davlafont

Thanks dddd. The headset seems happy. I did follow the advice on tightening the quill first. Less happy was the BB which worked a little bit loose after a quick spin around the block. I tightened it down and it seems to be holding after a 6-miler. I'll continue to monitor but it was easy to feel so if it loosens again think I'll know it.

The biggest adjustment for me is the narrow spread of the handlebar. And the old school brake levers are as awkward as I had forgotten them to be. I have some excess friction in the rear brake cable. It could be at the ferrule which is the original 4mm brass piece, too small for the cable end to seat properly.

The weather has reverted to late winter. I'm hoping it will get warmer soon so I can sort out the little things and log some mileage.

Cheers!

Prowler 

You've done a great job - looks real nice. I do like your paint choice. I used Rustoleum (black) on my Ersatz Gran Prix and it is holding up very well. The lug lining will look great too. Don't over do it, maybe just the HT lugs first then ponder a while before doing others. Take you time and seek balance.

A practically useless tip: I've found that those original Raleigh seat tube binder bolt nuts are not metric nor 'murican. I have found that a 17/32 socket works just fine and is far better than an adjustable wrench. 17/32" socket and an extension and you keep away from the seat stay paint. 17/32" sockets are hard to find. I lucked out finding one among a POC fished out of the recycling tip at the township lot.

On the brake levers: when I build a bike for myself I don't do the final bar wrap for quite a while. I use old inner tube for a while and ride a few hundred miles, making minor adjustments to the HB rotation (ex: tops level, pitched down, how much pitch, etc) lever placement on the bars and the lever mounting angle (I tilt my levers outward a couple of degrees) until I've locked down what feels most comfortable to me. Then I do the final wrap. Such fiddling around might help you find the setting that is most comfortable for you. One should also leave the cables/housing too long until this is done - then trim to final length once you've found the sweet spot. We're each different.

One other thought. I trust that you've installed those herkin big wheel reflectors cuz you'll be riding after dark, safety feature. Otherwise remove them and toss them down that bottomless pit with all the grip shifters and beach cruisers. If you were to hold a reflectored wheel in your hands by the axle ends and spin the wheel, you'd be surprised at how much those reflectors imbalance the wheel and cause wobble. Much worse at bike speed. I believe, BITD, US DOT was staffed by "account executives, hair dressers and telephone sanitizers"* but no engineers.

* thanks to Doug Adams "Hitch Hikers Guide"
Love what you've built.

Slash5

Wow, that's nice work. I just finished a build and was told that the horizontal section of the rear derailleur should be more or less parallel with the chain stay. You will need to adjust the B screw.

davlafont

Thanks for the kinds words!

Exactly my strategy. I lined the fork crown first. A little shaky. That when I decided to assemble the bike and live with it before adding more. Same for the decals (that was a cost decision). I do have to attach the headbadge though, that's not optional!

Or so the theory goes. My commute home features busy traffic. Right now, in March, the sky is still dark enough to warrant the extra visibility. Theoretically. The fact that I still haven't commuted on this bike yet is irrelevant. There's good probability that I'll ACTUALLY commute when daylight is still quite bright. I'll reconsider the reflectors over time.

Good catch. Some things I'm good about researching, others not so much.

noglider 

Very nice work. It's a special ride, isn't it? I adore mine, and mine looks like heck.

davlafont

So digging around a little I did read that younger, indexed Suntour RDs prefer that parallel setting. I revisited Sheldon Brown to proceed with dialing in the RD. His guidance on the b-screw is to make sure the cage or jockey pulley clears the largest cog. Even fully loosened as pictured above it have no issue there. But the chain is overly slack when shifted to small-small. The b-screw can help with that, but I suspect I have one too many links in the chain. Sheldon recommends one full link of overlap when wrapped big-big (and no RD). I have two full links and some slack. Elsewhere on BF I've read that two links is proper, but I think I'd rather have less slack in the event I lose track of where I am and somehow end up shifting to small-small.

spock345

I have been experimenting with a few suntour RDs recently (honor, cyclone GT, and VGT) and have found they all seem to be happiest when the parallelogram is about parallel to the chainstay. Also been using 2 full links for slack and nothing has gone yet.

