Found Reynolds
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Found Reynolds
I saw a bicycle on my local Craigslist kind of like I’ve been looking for to refit as an upright touring bike. I wasn’t sure I’d buy it until I saw it live, and saw the 531 sticker on the frame. It’s a Raleigh Super Course 12. It has a few nicks and scratches but I think it’ll clean up nicely. It has Continental Super Sport tires on concave Weinmann rims. I paid 90 for it mostly because the tires rims and frame are unusual and in good shape.
Last edited by bikerosity57; 06-17-21 at 12:08 PM.
Likes For bikerosity57:
#2
Mr. Anachronism
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Somewhere west of Tobie's
Posts: 2,087
Bikes: fillet-brazed Chicago Schwinns, and some other stuff
Mentioned: 29 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 526 Post(s)
Liked 256 Times
in
165 Posts
Looks like a sweet project!
__________________
"My only true wisdom is in knowing I have none" -Socrates
"My only true wisdom is in knowing I have none" -Socrates
#3
Not lost wanderer.
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Lititz, Pa
Posts: 3,331
Bikes: In USA; 73 Raleigh Super Course dingle speed, 72 Raleigh Gran Sport SS, 72 Geoffry Butler, 81 Centurion Pro-Tour, 74 Gugie Grandier Sportier
Mentioned: 73 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 886 Post(s)
Liked 998 Times
in
525 Posts
Raleigh SuperCourses are great bikes. I have 3 and they ride real well for a mid tier bike. Here is my 73 setup with a flip flop rear. Also my 78 setup with Shimano Arabesque.
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: New York Metro Area
Posts: 3,863
Bikes: '02 Litespeed, '99 Bianchi Alfana. '91 Fuji Saratoga, '84 Peugeot Canyon Express, '82 Moto GR, '81 Fuji America, '81 Fuji Royale; '78 Bridgestone Diamond Touring, '76 Fuji America, plus many more!
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 181 Post(s)
Liked 224 Times
in
127 Posts
Those concave Weinmann rims are bomb proof. They were great for touring bikes in '78. The SunTrust bar cons are almost worth what you paid. Every now and then you get lucky. C&V market around me is super dried up, the prices are nuts, and nothing is selling. I did catch a 'holy grail' in my size bike this month on the cheap. Every now and then you get lucky!
Likes For cycleheimer:
#5
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Middle Earth (aka IA)
Posts: 20,435
Bikes: A bunch of old bikes and a few new ones
Mentioned: 178 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5888 Post(s)
Liked 3,471 Times
in
2,079 Posts
I’d buy that bike at $90 all day long.
#6
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Well I took it completely apart down to just the frame. Fortunately all the bearings appear to be in very nice condition with no pitting. Even the wheels roll fairly smoothly. At least as smoothly as you’d expect from 40 plus year old French hubs. It has the nutted crank spindle which I don’t like, but the races are shiny and smooth. The crankset is barely used. But god, how filthy. It has that crazy type front deraileur that you pull the lever to shift down to the inner ring. If your cable breaks, you’re stuck with your higher gears. All in all I’m happy with it and intend to put a short alloy stem, alloy North road bars, and possibly my nos Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport deraileurs and shifters, and nice white mudguards. I’m really stoked to ride this bike. I always enjoyed a bike with Reynolds 531 butted tubing! (My third or forth). Pictures coming
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Kingdom of Hawai'i
Posts: 1,201
Bikes: Peugeot, Legnano, Fuji, Zunow, De Rosa, Miyata, Bianchi, Pinarello, Specialized, Bridgestone, Cinelli, Merckx
Mentioned: 17 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 430 Post(s)
Liked 476 Times
in
219 Posts
Well I took it completely apart down to just the frame. Fortunately all the bearings appear to be in very nice condition with no pitting. Even the wheels roll fairly smoothly. At least as smoothly as you’d expect from 40 plus year old French hubs. It has the nutted crank spindle which I don’t like, but the races are shiny and smooth. The crankset is barely used. But god, how filthy. It has that crazy type front deraileur that you pull the lever to shift down to the inner ring. If your cable breaks, you’re stuck with your higher gears. All in all I’m happy with it and intend to put a short alloy stem, alloy North road bars, and possibly my nos Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport deraileurs and shifters, and nice white mudguards. I’m really stoked to ride this bike. I always enjoyed a bike with Reynolds 531 butted tubing! (My third or forth). Pictures coming
With new cables, housing, brake pads, and bar tape, it's a rider. With some wax/polish, grease, and lube you'd do even better.
Whichever direction you take it, enjoy!
Likes For billytwosheds:
#8
smelling the roses
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Tixkokob, Yucatán, México
Posts: 15,320
Bikes: 79 Trek 930, 80 Trek 414, 84 Schwinn Letour Luxe (coupled), 92 Schwinn Paramount PDG 5
Mentioned: 104 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7081 Post(s)
Liked 901 Times
in
612 Posts
Well I took it completely apart down to just the frame. Fortunately all the bearings appear to be in very nice condition with no pitting. Even the wheels roll fairly smoothly. At least as smoothly as you’d expect from 40 plus year old French hubs. It has the nutted crank spindle which I don’t like, but the races are shiny and smooth. The crankset is barely used. But god, how filthy. It has that crazy type front deraileur that you pull the lever to shift down to the inner ring. If your cable breaks, you’re stuck with your higher gears. All in all I’m happy with it and intend to put a short alloy stem, alloy North road bars, and possibly my nos Campagnolo Nuovo Gran Sport deraileurs and shifters, and nice white mudguards. I’m really stoked to ride this bike. I always enjoyed a bike with Reynolds 531 butted tubing! (My third or forth). Pictures coming
Nice pickup. Well worth $90, imo.
#9
multimodal commuter
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: NJ, NYC, LI
Posts: 19,808
Bikes: 1940s Fothergill, 1959 Allegro Special, 1963? Claud Butler Olympic Sprint, Lambert 'Clubman', 1974 Fuji "the Ace", 1976 Holdsworth 650b conversion rando bike, 1983 Trek 720 tourer, 1984 Counterpoint Opus II, 1993 Basso Gap, 2010 Downtube 8h, and...
Mentioned: 584 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1908 Post(s)
Liked 574 Times
in
339 Posts
I always liked those Suntour fd's as well.
Your SuperCourse is the later model, a bit racier than the ubiquitous early 70‘s one. I think the frame angles are steeper... or is that just my imagination? If so that might make for somewhat zippier handling than you expected, but i'll probably be fine.
Your SuperCourse is the later model, a bit racier than the ubiquitous early 70‘s one. I think the frame angles are steeper... or is that just my imagination? If so that might make for somewhat zippier handling than you expected, but i'll probably be fine.
__________________
www.rhmsaddles.com.
www.rhmsaddles.com.