Classic & Vintage - Raleigh Grand prix

hi all,

thinking of buying this bike. its a blue Raliegh Grand Prix...
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Classic-Vintage-Raleigh-Grand-Prix-Road-Bike-ADELAIDE_W0QQitemZ330028233301QQihZ014QQcategoryZ7298QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
i have a few questions, does anyone know the specs of this bike? or what year this particular example is? was it a higher end model or a fairly basic one? the seller mentions reynold tubing, if this is true what model tubeset is it?

thanks in advance

SHANE

Shane, I have the '79 Raleigh catalog in front of me, and it shows that very same Grand Prix in that color scheme. Not a Reynolds 531 frame, I'm afraid; instead, it's 20-30 high tensile steel. Looks like most everything else is original though I can't tell if the rims are steel or alloy. Original would have been steel. It was a pretty basic bike.

Last week a 1960 or 1961 Lenton Grand Prix, which was a 531 frame, sold on eBay for about $160. That was a pretty good deal for whoever snagged it.

Neal

Shane, good find. I bought a Raleigh GP off ebay au a couple of months ago which is almost identical to that one. It's partway through being changed around a bit, but the bike itself is solid, a great rider, with good geometry. Mine has a rack, panniers, and full fenders. It will be my hauling/touring/rain bike hopefully.

The bike probably comes with alloy Normandy hubs, Raleigh badged Weinmann brakes (which are great, btw), alloy bar and stem etc. Steel 27 * 1 1/4" rims are being replaced by 700s on mine for tyre availability.

I'd suggest picking that one up.

edit: I think mine is a 1977. It came with different brake levers.

- Joel

Just my $0.02... they look like alloy rims to me.

I love the Grand Prix, even though it's hi-ten, for one reason. Check out those seat stays, where they attach to the seat post. Notice how they completely wrap around the seat post? Very, very cool. I think there was only one other bike that had a similar seat stay treatment.

The Grand Prix was second from the bottom, I believe, but still worth having because of those unique seat stays, in my opinion. And this one looks like it's in top condition, too, so definitely worth having.

Retro Raleighs: The Grand Prix (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/grand-prix.html)

Those seatstays are a Carlton hallmark; several bikes built at Workshop share this feature.

Any higher-end models with those seat stays worth looking at?

Any higher-end models with those seat stays worth looking at?

Early Raleigh Professional models ('69 & '70) have quite a similar treatment - but with a slightly neater finish (at least on mine).

Hi Shane,
I've owned a '77 Grand Prix for many years. It is a good, durable bike. The frame is Raleigh 20-30 tubing, making it heavier than a Reynolds frame for sure, but still a good ride. I recently picked up a second Grand Prix for a parts swap because it had alloy rims and a Suntour 6-speed freewheel - both were worthwhile upgrades. I don't have a pic of my original GP (in ugly brown metallic), but here is a shot of the silver/blue frame after I took the wheels off. Way back when I rode the brown one as my only bike, I built a set of 27x1" wheels on Campy Tippo hubs and used the old Specialized Turbo tires. That was a huge improvement over stock wheels and I'd recommend something similar but a little more modern if you buy this bike.
Best wishes!
Drew