Slash5

For road bikes I usually set the chain length just short enough so there is chain tension when on small small and then check for no issues on big big.
For MTB I do the big big plus 2 links.

davlafont

Yup, getting the parallelogram to near parallel with the chainstay has improved matters. The chain has sufficient tension in small-small and it seems to have relieved the tendency to fall off the big chain ring in the lower gears. Could be my imagination but I'm keeping it set this way.

davlafont

Putting the "utility" in Sport Utility Bike.



Sadly, the bottom panel of the Wald baskets don't lock and after some bump the bottoms fell out and the Sam took the fall for the team. I'll attach some mini twist ties to prevent that from happening on future beer runs. But the proof of concept is working. This photo is taken on the way home from work, my laptop bag set securely under the mousetrap spring.

nlerner

^ impressive!

oddjob2

Buy a bag of zip ties at Harbor Freight for $3.00. Much better than twist ties.

davlafont

End-of-summer update:
I've ridden close to 270 miles over 15 separate outings. This bike is everything I wanted it to be. Today I completed the 42-mile Piccolo Fondo course of Gran Fondo NJ out of Morristown. Such a lovely ride in some of NJ's most scenic countryside. 2,500 riders on five different routes. VERY few classics like mine. I saw one woman on a vintage Raleigh Mixte but didn't have much time to chat other than "nice bike!." The Super Course did great. I can't get over how well she glides (not a Super Course thing per se I suppose). Must be the combination of 27" wheels, wide tires, well tuned spokes, and good grease in the hubs? Anyway, I held my own against plenty of modern bikes and got a few nice comments too.

Things that have changed:
Ditched the 6 pounds of vintage rear rack (plus Wald baskets) for 2 pounds of modern aluminum rack. Platform/SPD dual-sided pedals. And most recently (and functionally significant), SR stem and Randonneur bars. The bars came from fellow forumite MZilliox (thanks again!) and are a much, much, much better fit for me. If I save up my allowance I will wrap the bar with Walnut Studiolo bullwhip leather wrap in dark brown. Sadly, my Brooks leather got damaged by my teenager (grrr) so the new bar wears inexpensive synthetic in medium brown.

Photos in the next post...

Super Course FTW!

davlafont

Highlights of the 2016 Gran Fondo NJ wherein our trusty steel C&V steed held its own in a sea of modern carbon fiber machines...


Steel is real!



More "Tourer" than "Sports" in the Sports-Tourer equation



These rando bars were much more comfortable that the narrow bars fitted by the previous owner



Raleigh climbs like a champ



Raleigh takes me to the top



Raleigh makes me feel like a winner!

davlafont

EPILOGUE: So, I’ve enjoyed the Super Course as a project and as a bike. The high watermark came in September 2016 riding in the Gran Fondo NJ. Not long after that I embarked on my next project, a long-distance touring bike. I considered adapting the Super for that purpose, but it seemed the be forcing the issue. I found a good condition 1984 Trek 720 with a full set of luggage instead.

This year, 2017, I rode the Super Course a bit in the beginning of my season while my body was still rusty and my riding buddy was in a horrible state of fitness. As he improved and my own joints and muscles loosened up, I switched to my modern road bike and then to the Trek (to mold its saddle and get used to it in general).

