greg3rd48 

My current project for the summer is the lovely Super Course TT that I picked up a while back. The original Flamboyant Red paint is gorgeous in most areas but there were a few locations on the frame and fork where the paint was badly scraped off and bare metal was showing. An excellent auto painting shop in the local area made me a touch of bottle as close as they could to the original color for $12. It looks great from 10 feet away and in some spots it is better than others but it still is not exact. That being said I am happy with the touch up results. It was only my second hand at this and the areas were much larger than on the first bike.

So I do want to keep the original Weinmann calipers and levers which are in great condition along with the Carlton branded white hoods. I will just get new Koolstop pads. The crankset was shot as were the Raleigh pedals and to be honest I wanted to replace the cottered crank anyway. I had this Biopace crankset and BB in the bin so I installed them to see how it would look. I have also never used Biopace before so I wanted to get some feedback. I do have a Sugino crank as well as what I think is a Sakae Custom. I also have a Sugino triple if I recall. I haven't chosen the RD and FD's yet but I was leaning toward a Suntour VGT Luxe rear and the front I do have a Suntour AR which worked just fine for me on another build. I do also have a Shimano Light Action short cage if that works. I have a few options for a wheel set but I will post those pictures and ask for recommendations when the time comes in the near future.

Also, what are your opinions on handlebar tape an the housing color?

Thank you in advance as always. I have learnt so much through this Forum and the good people that are members here.

P.S. I should have taken photos of the starting point.

toavii

I'm currently putzing around with a '73 Super Course in the coffee color. I decided to go with white tape and white housing to go with the Carlton hoods so we'll see how that all looks when it arrives in the mail. Originally was going to order Newbaums white cloth but figured that would look good for about two hours and then get gross. So I ordered white Fizik.

Here was mine as bought before being taken down to frame only.

juvela

looks fine. thanks for posting.

are head and shell both 24t or is head 26t?

will enjoy following as she moves forward.

colours, me vote - white bar wrap and white or silver-grey housing. no black please.

greg3rd48 

toavii Nice SC! Keep us updated on your build also. Did you measure your seat post? I measured mine as 26.3 and I do not want to use the original hollow post with the clamp. I am thinking of replacing it with a Kalloy 26.2 or something like that.

greg3rd48 

Thanks! The BB is definitely the common size since it took the BB from the Biospace with no issue. However, the headset was a weird size it seems. It has free bearings which were shot so I figured I would replace them with a standard 1" caged bearing ring. Wrong. The ring is too big so I went to the LBS and picked up replacement bearings to use. This works great. Now could you tell me what the issue is? This is my first time working on a Raleigh and I was a little surprised that the headset was a different size.

I like the vote for white tape but I want to be sure that the tape I buy does not sully easily. I also have white Jagwire housing with silver braiding that I used on a grey Fuji Del Rey earlier in the year and it looked great on that bike. What do you think?

toavii

Will do. The missing pieces will come in next week and it should be fairly easy to throw the rest together by weeks end. Will be following your progress as well.

The post is a 26.3. The bike is going to be a spare bike around home if I keep it so I probably won't replace it. At $100 I couldn't resist it given it has Campagnolo crankset/RD/FD/BB/freewheel/shifters and an upgraded Maillard Professional Team Issue wheelset. Just another project for me to do when the gal binge watches Housewives or something...

greg3rd48 

That sounds like it is going to look sweet! I can't wait to see more. I try to wrench during the scarce moments that my 6 month old is sleeping, I am off and mom is at work. Once a week and I feel fortunate.

Do you think a 26.2 post would work? A 26.3 seems to be very uncommon...

juvela

wrt hs -

these are raleigh proprietary design and are threaded 26tpi rather than the more standard (today) 24tpi. also, they have "u" races so are less self-centreing than others. this means facing of head tube and milling of fork crown race seat even more critical than with others. they take loose balls of 5/32" with 25 balls per stack. bike models from sc downwards received the 26tpi proprietary hs and models from gs upwards received the 24tpi set (aletet or campag).

one other wrinkle - steerers on 26tpi machines are typically unkeyed so headsets come with no lockwasher to hold adjustment. this means locknut and adjustable race must be torqued tightly against each other if the adjustment is to hold. this design has a frequent problem of working loose. on the raleigh bicycles i work on i hand cut a keyway into the steerer with a file which has a square edge. the keyway permits the fitment of a toothed lockwasher which contributes to easier adjustment of bearings and much better retention of adjustment.

