OTS 

Looking Good !

That was a great find and nice job cleaning it up.

Now ride it like you stole it.

orcas island 

Not entirely sure of the year in this one. Acquired as a bare frame and built up with a few Campy parts I had in the shed, and the balance from a donor ‘76 Centurion Semi-Pro. It looks surprisingly coherent and rides very nicely. It’s my brothers bike now.

3alarmer 

USAZorro

His 1974 (front) and hers 1975 (rear). Neither in original configuration, but very functional set-ups,

Whit51 

I bought this as a frameset on Ebay at a relatively low price due to some issues. The chain stay cable stop was snapped off, so I found one that bolted on, and the seat tube would not allow insertion of a 27.2 post, so I carefully re-spread the ears and used a flexible reamer to clean up the seat post cavity. I was planning to install barcons and centerpulls, but I found the frame had been cold-set to 130mm and drilled for recessed mount brakes, so I installed some Tiagra STIs, Tiagra long cage RD and some long reach dual pivot side pulls. I’ll probably switch out the Technomic stem - I’d like a little more saddle to bar drop and the Technomic can’t be lowered any further on this 21.5” frame. Sugino compact double crank. It will accept 32mm tires, but I have 28s on it right now. It lacks the class of the more traditionally equipped Internationals above, but It’s a great, comfortable ride.

LarryBSky

Riding this always makes me happy:

daka

This is my 1974 International, the nicest bike I have ever had. A previous owner converted it to 27" clincher wheels using Campy NR low flange hubs and Weinmann rims. I removed the Campy rear derailleur and pedals, bagged them, and set them aside for safe-keeping. I don't own a pair of shoes narrow enough for those pedals! The current derailleur and levers are Huret Success.

ZudeJammer

Front brake pads can’t go low enough but it has functioned well for over 100mi. It’s getting a mtb shifter to access all the gears and also an 11 speed 11-36 to get more speeds, and possibly one of those long reach tektros but those guys are expensive. Any other ways to fix the brake rub, other brake options?
Happy to finally post it here; this thread has been an inspiration.

Update: replaced front and back brakes with 750s, new cassette let me lose the extender bracket

Pcampeau

if you look through this thread you’ll notice that everyone who has the Weinmann 610 calipers nearly has this issue. I was able to get mine to just barely not rub the tire in front. You could try switching to a Weinmann 750 caliper if yours absolutely won’t reach. That’s what I had to do in back. That would give you a longer reach and it should be affordable. It will also lookJust the same. See my setup.

Kind of a dark photo but plenty of brake reach in back.

polymorphself 

What can one expect in the ride between an international and a super course? I’m imagining the SC is a little sportier and the international feels more akin to a tourer, but ive seen the ride of both described similarly.

daka

Other way around, in my experience. The International's wheelbase is shorter and it is the better part of two pounds lighter. In a straight line on flat ground it is difficult to tell the difference between the two bikes, but on a curvy descent the International is a thoroughbred.

obuckler

..,as i have had this bike a while. Really nice barely touched bike when I bought it and even came with the original bike box.

It presents very well. The downtube decals are a bit tender though and i may have harmed one wiping down with Pledge?

steelbikeguy

my experience with Raleighs of this era is that the waterslide transfers used for decals are extremely fragile. They sit on the surface of the paint, just waiting for something to knock them loose.
The paint is only slightly more durable.
My assumption is that they were intended to look good on the showroom floor, and not much longer.
... on the other hand, it is possible that other bikes of the era were even worse.

On the plus side, I've found it to be relatively easy to use a paint brush used for models, and some touch-up paint, to get the chipped decals looking quite good.

Steve in Peoria

noglider 

I have one of each: a 1971 Super Course and a 1974 International. The International is about a cm larger. The brake reaches are longer on the Super Course which means the Super Course sits higher unless the BB drop is less, and I haven't measured that. The rides are indistinguishable to me except for the fact that the International is slightly lighter. For a heavy-ish bike, the Super Course climbs surprisingly well. They both have long wheelbases compared with common road racing bikes. When I built my International, the words "long and lanky" came to mind, perhaps because it's long and fairly lightweight.

