KendallF

I was given this early 70s (?) Raleigh Competition this week. It looks to have been a well used, regularly updated bike; not many of the components are original but it was in good repair and rideable as is. Components are an eclectic mix but I really like the Wolber "Gentleman" tubular rims, the Ofmega triple crank, etc.

I plan on turning it into a retro road race bike; I'm keeping the tubulars on it, changing the crank for an old Dura Ace double, and I'm looking for a nice set of clamp on friction downtube shift levers for it.

I did braze one set of bottle cage bosses into the down tube today, then dropped it off for powdercoat. From what I can tell, you could only get these in black, but I'm changing it to a royal metallic blue that I hope will go well with the gold repro decals available at Velocals. I'll post progress pics along the way..


2011-12-29_09-22-16_861 by fredericksk, on Flickr

dbakl

Cool! Oddly enough, I'm starting a 50s Carlton with the same lugs.

I built one of those frames into a single speed for my son, nice riding bike.

KendallF

I'm hoping to get the frame back from the powder coater's tomorrow. I'm excited to see how it turned out! I ended up getting 'Professional' decals because Velocals had them in gold, and I like the script style lettering better. I won't be trying to pass it off as anything original, so no hate mail, please.

I've been polishing parts for it, but haven't taken pics yet. I have basically all of the parts lined up to build it, I think . The 'Gentleman' tubulars are going back on, along with the Campy seat post which polished up nicely. Mix of Shimano/Suntour derailleurs, new DT shifters, probably a set of 3TTT bars and stem, Shimano DA cranks.

I want to take the center pull brakes apart to polish them..wondering if it's a PITA to get those springs back on correctly when reassembling. Anything else I can do to improve the brakes' function while I'm at it? I haven't been terribly happy with older center pulls on previous bikes. I do plan on new pads, of course.

RaleighSport

very nice, I'm digging the abundance of nice raleighs popping up right now!

XLR99

Looking forward to the finished product!
I disassembled and polished the centerpulls on my SuperCourse - no issues getting them back together. I put on a set of Kool Stop salmon pads. No idea how they work yet because the bike's not quite done yet.

Grand Bois

They came in any color, as long as it's black. I did my '73 in red. I like it with the gold decals.

silvercreek

Nice job! What size stem is that and which handlebars did you use?

KendallF

Good to hear, XLR99. I'll give it a try. Grand Bois, those are exactly the decals I would like to use on this one! Where did you get them? That looks very nice.

Grand Bois

The stem and bars are a set and they came from Belgium. The bars are not inverted. That's how they're intended to be mounted. There's a name on them, but I can't remember what it is. I'm at work.

Grand Bois

The decals are from Greg Softly on eBay. When I informed him that he sent me "Professional" top tube decals instead of "Competition", he sent the correct decals and a $10 bill.

KendallF

My frame's going to be a couple more days. They blasted it, washed it, and baked it..and when they baked it some more grease from the seat tube came out and dirtied it up again, so it's back through the cycle before it can get the powder. No hurry, I'm taking the fixed gear bikes and my wife to St. Augustine for a couple of days of riding around and drinking good draft beer!

KendallF

Finally got the bike together, bars taped, etc. Now to put some miles on it tomorrow! I'm happy with how it came out; not perfect but nice and rideable.













More of my pics: fredericksk, on Flickr

lostarchitect 

Looks great! Congrats. I have a 78 that I'm about to build up as well.

Roypercy

Great choice of colors! She's a beauty.

Chris_in_Miami

I was a bit doubtful when you mentioned the color you chose, but it turned out great, nice work! It looks like you assembled the shifter clamp backwards, the clamp bolt should be on the bottom.

KendallF

I did about 40 miles on it today; rides beautifully! I did manage to shift the front ring down while trying to shift the rear during a sprint; the resulting "hamster wheel" made me think I'm not ready to race it any time soon.

I'll look at the shifters; they came pre-assembled on the clamp and I don't know if they can be changed around. It would look nicer with the bolt on the bottom.

noglider 

Great color. How much work was it getting the decals and pin stripes and all?

KendallF

Velocals did a nice job on the decals. The pin stripes were a pain; I had a hard time getting the backing off without lifting the stripes themselves. I wasn't totally happy with my results but realistically, nobody will notice unless they're going over it with a magnifying glass.

55 Traveler

Thats a beautiful job. Pinstriping and decals make it look really factory fresh.

David

southpawboston

Oh, that came out fabulously!!! Who did the powder coating, and can you tell me the RAL code??? That color looks fantastic on that bike!

KendallF

I didn't see this for a couple of days; sorry! I don't know the color code; it was done by Powdertech here in Orange Park, FL. They have a fairly extensive color range and I have been very happy with the numerous bikes they've done for me.

I have about 75 miles on the bike now and I really like it; it rides beautifully and creaks less than my 16 lb. "modern" race bike.

gmt13

Very nice. I have a 74 that is now awaiting restoration and what you have done is similar to what I have in mind.

Thanks

-G