shells - in general, if a raleigh has a 70 or 71 mm shell it will be threaded 26tpi. if 68mm (or smaller) it will be threaded 24tpi (iso/bsc).

pillar size - bicycle measures 26.3mm as this is the metric translation of what in reality is a fractional size. if it were me i would ream it out with an expandable blade reamer to 26.4mm so that i knew the interior was truly round and smooth such as not to gall a quality alloy pillar. also the the 26.4 size opens your horizons as to pillar choices.

tip - if it is doable for you i would suggest going with a traditional pattern, non-aero, chainset as this fits in with the frame better from an aesthetic standpoint.

John E

I would have expected 26.4mm, like my 1959 Capo, for a frame with straight-gauge 531.

Congrats on the infant -- our grandson is half that age, and we have been his daycare this week, while his parents are at work.

3speedslow

Your possible choice of DRs is a good one, those Suntour GT are great.

With that red, I would go with white cable covers as well. Those Carlton hoods will be with you always, they are indestructible, you have a nice project for this summer.

jeirvine 

Interesting bike. My understanding is that there were a few of these entry level racer bikes during the bike boom era - I think Peugeot nada similar model: otherwise fairly plain frames and components, but tubular wheels. Pretty rare. Are you sticking with tubulars?

Michael Angelo 

I vote for white bar tape.

greg3rd48 

I have loved the VGT Luxe so I think that may be it.

Thank you kindly. Her grandparents help us a great deal too when we work which is a true blessing.
I agree. White bar tape seems to be the overwhelming favorite. What type did you use? I do not want the tape to be emblazoned with logos. I also have a pair of Suntour barcons which I can use for this. How do you like that set up?

I really like the TT just because it is much less common. The original tubulars are no good but I did save the high flange Normandy hubs to use for a future build. I am going with clinchers and leaning toward 700c to have more options. Any recommendations?

John E

I do like the look of the white tape and hoods, but I went with black -- sprint/half taping shown here, now regular full taping -- because of concerns about showing the dirt. I might try white next time.

greg3rd48 

What bar tape did you use? It looks very clean. Did it remain so?

toavii

I went with Fizik. It's a faux leather appearance and you can clean it up a tad. It's not on the bike yet, so here it is packaged. It's reasonably priced as well.

Michael Angelo 

S-Wrap Roubaix tape, white.

Specialized Bicycle Components

USAZorro

If voting is still ongoing for tape and cable housing colors, I think black would go very nicely with the red.

GordoTrek

i have the same bike

but the headset binds when it turns to the right, i've had a shop look at it, but they couldn't find a reason. I believe the headset needs to be refaced.. sound like a plan? should i reuse the old headset with new bearings?

USAZorro

Why not just replace the races and bearings?

juvela

the fact that it binds in one spot means frame machining is the likely culprit. get the head tube faced and the fork crown milled and the binding should disappear. sadly, the binding in one spot symptom is common with this model of hs.

while you have the fork out i would make two suggestions:

a) file a keyway in the steerer so you can add a toothed washer. this will allow for easier hs adjusting and better adjustment retention.

b) inspect steerer for straightness. this can be easily done with a straightedge. also look carefully at the area just above the fork crown race seat. when there is deformation this is the most common spot.

when repacking, make sure to fit twenty-five ball bearings per race, no more or less.

question for the raleigh experts:

does the sc tt have a geometry differing from that of the regular sc, and if so how so?

have never had occasion to run across one so i need to ask.

greg3rd48 

What tire recommendations do the fine members have? I have a spare 700c wheelset with Dura Ace hubs and 6 speed freewheel and nice older Mavic rims. I want to run 28's or 32's and I need tires that are durable for treacherous NYC potholes and glass. Speed would be great too.

jeirvine 

Panaracer Pasela PT in 28 or 32 would be swell.

greg3rd48 

Cool. @jeirvine I use Paselas on my 27 1/4 rims and really like them. Thanks.

juvela

question for the raleigh experts regarding these sc tt machines -

have looked at the factory catalogue and specificaton table for the 1973 sc tt and it make no mention of frame geometry. is it the same as the regular sc? is wheelbase any shorter? head and seat angles any more upright?

was a bit surprised to note that the bicycle takes a 750 rear caliper. if frame geometry were more racelike than a regular sc would have expected a 610.

look forward to the responses of the experts...thank you.