52telecaster

Well spoken!

ascherer 

Glad to know it's UAL approved. I use the same vessel (not pictured) in the leather-trimmed cage on my International to carry my artisanally-brewed, locally-roasted, single-origin to work. I'm confident it's also certified by the Association of Caffeinated Wheelers...

nlerner

I discovered some years back that the Contigo travel mugs fit perfectly in a bottle cage.

steelbikeguy

I was fortunate to be able to buy a Gran Sport as a teen, and rode it for 14 years! As suggested the paint scheme was lovely, but honestly, that description applies to quite a few Raleighs of the mid 70's.



Still, all of that time spent staring at the Raleigh catalogs did have an effect on me. No wonder that it was a bit past my 40th birthday when these beauties found their way into my hands...





Steve in Peoria

52telecaster

Looking out the window from the garden st Cafe this morning.... Non Raleigh content.

ehcoplex 

Wow, some spectacular bikes in this thread.
This is all just repeating what's already been said, but if the Stronglight BB is good (and unless it spent time submerged or something, it should be), keep it- they're strong and bulletproof! And it'd be a crime to ditch the beautiful Stronglight crankset! Throw some Kool Stop pads on the Weinmanns and they'll be about as good as any rim brake.

daka

@branko_76, can I ask you to expand on your question posed above? Are you concerned that the original Raleighs are being "diluted" by all the alteration to other purposes? Would you prefer that the bikes were kept in their original configurations?

I agree, there are bikes built later that, mostly from Japan, have better and more consistent brazing, finishing and are plentiful. Why not mess with those instead?

gugie 

Because Bob didn't get a cool Japanese bike for his birthday in 1975, so I wasn't lusting after them.

branko_76 

For the most part, I restore old bikes. If a part is broken, I search my stash or ebay and find a replacement. Sometimes I'll upgrade with a "period correct" part such as alloy rims to replace chromed steel rims. If the original paint is trashed, then I'll use whatever parts make sense, for instance, I won't install Campy components on a Hi-Ten steel frame.

90% of my riding is for commuting, running errands, etc. so I don't need high performance components. The run of the mill derailleurs, brakes, etc. from the 1970's work perfectly after they have been overhauled, I don't fuss over performance specs.

I have nothing against people customizing their vintage bikes to suit their particular needs, especially those who, like me, have been riding bikes regularly for decades. We know what we want and need.

My question was to the OP who has a fine example of a vintage bike and by the nature of his questions seems relatively new to working on and possibly riding vintage bikes yet has made it clear that he is unhappy with certain aspects of the bike, not sure why.

With the exception of the handlebars, which I understand aren't for everyone, and possibly the Simplex FD (if cracked) replacing any of the other components won't necessarily make the bike better

raleigh76

Did you have to do anything special to get 33s fit with those fenders in the front? Thanks!

76SLT 

I know it's the color that attracts me to these bikes, and the great ride they give. I put Suntour Cyclone and bar ends on mine, and kept the Stronglight crankset. Love this bike.

d2702

Looks beautiful, thanks for sharing the pictures. I'll go hunting for a Suntour V-something or a Cyclone this weekend.

mkeller234

Well... since everyone else is posting pictures, Ill join in. This is an old photo, but not much has changed. I have had simplex, cyclone, VGT derailleurs on there. I checked last night, it's back to the VGT-luxe. The biggest change is now the bar tape looks like holy hell.

nlerner

No, no mods needed, but those tires measure 31mm on Sun CR18 rims. Here’s a pic of the crown spacing:

gugie 

Another fan of 33.333's. I've found that 35's are a tight fit if you use fenders on a GS.


We are particular about our fenderlines in the PNW. 33.333 with Velo Orange 45mm wide 700c Facetted Fenders

steelbikeguy

white Blumel fenders? Nice!
I've got a spare set of white Blumel Popular fender purchased when the LBS was cleaning out their basement. Still wondering what to do with them. They do seem like they would be rather fragile. BITD, I had some aluminum Blumel "Lightweight" fenders on my Gran Sport. All I remember is that they made a lot of noise. In retrospect, I think they must have been rather nice.

Also... you get extra credit for the Huret Multito odometer! Does it have an Ant+ connection to the power meters in your pedals?
I've stuck with an intermediate point in technology, using Avocet computers on my vintage bikes. Yeah, the battery has to be replaced annually, but no software updates are needed and there's no need to pair it with anything else on the bike. I do like the speedometer function too.

Steve in Peoria

raleigh76

Does the GS frame have an eyelet on the chainstay bridge? the spacing and lines looks perfect. I own a Sports, so I'm unfamiliar. Thanks!

raleigh76

Thanks for this! Gives me hope for my setup even though the fork is different. I'm aiming to run a similar fender/tire size.

gugie 

To get those fenderlines, cheated. I have a torch.

But one can get pretty good lines on a non-butchered frame as well.



The chainstay bridge has a hole in it.


I can't remember if the chainstay bridge had a hole in it to bolt the fender up, or if I drilled it in myself.

raleigh76

Love the photos in that link are great, amazing work!

cycleheimer

It sure looks to be in good shape! I do believe 3-speeds with 27" rims were available in the 1950s. I have a later Raleigh Gran Sport which is still N.O..S. out of the box with all the original packaging ties still in place. Amazing, but true! Someday I'll get the nerve to snip the ties and do the final assembly. Should be fun to feel the freewheel lock into place for the first time!

geluzj

@d2702 I can't wait to see the build. I did a city build for my '72 Grand Sports. Here it is from today's ride, wearing 38c Soma Supple Vitesse tires for the first time.







I went mostly newer Shimano: Dura Ace centerpulls, rear derailleur, cassette/hubs, bottom bracket, Ultegra crankset, 600 shifters. Brooks supplies the contact points. I had to replace the fork with a no-name chrome model.

noglider 

@nlerner makes a good point about how you could get weird handling with an upright bar. I can't figure out why it happens only sometimes. But front end handling is a black art, and Raleigh is known for building bikes with imprecise measurements. I have a 1973 Raleigh International. When it had upright bars, it was fine. I have a 1971 Raleigh Super Course, and when it had upright bars, the steering was very floppy. I didn't mind although it was really noticeable. I loaned the bike to a friend, and he wobbled off with difficulty controlling it. On his way home, he crashed it. So try it but understand you may not like the result.

d2702

Excellent looking bike geluzj . If mine comes out looking anything like yours I'll be a happy rider.

What handlebars are those? I'm looking forward to trying something with more sweep. Curious to see how comfortable I find them.

As for components I've got the Stronglight all cleaned up and reassembled. The BB is ready to go back on. I snagged an early generation Suntour Cyclone for the rear derailleur. Thought I found a good candidate for the FD but the clamp is too big, serves me right for not checking it. So I'll probably hunt down a cyclone front and I like the look of your Tektro levers, I'll see if those will work with the original brakes.

52telecaster

It's amazing to me how often upright bars work on sport bikes. It's almost all I ride now.