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Show us your Raleigh Super Course!

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Show us your Raleigh Super Course!

Old 09-01-20, 01:13 PM
  #1826  
BFisher
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Originally Posted by noglider
@BFisher, that's terrific. What size chainring and cog?
Thanks!

That's a 49 tooth chainring and a 22 tooth cog. A seller on eBay had a few of those chainrings at a great price - NOS. Gives me a nice range of about 45, 60, and 80 gear inches.
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Old 09-07-20, 06:05 AM
  #1827  
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Thanks for he gear size info. I've been contemplating the 3-Speed conversion.....this kind of info really helps.
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Old 09-07-20, 08:05 AM
  #1828  
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Originally Posted by Teej1
Thanks for he gear size info. I've been contemplating the 3-Speed conversion.....this kind of info really helps.
Glad to share. You can also play around with Sheldon's gear calculator to see how you can get just what you want.
https://sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html
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Old 09-07-20, 08:53 AM
  #1829  
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Yes, I've been looking at that, It's the thought of getting rid of my 'gruppo' and minimizing... lots of years with the 10 and 15 speeds, though I do vaguely remember my first 3-speed and getting my first chrome drop bars! Now I'm going back to the inverted bars..how times change.
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Old 09-09-20, 05:27 PM
  #1830  
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I find a handlebar change is the biggest change I can make to a bike. And I just finished a handlebar change on my Super Course. When it had swept back bars, the steering was floppy, perhaps too much so. When it had flat-ish bars, it was still floppy. Now that I have drop bars and a long reach stem, the problem, if you can call it that, is gone. I've had a lot of different handlebars on this bike, as it is my testbed bike.

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Old 09-09-20, 05:49 PM
  #1831  
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Brifters on a Super Course?! Does the Spanish Inquisition thread need to be revived?
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Old 09-09-20, 07:57 PM
  #1832  
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Originally Posted by daka
Brifters on a Super Course?! Does the Spanish Inquisition thread need to be revived?
I think it just wasn’t ugly enough, especially with that adapter-stem combo.
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Old 09-09-20, 09:29 PM
  #1833  
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Are you kidding? That’s a war-horse, a battle-stallion!
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Old 09-09-20, 11:25 PM
  #1834  
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Originally Posted by BFisher
I'm really liking the three speed version of my Super Course. It's been a smooth operator, and I think I got the gearing just right for my needs.
Oh my, the cottered Nervar crank with the 3 bolt ring, with a 3 speed hub, all on a Super Course frame 🥰

This bike cooks!
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Old 09-09-20, 11:31 PM
  #1835  
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Originally Posted by BFisher
I'm really liking the three speed version of my Super Course. It's been a smooth operator, and I think I got the gearing just right for my needs.
What bag is that?
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Old 09-10-20, 08:03 AM
  #1836  
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Originally Posted by bwilli88
What bag is that?
What's in the bag?
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Old 09-10-20, 08:34 AM
  #1837  
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Originally Posted by bwilli88
What bag is that?
It's stamped "Wheelmen & Co." Can't remember where I got it; likely eBay.



Originally Posted by branko_76
What's in the bag?
Meatball Sub.







Actually it's a tube, patch kit, tire lever, multi tool, and 6 inch adjustable wrench.
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Old 09-12-20, 06:46 AM
  #1838  
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Originally Posted by nlerner
I think it just wasn’t ugly enough, especially with that adapter-stem combo.
The idea behind the adapter is that I'll try a few stems and when I have the height and extension length right, I'll put in a quill stem.

And one of these days, I'll paint the bike. It has been an eyesore for years throughout all of its incantations.
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Old 09-12-20, 09:01 AM
  #1839  
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Originally Posted by noglider
The idea behind the adapter is that I'll try a few stems and when I have the height and extension length right, I'll put in a quill stem.

And one of these days, I'll paint the bike. It has been an eyesore for years throughout all of its incantations.
Maybe if you say the right incantation, it’ll look better.
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Old 09-12-20, 09:15 AM
  #1840  
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Tried that many times. Didn't work. Maybe I should try harder.
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Old 09-12-20, 03:59 PM
  #1841  
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Old 09-23-20, 04:19 PM
  #1842  
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I finally finished this project bike, my 1971 Raleigh Super Course. The work was dragging out for months or maybe even years so I picked up my effort. There were dozens of niggling problems to work out, many because I kept losing little pieces on my messy workbench.

I have no quick release for my brakes, so those are coming. I have no barrel adjuster for the rear brake, but they will be integrated in the quick releases. Currently I have to deflate a tire to get a wheel out.

I have a dynamo headlight, a battery headlight, a battery taillight, and I will probably add a dynamo taillight, too. The fenders are a bit too narrow for the tires, but they'll do. The scratched up Blackburn rack dates back to about 1979 when I bought it new.

I think the bike is heavier than in its previous incarnation. The new crank is all steel, and the I think dynamo hub is heavier than the bottle dynamo it replaces even when accounting for the weight of a plain front hub. Oh well. It rides great.

I got the Shimano Claris 2x8 drivetrain in a great deal from @sloar. He took it off a new bike that he parted out. It works like a champ, though not until I aligned the frame.

I spread the frame from ~120 to 130. I used RJ The Bike Guy's threaded rod method, and that worked badly. I got to the target spacing, but the right side is more flexible than the left side, so the frame was way off kilter. I fixed it with the 2x4 method.

One of these days I may replace the stem with something less ugly, and I might also touch up the paint. I never made any effort to make this bike handsome, and maybe I should.

