Spitty6

Hi all,

The bike collection grew again last week as I purchased anold Raleigh road bike that was going begging.

From what I can tell, the new addition is (well, at leastthe frame is..) a Raleigh Gran Sport of 1962 vintage. The serial number is AG 54688 N, so lookingat the Sheldon Brown ‘how old is my Raleigh’ I deduce that it’s a 1962!?!...It appears to have originally been SunsetYellow with a black head tube however, the ’62 catalogue seems to suggest thatit should be a white head tube.It hasbeen over painted in a bronze colour at some point, but a lot of that ischipped or worn off.It also has tracesof the large ‘chap on a racer’ decal on the seat tube rather than a white band,and it have an early Raleigh head tube badge.Any thoughts/clarifications on year gratefully received.

The bike is a ‘bitsa’ bike as it stands and has none of theoriginal equipment on it. It has been well used and abused over the years andall the good stuff has been robbed from it. Here’s a list of what I’ve found so far… It seems to have a differentfront fork, it’s running a single chain ring and a 5 speed block at the backwith shifting courtesy of a Simplex derailleur, a pair of Huret down tube shifters(one obviously not connected to anything), a mishmash of brakes – WeinmannLevers, Weinmann 730 side pull calliper on the front and a no name side pull calliperon the back. Both wheels are shot/buckled, the rear hub is a Maillard hub but Ihaven’t cleaned the front one yet to see what that is.

As far as I can think I have a couple of options as to whatto do with it….

• Restore using as many original bits as I can(Campy mechs etc) to as near factory as I can get without spending silly money.
• Restore into a 10 speed bike again but using a suitablevaguely period groupset and components - what would be suitable?
• Restore what I have and leave it as a 5 speed asits currently set up
• Convert to a single speed
• Or part out and sell the various bits on

Answers/advice on a postcard!!


I’ll get some photos of the beast this weekend and get someup on here for you all to admire.

Pompiere

Sounds like a good candidate to put some wheels on and make it a 5 speed city/beater bike. There is a lot of stuff missing to warrant a complete restoration, plus the paint doesn't sound too good.

3speedslow

Let's see some pics. To replace what was original will take time and a good bit of money to do a proper job. You also do not want to ride around on a bike that would be an embarrassment.

As of now, #2, 4 or 5 might be your best direction.

Spitty6

I'll get some pics over the weekend and post them up... though I'll warn you all, it's not pretty (yet)


What recommendations are there for a reasonably period group set, or a group set that won't look too out of place? I think I'm keener to have something with gears, as I live on the edge of the Cotswolds which is far from flat and feel that I'd definitely get more use out of a geared bike. Though the thought of a fixie does appeal too!

3speedslow

Well, 62 is when Raleigh completely revamped their fast bike lineup with DRs only offered. The GS got the Campy GS but the Blue Streak received the Cyclo Benelux DRs. Huerta could be an option but I am unclear which model would be period appropriate. If you cruise through Disraeli Gears you could find out.

I have a 62 GS with the copper colour, white headtube and Campy GS mechs. Love to see this paint scheme and frame of yours.

bTW, with the proper toothed cog in back, a 3 or 4 speed would handle those hills possibly.