I've done various flavors of "after the project" threads, but I thought I'd try one that goes along with the progress of the project.
This one started the day that Gordo Trek posted about finding his Holdsworth, and the other bicycle that was a bit too small for him. He posted pictures, and I was fortunate to see them and negotiate a deal before other interested parties beat me to it. This one had a bit of special appeal to me for a few reasons. Gordo Trek lives in/near my ancestral hometown of Rochester, NY. In 1971, my Uncle had a bicycle shop in Rochester, and I believe he was the only Raleigh dealer in the area. While there's no definitive provenance, I can plausibly imagine that this may have been one that he originally sold. I do have his 1974 Superbe, but it's a size or two large for me. This is a perfect size for me, so I will ride it considerably more.
It also appeals to me because 1971 Raleighs are a bit of a mystery, and are "different". The Competition in particular has differences in colors from other years. The color of this machine could be described as lavender, but since it's from Rochester - a city with a very longstanding tradition of holding an annual lilac festival, I'm going with "lilac".
The fact that 1971 Raleigh USA catalogs seem to not exist, means that I can build this up however I want, and nobody can call me for being wrong.
Not that that has ever stopped me before. I've also found very little online about this year/model, and I've noticed some curious things that I feel a bit of an obligation to document.
At any rate, like too many of my projects, this one might stretch out a bit. I have it completely disassembled, and mostly cleaned, There has been a bit of harsh treatment of this frame in the past which has resulted in scratching and some light surface rust, and some spots where paint is absent. Part of me would love to send it for a repaint, but I am determined to see how far back I can bring this using various compounds, a soft cloth and hours of elbow grease. The early stages of the effort have been encouraging, but the degree of success in some spots remains greatly in doubt.
As someone once noted here, threads are worthless without pictures, so here are some of my "befores". Actually, I did give most of the frame a once-over before taking these, but here goes.
A considerable amount of the frame was coated with crud. Mixed blessing, since it likely helped preserve the frame, even though it is a pain to remove.
Here's a shot that shows the scheme of contrasting paint on the seat tube, as well as the characteristic Raleigh arced brake cable stop.
Showing the head tube is a must.
I found it interesting that the serial number does not follow any of the published numbering schemes for Raleighs that I have seen previously attributed to full 531 models. I would have expected an F with four trailing numbers, but it looks like the Grand Prix/Super Course serial convention was followed. Also note that the dropout is not forged, and is actually stamped "US COMPETITION".
The dropout on the fork is also stamped "US COMPETITION"
and, yes, here's a decal also confirming the identity of the model.
More to come as the project grinds along. I do also have a 1974 Competition (black with Capella lugs) that I have recently built up as a fixed gear, so I'm more inclined to build this as a drop-bar geared bicycle with 10 or 12 speeds. Will probably be a bit of a "dog's breakfast" of a build, as I lack what I think are wheels, crankset and possibly the derailleurs/shifters that I would consider "appropriate", but those may be concerns to address months or years, rather than weeks down the road.