Classic & Vintage - Upgrade 1973-4 Raleigh Super Course?

I have a Raleigh Super Course that I bought new around 1973 or 1974 I think. It is completely original and has been in storage for many years. I'm tempted to get back into cycling and started wondering about restoring the Raleigh as opposed to buying a new bike. Any thoughts, tips, or advice? Potential pitfalls like thread sizes or tires or anything? Thanks all.

Keep it stock. Change only tires, brake pads, cables, housings, chain. Repack bearings and ride!

Can I change the seat too or would that be heresy? I think the old brooks is still in good shape but I don't have fond memories of it for comfort level.

Send me that evil Brooks; I'll make it pay for its crimes. ;)

I'm with qmsdc: keep it stock. Newer bikes are plentiful; an original '70s Super Course isn't. If it turns out you're riding a lot, you can always pick up a more modern bike.

The saddle will be more comfortable after it breaks in, give it another decade or so... but seriously, there is no more comfortable saddle.

Well, ok, if you say so... it has several years of use on it... I mean, I used to ride quite a bit. :(

You might want to replace the saddle with a wider Brooks... I think the Super Course came with either a
B-17N or maybe a B-5N, both of which are narrow saddles. A B-17 Standard is much more comfortable (for me, anyway). Once you've got 'em adjusted right, you won't mind breaking 'em in. Once broken in, you won't want to ride any other saddle!


Can I change the seat too or would that be heresy? I think the old brooks is still in good shape but I don't have fond memories of it for comfort level.

Keep it stock. Change only tires, brake pads, cables, housings, chain. Repack bearings and ride!

Sorry - I missed a bit of this earlier: what "housings" do you mean?

If it looks kind of like it did when it was new, it's possible even if used a lot and old. If it is warped or stretched or cracked maybe a lost cause.

Brake and gear cable housing might be shot maybe not. You might just need to lube the cables. If the chain is stretched out you need new freewheel, hopefully you can use the original drivetrain. Tires must be dry rotted and brake pads dried out. I think I would replace all cables and the housing they run through.

Thanks for the info - I guessed you meant the cable housings but wasn't sure.
Any suggestions for upgrading the derailleurs? The drivetrain should be in pretty good shape 'cause I used to completely strip the bike every winter and clean and repack everything but I never much liked the derailleurs that it came with and had often thought of upgrading them even 30 years ago.
I'm off to my local bike shop today to see if they stock 27" tires...

I'll have to take a look at that thread about putting money into vintage bikes - I don't want to fix up a 30+ year old Raleigh and find out I could have bought a brand-new Scattante Carbon!!!!!!!

Any suggestions for upgrading the derailleurs?

Something along the lines of an old SunTour VGT would probably work better and not look out of place.

but I never much liked the derailleurs that it came with and had often thought of upgrading them even 30 years ago.
I'm off to my local bike shop today to see if they stock 27" tires...

I'll have to take a look at that thread about putting money into vintage bikes - I don't want to fix up a 30+ year old Raleigh and find out I could have bought a brand-new Scattante Carbon!!!!!!!

What mswantak said - or SunTour Cyclone very smooth, started putting them on Super Courses in 1977.

Your LBS should offer to order 27" if they don't have them. Wal Mart even carries them, but they have that radioactive stripe all around the sidewall.

Scattante Carbon? Let's break the word down here. Scat - dried animal droppings (which are largely carbon btw). :p If a company begins with that, I'm not sticking around to see where that leads. :D

What mswantak said - or SunTour Cyclone very smooth, started putting them on Super Courses in 1977.
Thanks for the tip.



Scattante Carbon? Let's break the word down here. Scat - dried animal droppings (which are largely carbon btw). :p If a company begins with that, I'm not sticking around to see where that leads. :D

Funny, it doesn't look like animal droppings... :eek:


http://www.supergo.com/product_images/large/30-0694.jpg

Sorry. My zealotry got the better of me there. Looks about as nice as any of the carbons I've seen.

If I was paying, I'd still take the SuperCourse over it. If someone gave it to me, I take it, sell it and use the money to buy a 753-framed Raleigh Team Pro. :) But I recognize, we're all different -- and if everybody wanted old Raleighs, I wouldn't be able to afford them. Good luck with the index shifters though. I doubt I'll ever be sold on them.

Sorry. My zealotry got the better of me there. Looks about as nice as any of the carbons I've seen.

If I was paying, I'd still take the SuperCourse over it. If someone gave it to me, I take it, sell it and use the money to buy a 753-framed Raleigh Team Pro. :) But I recognize, we're all different -- and if everybody wanted old Raleighs, I wouldn't be able to afford them. Good luck with the index shifters though. I doubt I'll ever be sold on them.

Index shifters? I'm not buying the Scat - someone pointed it out to me as, supposedly, an outstanding value in a new road bike - but I'm not willing to speculate $1300 on it when I've got my trusty old Super Course with lots of miles left. Same reason I buy old Seiko dive watches I guess...

I'm with you now. Thought you were semi-seriously considering the Scattante. I guess considering how much new stuff costs these days, you could easily do far worse - value-wise.

What a gyp! All that money for the Scattante and they don't even give you all the spokes...

Or pedals either. Sheesh.

those scattantes are really flexy in the bottom bracket area i'd avoid them

Why are we talking about this Scattytaunty thing? Let's go back to discussing the obvious superiority of Simplex retrofriction shifters over them newfangled indexy things instead. Or something.

Why are we talking about this Scattytaunty thing? Let's go back to discussing the obvious superiority of Simplex retrofriction shifters over them newfangled indexy things instead. Or something.

Hey, I only brought that gee-whiz-techno-marvel-scatalogical-taunter into the discussion because I don't intend spending vast amounts of money on my old Super Course. I'm horrified at the prices on components these days.
I'm going out to the garage to strip down those old Simplex derailleurs... lucky I've saved my tools all these years...

Let us know how it goes, Noddy, and post some pictures. Besides the scattytaunty, that is. Have fun!

Let us know how it goes, Noddy, and post some pictures. Besides the scattytaunty, that is. Have fun!

This isn't going to go down very well in this particular section of the forums but I've pretty much decided to part out the Raleigh and, eventually, cross over to the dark side by purchasing a 2004-2005 road bike. Thanks for everyone's thoughts!

Why part it out? You sure wouldn't have any trouble selling in it one piece, especially since it's original and you're the original owner. Seems like a waste...

Why part it out? You sure wouldn't have any trouble selling in it one piece, especially since it's original and you're the original owner. Seems like a waste...

Just a suspicion that it may fetch a few dollars more that way - not to mention being easier to ship bits and pieces - although it would be much less work to sell one item than ten.

You could be right in an average instance, but I'd bet if the bike were advertised stressing the fact that it's an all-original, one owner example the opposite would be the case.

This isn't going to go down very well in this particular section of the forums but I've pretty much decided to part out the Raleigh and, eventually, cross over to the dark side by purchasing a 2004-2005 road bike. Thanks for everyone's thoughts!

What size is the frame?

What size is the frame?

Frame is 23.5 inches from center of bottom bracket to top of seat tube. Would you believe I took about 20 pictures of it today (nice and sunny) only to realize that there was no #$@%^ memory card in the @#@$# camera? I hate it when that happens. :mad:
I'll try again another day.