Nwvlvtnr 

I just acquired this Raleigh and have a question. It appears to be a ‘73 Grand Sport save for one detail: it has stamped dropouts where the catalog appears to show forged Simplex dropouts. The white paint on the frame has been resprayed and appears to cover the lower blue seat post tube stripe while consistent otherwise. The fork crown and rear top tube cable housing stop also match the Gran/ Grand Sport not to mention the stem, bars, brakes and wheels match the factory spec from the ‘73 US Catalog. 27.0 mm seat post.

So do I have a Gran Sport? Are the stamped dropouts likely just due to early production or Bicycle boom shortages?

Regardless it rides really well despite being due for a complete overhaul, I also feel that I finally have a frame I can paint without a guilty conscience.

rustystrings61 

Yours is indeed a Raleigh GS, complete with the fancier of the two fork crowns used for this model and the Bocama Professional lugset. The overwhelming majority of these I have seen had stamped dropouts. My recently sold 1973 specimen did, as did the example I had in the early 80s. There were some outliers that used Zeus dropouts, but most of them were built with the same stamped dropouts that most Super Courses used - though there are exceptions to that rule as well.

I like the thoughtful upgrades to headset, crankset and derailleurs on your bike. Much as I love Stronglight 93s and Nervar Star cranksets, I bet you'll have an easier time of it finding chainrings for that Sugino crankset. And the Cyclone is just a wonderful derailleur, period. I fitted the same fenders to the .one I rode in the early 80s.

Nice bike, and I hope it fits you and you enjoy it greatly!

John E

Nothing wrong with stamped dropouts.


All stripped down and ready to rebuild.

Repainted Cap Sieger frame, serial number very close to that of my other Sieger, so who was I to say no to it?

1959 Capo with Nervar Star crank and Campag. 980 derailleur upgrades and new Brooks Pro saddle.

due ruote 

27.2 is likely the correct seat post size.
Nice bike.

rustystrings61 

Indeed! I acquired TWO 531-tubed '73 Raleighs in 2019, and both of them had been fitted with undersized seatposts. Once I gently massaged the seat lugs back into roundness and ran a brake cylinder hone down the inside of the seat tube to smooth off the built-up corrosion, a greased 27.2 mm post fit perfectly.

Nwvlvtnr 

Thank you all, I am not concerned about the stamped dropouts and I agree the upgrades are well chosen. The man I bought it from swore it was a Gand Prix but also had owned it since the late 1980s and stated he routinely rode it from San Diego to San Francisco and back.

Thanks for the heads up on the seat post I’ll be sure to take a look at that. It does fit me and appears to be nearly identical to my Bob Jackson Tourer in geometry and proportions. Not concerned about the stamped dropouts. I also love SunTour rear mechs and ride a Cyclone nearly every day.

John E

For me, that is the real test of frame quality -- does it have a butted moly steel main triangle? For a 28.6mm seat tube OD, you want to see a 27.2mm seat post ID.

juvela

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here are the BOCAMA Professional model lugs used to construct the frame -




the fork crown of your example is Vagner model Nr. 12+



examples built with the Zeus dropouts received these -




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Raleigh/Carlton called the shade of blue used on these "Lagoon Blue"

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tip -

you may discover the shell to be of ~66.5mm in width rather than the nominal 68mm. often needs a 1.0mm spacer behind the fixed cup for an ideal chainline.
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rustystrings61 

... and because juvela has gifted us with the catalog pages, for completeness sake I will note that the OTHER fork crown used on the '72-76 Raleigh GS is the DP + losange fraise, which I think they also used on a lot of Super Courses.

jamesj

I really like that Sugino crankset.