levers and either saw off the extended posts or replace them with some that are the correct length to allow the use of hoods. You could then run black Cane Creek hoods, which I would think are pretty close, or you can seek out an original set of Carlton marked ones, like this -


- though hopefully in better condition than the set I received with my '73.

1970sRaleighQs

That is the cleanest example of any Comp MkII i have ever seen. For some reason they are really rare to find in good condition. For example I had to change the fork because it was rusted so bad

RVS

i had one of these back in the day

Bad Lag

... and...?

What year was it made?
How was it equipped?
How did it ride?
Did you change any of the stock equipment and why?
Why did you get rid of it?

chainwhip

....need the toe clips and straps I ordered (expected this Friday).
One-sided pedals rolling over on me at start-ups and a few missed shifts.
Ugh. Not fun.

TA crank(52/42) and Jubilee FD continue to shift superbly.
Quick, smooth,quiet.
Fingers crossed, but currently no sign of band clamp failure.

My Bike history: Down Tube > STIs > Bar Ends.
First bike with bar-end shifters, Suntour, and I'm enjoying them.
Would choose bar ends over down-tube levers...shifting much more frequently since riding regularly with STIs...bar ends quick and convenient ( for old tech).

Here's to more Comp MkII updates.
Love the stories.

CriticalThought

So I decided to keep my eyes out for a narrow Stronglight crank, in case I felt like ditching the chain guard on the Raleigh Competition. I found the crank I wanted nearby for a song and couldn't resist picking it up.

But.... it came attached to a vintage Follis, frame and forks are Reynolds 531... much too small a frame for me, but not something one sees everyday here in the Rocky Mountains. I rode it around as is a little bit and it feels like a really nice frame. It's not one of the high end Follis(es?) Folli? but it's no slouch. A bit rough around the edges at the moment, but I think if it was my size I'd clean it up and keep it!

Any Follis fans out there who can shed some light? @juvela @verktyg ?

I don't think much is original.. maybe a Mavic rim, maybe aside from the crank and cogs, the stem and bars? some of the headset? I think that's about it though... lots of Shimano 600 bits (Shimano 400 FD). Is that a map of France on the ATAX stem??? Has Simplex shift levers though!

Simplex forged dropouts and chrome socks all around. They're what caught my eye. Mid or early 1970s?

This thing is probably worthy of it's own thread.

verktyg 

Follis was a well respected French bike manufacturer going back to 1903. During the 1970's They were imported into the US by LinderEuro Imports out of LA. The top models were par excellence and ridden by notable US racers Wayne & Dale Stetina.

This is a mid to late bike boom Model 172 from 1972-74 in a interesting tan with dark brown lugs. The decals were light blue. Follis bikes were not very common in the US.


The 172 was in the Gitane TdF and Peugeot PR-10 - PX10 range. Only the 3 main tubes were Reynolds 531. The Stronglight 93 cranks, ATAX bars and stem, parts of the headset and the Simplex Criterium shift levers are all that's original.

The 172 came with Stronglight 93, Nervar or TA cranks (depending on availability), Simplex Criterium derailleurs, Mafac Competition brakes, Normandy Sport hubs with sewup rims, alloy seatpost with a cheap saddle and an ATAX cast aluminum stem with ATAX alloy bars.

This one on the Classic Rendezvous website is a little more original but not much. It shows the blue decals.

Follis bicycles, home

Follis made tandems for most of the other French manufacturers including Peugeot, Motobecane, Bertin, a few for Gitane and also for Mel Pinto Imports. They were made in a variety of quality levers during the 70's and early 80's. The giveaway was the lugless oversize frames with these curved dual plate fork crowns:




verktyg

CriticalThought

Thanks @verktyg Your insight and opinions are always thoughtful and informative. I saw that Follis catalog floating around the Internet and after doing some digging I found a couple of other Follis frames similar (almost identical I think) to mine. I get the sense that mine and the few I've come across like it either pre or post-date the production runs laid out in that catalog. There seem to be some differences. Hard to tell if they're on the younger side or older side of the 72-74 bracket you mention though. Or given the inconsistencies of French manufacture back then, perhaps they all just come from an odd lot. Anyway, I've included a couple that I found that look like mine (including one from a member here, @Wildwood ). They have a more chocolate & cream paint scheme, whereas mine is cream & chocolate. Close serial numbers as well with one.... A715 and mine, A618. Interesting stuff.... I'll throw more of what I've found in a new thread. Thanks again.



My recent find



Wildwood's Immaculate Follis


A similar frame that I found for sale online


And another stripped down similar Follis frame turned into a beautiful randonneur

CriticalThought

....but she is at least cleaned up, serviced, and rideable.

Probably won't do more than throw some more supple tires on, some bar tape, and ride her around for a while. Not sure when I'll get to that so thought it worth posting some photos of how she cleaned up thus far.

Looks pretty nice for not much more than a (really through disassembly) wash and service.

Was planning on stripping and repainting, etc. but looks decent as-is so I'm not in any rush.

I'm still not entirely sold on the chain-guard as I love the look of these Stronglight cranks in the raw... but it is original.... but I might take it off all the same. Still undecided there.

I'm still feeling super fortunate to stumble across an unmolested Competition in such good shape, especially one with chrome front and rear!

Charles Wahl

Originally Posted by CriticalThought
.. but from what I read it was only in 1976 (if I recall correctly, though I could be off) that the Jubilee FD and RD were standard.
I bought mine new, in 1974. I think they offered the Huret Jubilee drive train for a couple of years.
At least going back to '72.

CriticalThought

Thought I'd throw some pictures up of today's ride....

This bike ended up being a keeper.

J.Higgins 

Hey now, I really like that saddle bag. Is that a bag that is in current production? What brand/model is it? I WANT ONE.

jonwvara 

If you decide you want to go to lower gearing, that setup is very easy to convert to a triple, since it already has a long spindle. You just get rid of the chainring guard, move the big ring to the outside, and replace the current inner ring with a triplizer ring. That lets you bolt whatever 74 BDC granny ring you want directly to the triplizer ring. Depending on the size of the inner ring, you would likely want to switch to a long-cage rear derailleur.

I make the triplizer rings, so it's admittedly self-serving of me to bring this up. I usually manage to restrain myself, but couldn't do it it this time. Sorry.

CriticalThought

Hey J.Higgins It's a Brooks saddle bag. It's not "period" but it is old. I think this version was made most recently in the 1990s if I had to guess. It was before Brooks got trendy and fashionable with their accessories. The more current versions is a bit to flash and modern for me. This one looks more or less just like the originals from way back. They didn't make this version for long though and they don't turn up often. But I love it and use it a lot. It had leather straps and metal buckles, but the body is pleather, though it is stiffened and pretty nicely lined.

CriticalThought

Thanks jonwvara Do you have any pics of what it looks like all set up as a triple?

J.Higgins 

Thank you, sir. I'll look for one. I wonder WHO was the idiot that decided that this type of saddlebag is no longer viable? I mean, to my knowledge, Carradice is the only bag-maker that still makes affordable saddle bags that actually are utilitarian and not some stupid fashion statement that can barely hold a cell phone.

AllezElite

It was really nice bumping into this thread. I got a Raleigh Competition in the Summer of 1973 and really enjoyed it. I thought it was great and it was all I could afford, even with my cousin being the Raleigh dealer. I believe the rear stays were not the Reynolds 531 tubing used in the rest of the bike.

merziac

What a fine looking machine, anybody that is confused about Raleigh cred needs to see this, if they're still confused maybe they would need to ride it too, or run out of town on a rail.