So your suspicion is not correct, at least in my experience, that the Super Course is sportier. The designs are close enough to each other.

I took a 32-mile ride through hilly country yesterday on my Super Course. I now have it equipped to be heavier than original. It did not feel slow. It weighs 30 lbs (13.6 kg) with nothing strapped onto it.

Super Course:




International:

obuckler

Someone here a long time ago said the big Raleigh downtube logo was a paint transfer. Yes it does sit on top.

AND referencing the question about ride comparisons between the International and a Super Course: i have two 74 Internationals and a 76 Super Course. To me they all ride and fit similar with the Internationals being livelier and lighter feeling and the SC feeling plusher.

I like all my rides for different reasons.

nlerner

I currently have two Int'ls and zero Super Courses, but I've had plenty of both over the years. As I think about it, I've never had the two frames built up the same way, so that makes comparison difficult. I tend to set Super Courses up with internal gear hubs or as single speeds, given the lack of a derailleur hanger. I've also found that frame angles and BB drop can vary quite a bit from build to build for both models, which makes comparison that much more difficult. Still, the Int'l is full double-butted Reynolds 531, and the Super Course (except for the last year or two) were 531 main triangle only, so the Int'l will certainly be lighter.

steelbikeguy

on the subject of comparing Internationals to S.C.'s or other bikes... there is first the task of describing the characteristics of the different versions of the International.
I'm no expert, but I have owned a 1971 International ("coffee" colour) and currently own a copper coloured 1974 International.

The most obvious distinction in the geometry is the longer chainstays on the '71 model.
I think(?) the seat stays were a bit narrower too, but I never made any measurements.
There is a difference in the curve of the fork too. The '71 fork has a tighter radius on the curve.
I recall the '71 as being more flexible. Hard to say how much of this was due to the frame and how much was due to being ridden as a fixed gear.

Pics...
Here's the '71, complete with wrap-over seat stays and the fun "anniversary" head badge.



and here's the '74.


Steve in Peoria

orcas island 

1973 with Capella lugs. It’s a very non-original build.

ascherer 

1971.

Same bike, different days. First I built it in the spirit of the original, then it got rando-ized with a modern drivetrain, then it went IGH townie commuter/grocery hauler, it's current incarnation.

repechage

Clement Strada 66... what a great tire.

repechage

Those with the Capella lugs were so attractive.
Mine is that color but Nervex.
I like the assembly but I really ,really want to hack saw off that brake bolt.

that bottle cage held with Rivnuts?

orcas island 

^ Yes, that bolt does need to be shortened

Charles Wahl

Oddly, and at variance with a lot of English bikes from the '70s, the International requires a longer reach brake in front than in the rear. Many English frames have greater reach required for the rear, and will need a Weinmann 750 centerpull, or a longer caliper by Mafac or Universal. There are some, though, that have shorter reach on the rear -- I have one, by another frame maker, and a couple that have equal reach front and rear. One reason for longer rear reach might be that it makes sense to have the rear brake be less effective than the front, when using the same hand pressure on the levers. Part of the problem WRT the Internationals in this thread is that people are putting 700C rims on a bike originally equipped with 27" rims (622 vs 630 mm bead seat diameter), which means you need a caliper that will give you 4 mm more reach. {<<Nope; see below, corrected} It may be that the fork crown (Nervex?) used on the International was deep enough to require more reach in front than the rear.

nlerner

My impression (and I think the catalogs support this) is that Int'ls came stock with sew ups, i.e., 700c wheels. That said, my '74 takes shortish reach brakes front and rear!

daka

I concur with @nlerner that Internationals were shipped new with tubulars. In the early '70s, wire bead tires were considerably heavier than modern clinchers and there was a big difference in performance.
That said, my '74 International has 27" tires/rims, has short reach Weinmann 610 centerpulls front and rear and the pads are in the center of the adjustment slot, almost as though it was designed that way....

In contrast, the tubular-equipped Raleigh Professional Mk 1 that has recently appeared in the garage has the longer Weinmann 750 in the rear and the pads are nearly to the bottom of the slots - go figure.