gugie 

I'll start. Mine is torn down right now, awaiting a new build, but this was the most recent incarnation.

justin10054

This is my '72 International. It's currently being cleaned up after a trip up to Virginia.

nlerner

My '71 in its current incarnation:



And as it was previously as my year-round commuter:



I've owned several other early 70s Internationals, but they've moved on to new riders. This '71 is dented, highly patina-ed and a real keeper.

Bandera

In it's 41st year of service: town bike configuration.




-Bandera

OTS 

Bandera is that set up as a 1 X

Bandera

It's a hybrid drivetrain: 1956 alloy shell AW IGH w/ '50's Cyclo 3cog shifted by derail and a single 1/8" chainring.
It gives 9 ratios from 41-106GI with useful steps and the ability to shift while stopped or braking.
All of the disadvantages of both the IGH and the derailleur while adding additional complexity and mysterious shift patterns, very British.

-Bandera

steelbikeguy

My copper '74 is set up pretty much as it left the factory. The sew-ups have been swapped with MA-2 rims and clincher tires. A frame-fit Silca replaces the grey Silca that required an umbrella clip. I've installed some low cost MKS pedals in place of the Campy Record pedals with the steel plates. These were done to avoid wearing out most of the original parts.

The narrow 38cm handlebar might be the most unique thing about how it rides. Having your hands so close does affect how you control the bike. It does help you stay a bit more aero, though.

I still have the original stuff, minus the freewheel, so it can be brought back to essentially new condition....







Steve

gugie 

It LOOKS like essentially new condition!

AZORCH

Posted many, many times in these forums, this is my 1971 Raleigh International, reimagined as a lightweight three-speed IGH. The latest change (unphotographed as yet) is a newly built wheel set, a front dynohub, and Lumotech IQ light unit. (Because I like to ride early in the morning, often hours before sunrise.)

trooper2899

Just looked at one of these - it fits me, she wants 150 bucks (it has a Brooks saddle) it appears to be in good shape but it weighs ?? like a Boat anchor - can I replace the handle bars easy enough with drops ? Should I buy it ? I think the seat is worth 50 bucks its in good shape.

AZORCH

Run, don't walk! That's a steal at 150!

John E

What are your cog sizes? I really liked my 1/8" 14-16-18-20 Cyclo on an AW, which gave me 10 unique ratios, with the two redundancies where the IGH ranges met. 39 to 99 gear-inches.

djkashuba 

Gravel mode:


Raleigh International '71 by djk762, on Flickr

Commuter mode:


Raleigh International 1971 by djk762, on Flickr

-D

justin10054

I love the narrow handlebars on mine. I'm not a big fan of wide handlebars. Even 40cm feels too wide to me.

justin10054

I can't decide which version I like better. They're both fantastic!

steelbikeguy

Maybe it's the lighting, but it looks really great in the commuting shot! The fenders certainly help... the fender line is done very well. How hard is it to get the rear wheel out, though? That was my problem with long horizontal dropouts. Vertical dropouts make life with fenders easier.

Steve

steelbikeguy

I got my International from a fellow who had bought a bunch of bikes from a bike shop that was going out of business. The interesting thing is that the bike were still in their boxes. He needed to raise a bit of cash, so he sold a handful of those bikes, and my International was one of them. As a result, somewhere around 1999, I bought a NIB 1974 Raleigh International! Very cool! Everything was still in good shape, despite sitting around for a quarter century.

The bike has been ridden mostly on sunny days in good conditions. No need to subject it to harsh conditions. It does fine on the road.. no problem keeping up with friends on their modern bikes, although the 5 speed freewheel is a bit limiting (a 6 speed would be better).

Steve

Bandera

15-19-22 w/ a 44T chainring as I recall.
The top ratio of 106GI is for display purposes only......


-Bandera

steelbikeguy

To some degree, I think you can get adapted to anything. Most of my bikes are 40cm, and that feels "normal". One bike has a 42cm bar, and that does feel fairly wide when I first get on the bike. At the end of the ride, it feels normal.

I go through the same thing with crank arm lengths. Some bikes are 170mm, some are 175mm (half of the bkes?), and one is 177.5mm. When I was spending all of my time on the 175mm cranks, it would feel weird just riding the bike with the 177.5mm cranks, even though it's a small change. Now I spend more time on the 170mm crank bikes, and I really don't notice the changes anymore. Or maybe it's the fact that I'm also switching between downtube shifters, bar end shifters, Grip Shifters, and Paul thumbies? Might also include switching between toe clips and SPDs... and between upright bikes and recumbents.

gugie 

Nice to see that one again!

djkashuba 

I needed to deflate the rear tire for removal.

-D

rm -rf

A neighbor that always had a bunch of junk bikes moved out. This was on the curb with a lot of rusty Walmart style bikes. I didn't know anything about Raleighs, but I saw the Dura Ace crank.

The bike had been ridden without a front tire, the rim was all scuffed. Nothing remained of the original Campagnolo components, except front hub, quick releases, and rusty pedals.



Rusty. But the paint looks great.

After oxalic acid treatment of the chrome, wash and wax, a donor rear wheel, and new cables, tires, etc. I didn't try to fix the paint scrapes, I like it the way it is.

justin10054

I wonder how that even happens. It also makes me wonder how much of this stuff is thrown out by people who don't know or care. That "Saved from the dump" thread is a rather sad statement about the throw-away society we live in.
There was even that thread a while back where some guy found a Rene Herse on its way to the dump. A bike literally worth thousands and in decent condition just thrown out like it was garbage.

It is great though, that you were able to rescue it and put it to good use. I really like the orange color. Also, I take it by your user name that you are a Linux user.

The Golden Boy 

Has that been repainted? I seem to remember your International as red.

AZORCH

Nope, this burgundy color is a match to the original peeling paint that was on the frame when I got it. There was a lot of speculation at the time that it was a custom paint by Raleigh, but I never could nail that theory down. Regardless, I liked it enough that Groody Bros. came up with a more than passingly adequate match.