mississippimud

One Owner $125 find

daf1009

Nice find!!!

noglider 

I got my 1971 Super Course back this week after loaning it out for ten months. Darn, it's nice. It rides lighter than it is.

daf1009

Perfect way to describe a Super Course..."it rides lighter than it is"...absolutely perfect! After having mine now for about 6 months...I could not understand why I like to ride it so much (but I do!)...and I could not describe it...now I can!

Thanks Tom!

noglider 

I used to have a Peugeot UO-8 commuter bike that I built up from the ground. In fact, the frame (and cranks and a few other parts) came from the ground. My mother found it on the street and knew I'd be interested. So a few years ago, the cranks gave me troubles and I realized I was done with it. At around that time, I found this Super Course in the trash on bulk pickup day. I transferred almost everything from the Peugeot to the Raleigh. I expected it to ride OK, roughly comparably. I was wrong. This bike does not ride OK, it rides great. I can't even put my finger on it and describe it.

As I just mentioned, I loaned it out for most of this year. I have other bikes built up similarly. I have to get rid of at least one, and I was thinking this would be it. It looks like hell, and there's a lot to dislike. But I just took it for a spin around the neighborhood, and there is that charisma again.

Real1shepherd

One owners are always a rarity....good score! I missed a Competition GS, original owner, $400, by a few days. Found the SC over in Seattle and brought it back home. Rough, but still ticking....have all the pieces I want to put on except for the correct rims. One thing about the SC, you can improve it greatly by period aftermarket pieces....the same pieces we upgraded them with back in the day. Now if you've got an International or a Pro race/trial SBDU bike, you don't wanna do that over the Campy stuff. Well...you can do anything you want, but I'd vote to leave the tip-tier Campy stuff on.

Kevin

GordoTrek

Just became a proud owner of a late 70's coffee/copper colored SC. it has the Chrome socks and a 3 piece crank, also a i mix of simplex and suntour parts, really good shape, just some surface rust on the chrome.
can't wait to put some work into her

auchencrow

Pics or it didn't happen, Gordo.

GordoTrek

shhh it happend.. i've fallen into a slump with my bikes.. so many other projects around the house.. the bike work area has become over run with xmas boxes and junk from other stuff.
i was lucky enough to get the bike inside for the winter ill get some pics don't worry! i know the rules...

Bikedued

Oh man, you're in for a treat with the copper SC. I have an 80 IIRC? One of the nicest riding bikes I own. They finally got DB 531 tubing right near the end of the British made models. It's right around 24 pounds I believe, maybe a little more? I have drillium Superbe cranks, and Cyclone M-II derailleurs. Right now it has blackwall tires, but soon I will spring for some Pasela's. And to think I almost sold it. Thankfully my friend wasn't feeling it. I had sold him my Fuji Ace a few months before, and needed some cash to move back to Houston. I will never make the mistake of trying to sell it again.,,,,BD

daf1009

sell a Super Course??? Avast that thought!!! I love my SC!!!

nlerner

Picked this one up this morning: a 1970, I believe, with anniversary head badge and likely all original components except for the SunTour FD and Schwinn stem shifters. The seller warned me that the tires were flat, but I pumped them up and rode it home!

daf1009

Very nice green one!

Hudson308 

Now THAT'S what I call patina!

noglider 

@nlerner, what are your plans for it?

nlerner

I was thinking a repaint and DeRosa decals would be a good start.

nlerner

BTW, it seems difficult to figure out a specific model year for this one. I thought that particular head badge was only on 1970 models, but the catalog for that year shows Huret mechs. The 1968 and 1969 catalogs show Simplex Prestige as this one has. The '68 also mentioned a Williams crankset. This crankset on this one doesn't seem to have any mfg. marks though I haven't looked carefully on the backside of the arms. The Crespera/Carlton lugs might also pin it to 68/69 as I think the 1970 model had Nervex Pro. I bought it from the wife of the original owner, but I don't trust 45-year-old memories necessarily (or at least I don't trust my own). Anyone have recent insight into the usual when-was-my-SuperCourse-made quandary?

noglider 

That's a excellent idea.

My Super Course has graphics that suggest it is either a '71 or a '72, but it came with Huret derailleurs. As others have said, they used what they had on hand, not necessarily what was in the catalogs. I'd say 1970 is a good guess for yours, but who really knows?

Prowler 

I recently obtained your bike's cousin: 68 Grand Prix in the same color (and same aged patina). I'm pretty sure about 68 since my frame has a number stamped on the NDS rear dropout: B and 4 numbers. Sheldon says B is 67. I think it was the Headbadge site that also had a table for SNs. My frame as another number stamped on the bottom of the BB - starts with 410 which the Headbadge table indicates is 68 or prior. I also have the oval "heron and torch" headbadge which the cloud says they used from 68 thru 70. My braze ons are the same as yours. My rear brake bridge is a bit of flat steel vs round stock on yours. My frame is Raleigh Truwell 20-30. Takes a 26.2 seat post. I'll bet yours is 531 but straight or DB, mains only or all over********** The online catalogs are hard to read.

I hope this helps a bit. See if you've got two numbers stamped on the frame.

nlerner

I'm afraid I'm skeptical about those serial # theories for anything other than the 1970s Worksop scheme and the letter followed by four numbers on the underside of the BB on most Carlton-built/531 frames from 1970 on (but not the SuperCourse!) as described here. Using decals and components is a much better guess. At any rate, my Super Course has only a serial # stamped on the non-drive side rear dropout, which is common for those models. And it's doesn't conform to the scheme described on the HeadBadge site!

elcraft

That's easily' the best description of the ride quality for a Super Course! It makes me wonder at what alchemy goes into one of these frames! It must be the blend of the straight gauge 531 in the main triangle, and the Carlton stays and fork blades-Every one who owns one seems to really enjoy them. Mine is a '75 Mk II with the round chain stays. Even with the stamped drop outs (w/out a derailleur ear) and the Raleigh proprietary headset threading, they seem to ride better than they should. I will never part with mine.

Doohickie

I put on some brown bar tape, along with an old dark brown Brooks B17 (it's darker than the currently available "brown" Brooks makes), and got a Bike Burrito to replace the generic nylon saddle bag. I also put on a ramped 7-speed freewheel.

I bent the rear rim (flat spotted it), then wore out the tires. Before getting new tires I wanted to make sure I knew what I was doing about the rims. Which took about two years

I finally picked up a nice rear rim from a friend and switched to a similar looking front rim, some new tires and voilà! It rides like a dream, probably better than before.


Super Course by doohickie@ymail.com, on Flickr

daf1009

That is what I wanted to wake up to this morning...some nice bike porn....what a great looking Super Course...you have taken the time and made it really great! Love the Brooks and matching handlebar tape! Love the seat bag...it looks retro and cool on this bike!

DrNO

Daily cobble-basher

greg3rd48 

I picked up this I believe '73 Super Course from the incredibly kind original owner for $90. It is in great condition and is close to the top of the queue of bikes that will be fixed up this winter for the spring. It is in incredibly good condition being that the owner said he has had it in dry storage for over 35 years.