Jicafold

So I picked up this Raleigh Competition. What year is it? It has Reynolds 531 tubing as noted by the decal remnant. Campagnolo dropouts, Zeus crankset, Simplex rear derailleur, tubular Nisi rims with Normandy high flange hubs. Brooks saddle. Any ideas? Yes I am going to part it out on Ebay. Thank you and Happy Fathers Day.

juvela

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1969-70

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3alarmer 

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...they only used that special anniversary year headbadge for a year or two. Google Raleigh anniversary year head badge. Never seen a Zeus crank on one before. That might be popular with the guys trying to correctly restore a Zeus bike.

randyjawa 

Looks to be 1968, in my opinion. What size is the frame and are you planning to sell the frame set on the forum?

Jicafold

Thank you for the help. Yes. I will likely sell the frame and other parts on the Forum once disassembled. or PM me.

daf1009

I do tons of parting out on bikes...but on a frame like this, I like to stay true...but...the Zeus Crank, to me, indicates Frankenbike...but...the frame is quite nice looking...

rustystrings61 

I would urge you to reconsider parting this one out. Green Competitions like this are very rare, as in, this is exactly the 2nd one I have seen, and this one is in good shape and appears to be all stock. It's your bike and all that, but seriously, this one is highly unusual.

Jicafold

It appears mostly original. Those are the tubular wheels it came with. But the front derailleur is a Suntour Mountech and the brake levers are Dia-Compe so those are likely not original. My other Competition had CLB levers. The Zeus Crank has Zeus bolts holding it on. My Park tool with 14 15 and 16mm fittings cannot fit over the bolts. But the English are like...English so maybe it is English, not metric. The LBS will take it off for me for free if I want. So, I did disassemble it other than the crank...not that I can't put it back together but i have no intention of keeping it the frame or parts.

rustystrings61 

This era would have had Weinmann levers; the Zeus cranks ARE stock for this period; and of course the front derailleur is a replacement, because Simplex Delrin is Simplex Delrin. But if you are going to sell it, consider selling all of the original-ish bits with it, because surely there is a Raleigh enthusiast who will match its parted-out price for what is, all things considered, an unusual, relatively rare, early Raleigh Competition. And having played around in the vintage bike world since the late 90s, this is exactly the second green Competition with a Zeus crank I can remember EVER seeing. Some Raleigh guy will thank you.

Are the levers themselves Dia-Compe, or just the hoods?

Jicafold

My apologies. Weinmann levers with Dia-Compe hoods. Pedals are Atom 700. Hubs are Normandy with Atom Skewers.

randyjawa 

PM sent.

3alarmer 

...the infamous Zeus 16mm crank bolts. I just took one of these apart, for a Zeus competition I'm more or less restoring, so I can understand. I would not trust the bike shop to do this job, because it's unlikely they will have the tools to do it either. The Zeus cranks were made in Spain, and a lot of them were originally french threaded at the pedal end.

Best and cheapest way is to go over to Home Depot or Sears, buy one standard 16mm hex socket (just go with the straight single pointed interior, not one of the fancy ones), and spend about five or ten minutes carefully thinning the wall of it on the business end until it fits into the crank spindle hole all the way to the bottom, and then use a regular ratchet and your custom Zeus crank bolt tool to remove them.

When they are out, resist the urge to fling them over the fence. But either include that custom thin wall socket in the sale or at least warn the person you sell it too what a ****ed up design idea those crank bolts were.

zukahn1 

I would say part out also. One thing I notice is it is likely a repaint yet the paint and pine striping are vintage correct and look better than original so shouldn't hurt value.

Jicafold

Looking at the frame in my hands I think that is highly doubtful. What led you to this conclusion?

Thank you. I will be sure to try this.

zukahn1 

Mainly the stripping and paint like the leafed seat lug look nicer than most of Raleigh's stuff it could just be that someone did a real nice job of touching cleaning up and re-stripping on the original paint either way it looks great.

rustystrings61 

If you have access to an original Stronglight crank tool, that will work; otherwise, I think you want a Stanley brand socket. I have used one of those with success on numerous Stronglight 93s with the stock 16mm bolt and it always worked for me when other sockets were too bulky to fit in there.

I believe that IS the original paint, in the green that shows up in the 1969 catalog. There was extensive discussion of one of these on the CR list not too long ago after one surfaced on the big auction site. Pinstriping may well have been added later, but the top tube decal is right and appropriately faded.

Looking at the catalog pic, you've got a replacement front derailleur and brake lever hoods and everything else is stock. Not a Frankenbike and not a repaint.

3alarmer 

...I couldn't access the bench grinder, but even just clamping an angle grinder in a vise (not OSHA approved, don't try this at home) it took me about ten minutes, and the Home Depot single socket cost about $2.39. Put the socket on an extension to use as a handle, so your fingers don't get too close to the grinding wheel.

I still can't believe they put a bolt with a head that large into a hole that small.

I guess Campy was not the only company that wanted to sell you their proprietary tools.

3alarmer 

...looking at the head badge rivets, I tend to agree.

juvela

daf1009 wrote -

"I do tons of parting out on bikes...but on a frame like this, I like to stay true...but...the Zeus Crank, to me, indicates Frankenbike...but...the frame is quite nice looking..."

Not only was the Zeus Competition chainset stock for the Raleigh Competition of 1969-70 but for the Raleigh Gran Sport as well of those years -



"The Raleigh Gran Sport has Reynolds 531 tubing, Zeus alloy crank-set with 45/52T chain wheel and 14-28T sprocket. Dunlop HP tires with alloy rims, Huret Luxe 10-speed gear, quick release wide-flange hubs, Brooks Pro Saddle and other choice components. Gents model available in 21 1/2″, 23 1/2″, and 25 1/2″ frame sizes in Chrome with Coffee and Bronze Green trim or Chrome with Black and Gold trim."

Photo and text from Raleigh Catalogue of 1970.

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msl109

Can second that - zeus crank is stock.

msl109

Friend of mine has one with the same pinstriping. Believe it's factory.

msl109

The rear derailleur may or may not be original - I have seen other Competitions of this vintage with that Simplex.

msl109

What kind of bars and stem are on it?

Jicafold

It has a GB stem and Brampton bars.

juvela

Have a look at the example posted over at The Cabe. Pin striping is the way they looked ex-works. Striping was not sealed on these so forty-eight years on there is a good deal of variation in how well it has survived depending on how rough a life the individual cycle has lived.

The example I own looks pretty good, though not nearly so nice as the one at The Cabe.





Rare 1969 Raleigh Competition | The Classic and Antique Bicycle Exchange

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