big chainring 

Picked this up last week. Bought it from the original owner. Paint is in great condition. Not all original parts but mostly period correct components. Cinelli stem, Brooks saddle, Simplex Criterium derailleur, Nervar Star cranks. Nice stuff, all in good condition.

Curious what you all thought on this one. Really early Competition in the unique Lilac color. I bought it for the color. Always liked this color Comp.

big chainring 

It actually came with Suntour derailleurs. I put the Simplex on. I like them. My derailleur of choice actually.

Cresthoodlum

Nice!

bikemig 

This is a sweet bike. Is the head badge missing? What about the decals?

big chainring 

Yes the headbadge is there. And the script is very subtle on this bike. Love it.
Note the chainstays are the rapier type, 531?

big chainring 

I paid a bit of money for this bike. Maybe overpaid. Any thoughts on value?

bikemig 

This is a classy bike. It would be very hard for me to resist a bike like this if one showed up locally. Fortunately, the local CL is poor; good thing I don't live in Cook County.

Tourist in MSN

I worked in a Raleigh shop in 1973. I do not think any of the Raleighs came with any Japanese components at that time, my 1972 Gran Prix came with Simplex deraileurs.

The Simplex stuff did not stay on our bikes very long. Most of us that were wrenching on bikes usually switched to a Suntour rear. I and maybe one or two others used high normal Suntour front derailleurs (maybe the Spirt?), but most of the other mechanics used Huret Luxe front derailleurs. We had a few that had Campy equipment, but most of us working as mechanics could not afford Campy stuff at that time.

big chainring 

I meant that the way I purchased it last week, it came with Suntour derailleurs. Pretty sure Simplex is what was spec'd back in '71. And I like the performance and looks of the Simplex derailleurs.

rootboy 

It would be just a wild guess if I took a stab at value, but I Think this bike definitely deserves a premium. That color and in that condition? Talk about high cool factor. I love the black Competitions. But this purple one is extra special, IMO. And pretty scarce. Especially in such condition.
Primo score, Big Ring.
I love it.

Wild uneducated guess: $550 to 700 bucks.

big chainring 

Hey thanks for that rootboy. The bike has a few condition quirks but I can live with them.

The things I like on this bike are the rapier chainstays, no indents for tire or chainring clearance.

And it's straight. I tend to buy bargain priced, beat up bikes. They all need some staightening. This one tracks real nice and the wheels sit centered in the frame.

Both the headset and bottom bracket were very loose when I bought it. Both adjusted just fine. This is the first bike I have had with a decent headset, no brinelling.

And of course the color is just wild.

jyl

That is one of the loveliest bikes ever. The color is exquisite.

juvela

thanks very much for sharing this addition to the stable big chainring!

this finish is quite rare in my experience, a great find.

have one from ~1967 in the brg colour, back when they came through with the zeus competition chainset.

those look like early sanshin matsumoto hubs you are running. iirc the ex-works wheels were constructed with luxe competitions.

btw - in case cino is holding the machine's original ventoux i hope there is some shim stock in there; that is a one mm difference.

big chainring 

You mean the guidon? They are from an old Bottecchia with 26.4 dia.

The hubs are Normandy. Normandy Sport? They have removable dust caps. And round rims! Old Weinmann rims that are true, no hops or flat spots.

juvela

thanks very much for the information big chainring.

what made me think the hubs were sanshin matsumoto was the combination of small round flange holes and what appears to be a sunshine skewer on the rear hub. perhaps just my poor eyesight!

if you have occasion to repack the bottom bracket i would be curious to learn if the rapier chainstays are seamless. the ones on my 1967 raleigh competition are also rapier and they are seamed. this despite the frame wearing a 531 transfer indicating it is an eleven tuber. so i would expect that my frame's seat stays are also likely seamed.

have really enjoyed seeing your new arrival.

thank you once again for sharing here.

goraman

The color is exquisite.[/QUOTE]

If your into Barny.
I'd be all over that frame with a can of Hunter Green paint.

Flog00

I agree with the $500-700 valuation.
I could see just the frame/fork fetching north of $500 on ebay if presented well.
Great color and a good size too.

due ruote 

Well, to each his own, but I and I think a bunch of others are glad BC has it and not you. Imho, a bike this unusual and well-preserved should be left alone, even if you can't stand the color. Just pass it along to someone else and find one you like better.

Or maybe you were joking, in which case...never mind.

juvela

Was the lilac colour offered only this one year?

In the years immediately prior to this the Competition seemed to be offered in british racing green and in black. In the years immediately following this they seemed to be black only.

Is this correct Raleigh experts? Thank you.

Senior Ryder 00 

Hi,

This may have been a transition bike between model changes. I had a Competition in the same color and with the same decals from the early 70s, but it had a band on the seat tube and the head tube that were painted a darker violet color. It came with a Stronglight crankset, Huret derailleurs/shifters, sew-ups, Brooks seat (which I still have)and Weinmann center-pulls.

This was my first quality bike and as I remember it was a great ride when compared to the Schwinns I had been riding.

Enjoy!

Kactus

I have to agree with others... I love the color!

juvela

Thanks very much. Have a memory of seeing one like yours in the showroom back in the day...

rootboy 

Now, that is interesting. I wonder if the loose headset had something to do with the lack of brinelling.

big chainring 

Best I could tell the previous owner liked to tinker, but had no clue. BB ball retainers were in backwards. Bike was sold to me with maybe 15 psi in the tires, he thought that the tires were pumped up. Elderly gent with long time physical issues. This bike wasn't ridden much.

stephenjvb

I bought one of these new in about 1971 with a 24.5" frame. It had the same wheelbase as a friends Frijas (I have NO idea how to spell it.) but the crank was further forward with with less headset angle and straighter forks. The toe clips hit the front tire but it felt like it jumped around corners. The frame cracked where the rear stay met the seat tube. It was under warranty so I got a new frame. It was black, which was a little disappointing, but it had different geometry so it wasn't fun to ride - broke my heart. If I'd known beforehand I'd have just paid to have my old frame fixed.

I really miss this bike - I've been looking for another, but no luck so far, except for a 22.5" frame. This should be fun ride.

This was my only transportation for a few years.Since sew-ups were expensive and hard to fix (I'm no seamstress). I put a high ptressure clincher on the back but kept the sew-up on the front. They're light and sound so nice.

I may have found a frame (stripped but it has the same color paint inside the down tube). I could get forks made, but I don't know the rake. If you can measure it and reply I'd really appreciate it.

Thanks