Brooks Cambium handlebar tape! The reviews complain that it's hard to install because it's stiff. It is, but it wasn't a huge challenge. I think I like it very much, and I got it because it should be durable and reusable.

This bike has been a testbed bike for me since I picked it out of the trash in 2008. I've rebuilt it many times. Interestingly, the changes among the 5 or 6 handlebars I've used make more difference than anything else.






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Old 09-23-20, 04:27 PM
  #1843  
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OK, I will!

Assembled for the clunker challenge

Front brake ONLY. The Dia Compe 610 brakes don't have enough reach to clear the tire, even on 27" wheels. I'll swap for the correct Weinmann 999 750's after the 100 km.

I'm pleased with the results. It has good bones.

I'm hoping I love the ride even though this is a little small for me. I could use a longer head tube. I'm using the clunker challenge as a test to see if I can tolerate it for long rides. I have all the bits I need to convert to a fixed gear, which is my intended build for this frame.
Shout out to marius.suiram for making this dream at least possible.

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Old 09-27-20, 06:54 PM
  #1844  
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Saved🤓
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Old 09-28-20, 08:59 AM
  #1845  
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Touching up

[QUOTE=noglider;21710203]I finally finished this project bike, my 1971 Raleigh Super Course. The work was dragging out for months or maybe even years so I picked up my effort. There were dozens of niggling problems to work out, many because I kept losing little pieces on my messy workbench.

I have no quick release for my brakes, so those are coming. I have no barrel adjuster for the rear brake, but they will be integrated in the quick releases. Currently I have to deflate a tire to get a wheel out.

I have a dynamo headlight, a battery headlight, a battery taillight, and I will probably add a dynamo taillight, too. The fenders are a bit too narrow for the tires, but they'll do. The scratched up Blackburn rack dates back to about 1979 when I bought it new.

I think the bike is heavier than in its previous incarnation. The new crank is all steel, and the I think dynamo hub is heavier than the bottle dynamo it replaces even when accounting for the weight of a plain front hub. Oh well. It rides great.

I got the Shimano Claris 2x8 drivetrain in a great deal from @sloar. He took it off a new bike that he parted out. It works like a champ, though not until I aligned the frame.

I spread the frame from ~120 to 130. I used RJ The Bike Guy's threaded rod method, and that worked badly. I got to the target spacing, but the right side is more flexible than the left side, so the frame was way off kilter. I fixed it with the 2x4 method.

One of these days I may replace the stem with something less ugly, and I might also touch up the paint. I never made any effort to make this bike handsome, and maybe I should.

Brooks Cambium handlebar tape! The reviews complain that it's hard to install because it's stiff. It is, but it wasn't a huge challenge. I think I like it very much, and I got it because it should be durable and reusable.

This bike has been a testbed bike for me since I picked it out of the trash in 2008. I've rebuilt it many times. Interestingly, the changes among the 5 or 6 handlebars I've used make more difference than anything else.





Last edited by Teej1; 09-28-20 at 09:00 AM. Reason: not in proper space
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Old 09-28-20, 09:01 AM
  #1846  
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With all of the touch-up paint sites touching up shouldn't be a problem. The price of the paint...not cheap but not too outrageous either especially when considering maintaining the max amount of original finish.
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Old 09-28-20, 09:36 AM
  #1847  
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Touching up

I'm convinced Raleigh used a two step process to achieve the finish on Bronze Green bikes, maybe the coffee color too.
Blue and yellow make green. There are examples where the blue-green base coat is showing through a worn top coat. It could be that the top coat was an amber urethane, leading to the depth of the finish I love so thoroughly in the gorgeous bronze green.
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Old 09-28-20, 09:58 AM
  #1848  
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Did Urethane even exist back when these bikes were built? I'm thinking it must be some slightly ambered lacquer made from crushed insect larvae or something like that. I agree on the two step process for that color. You see a lot of old bronze green Super Courses where the top coat has come off leaving a silvery-green base underneath that appears to be still well adhered to the frame.
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Old 09-28-20, 12:32 PM
  #1849  
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Originally Posted by daka
Did Urethane even exist back when these bikes were built? I'm thinking it must be some slightly ambered lacquer made from crushed insect larvae or something like that. I agree on the two step process for that color. You see a lot of old bronze green Super Courses where the top coat has come off leaving a silvery-green base underneath that appears to be still well adhered to the frame.
You're right! Urethane was only used on cars starting in the 80's. I went looking and learned about auto finishes, and the most likely candidate is definitely enamel, but alkyd? Maybe acrylic? Regardless, this guy says the Raleigh bronze green is a medium green enamel mixed (or top coated) with a bronze or gold flake metallic.
I'm lucky enough to live near the PPG auto finish dealer for my region, so I usually bring a bike into their storefront, and the color match guys use their magic. Be warned that round tubes do not make for easy sun-gun matches!
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Old 09-29-20, 11:22 PM
  #1850  
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One older guy showed interest in my bike today, told me it was beautiful, and asked if it was a new bike made to look like an old one, I guess I did such a good job cleaning and polishing that it doesn't look old. I told him it was a 1973 model, I bought it from the original owner, full disassemble and clean by me, including polihing the hubs...

I've been off the bike far too much the last 10 weeks, injury, wildfire smoke, life, work.... It was good to get out for a solid ride today for the first time in what seems like forever, I'm ready to get a bit of fitness back, coming right into winter, D'oh!

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