The Super is now in ‘sport’ mode: no racks, bags, or fenders, but still wearing the Paselas and a plain drop handlebar, wider than what I bought it with (the rando bar being moved to the touring Trek). I need to tinker with the BB. I think the adjusting cup may have tightened up because the crank has some noticeable drag. Perhaps the grease needs changing, but that’s unlikely. I should strip the frame and address some paint issues. My rattlecan job has held up nicely except for a few spots that suffered from me rushing the bike into service rather than letting the paint cure long enough. I strapped a phone mount to the top tube and it created an impression in the paint. Also, the chainstay has splotches, I think from chain lube acting as a solvent on the fresh paint. And there are dings and scrapes from normal wear & tear. Any paint touch ups will have to wait for spring to return with favorable temps.

Best wishes to anyone else keeping their vintage Raleigh on the road!

Slightspeed

Great story. I love my '73, found as a bare frame in a scrap pile. It needed some frame brazing for seat stay cracks on the eliptical fillets, added water bottle bosses, replaced cable guides removed by some single speed genius in a past life. After stripping it, I rode it naked for a few weeks, then committed to a full paint and decal job. I used a non stock Toyota Spruce Mica paint. It's now my new favorite, and ready for next year's Eroica, with a set of hill friendly gears, and a great ride quality. I've done 1400 miles since building it, loving every mile! Thanks for sharing yours. Mine was a blank canvas and the forum was a great resource in completing my first build. It can become addicting. As found, and finished (and interim naked) photos below.

davlafont

I'm doing some winter projects and I've got my super up on the stand. I found some vintage white Carlton hoods that have cleaned up nicely. While there, I've changed the synthetic tape to cork in a darker shade brown, closer to the catalog. I still want to do a leather wrap, but I need to justify by riding it more.

I'm at a fork in the road, but I'm pretty sure I'm going to take it*. I tuned up the bottom bracket cup that had become snug. While spinning the crank (no chain) I find myself annoyed by a slight wobble in the chain ring. It causes a clicking in certain gear combinations and may have caused a dropped chain or two. This is the original steel Stronglight that has seen better days. When refurbishing the bike, I had to stake the spider-crankarm join to eliminate some play. I've had to bend a couple of teeth into alignment. I might be able to bend the ring flat I'm not entirely sure the wobble is the chain ring or the spindle, but if I have to remove that cotter pin again, it will be the last time. I've got my eye on some used cranksets and BBs on eBay.

Should I be looking at spindle lengths of 110, 111, 112? Or something other? (Assume a double crankset, perhaps Campy like the higher-end Raleighs came with.)

My true dilemma is that if I pull the BB apart, the bike is begging for me to pull the fork and headset and to do a fresh coat of paint. I guess with tapered square BB, it's less hassle to strip the frame down, so I could do a paint job later without a great amount of additional effort. Just thinking aloud here...


*apologies to Yogi Bera.

Slightspeed

When I found the bike (pictures above your recent post) it already had a 125mm spindle with Sugino AT crank, but no chain rings, as the top picture shows. I decided to stay with it, though it sticks out a lot on the left (non drive) side. The inner ring bolts just clear the frame with a couple of 1.37 i.d. spacers between the cup and frame. My whole point was to build a hill friendly Eroica bike, and the long spindle and triple worked out very nicely, with a Shimano 34t 6 speed in back. On my other bikes I use knee saver pedal extenders to keep my leg at a better, more vertical angle. With the longer spindle, I don't need them on this bike. I can't advise you on what you need for yours, but 110-112 sounds like the right ball park. I have an old Campy 52/42 that I may put on after the Eroica ride, so I need to look at the spindle for that, also. I'm thinking brown leather type bar wrap, and maybe go crazy with brown cable housings, too. Post a picture of your cork tape if you can. Thanks, and good luck with yours. Great bike!

davlafont

Vintage Nervar 52-40T 170mm alloy crankset on the way. Vintage Campy NR 112mm BB winning bid (currently).

I’m now seriously considering changing out my freewheel to get some lower gearing. I live in a hilly area and I’ve cursed my current gears on more than one occasion. I wish the Suntour Ultra-6 14-34T unit I found wasn’t $180+. I’m now looking at Suntour Alpha 14-32T five speed. Fortunately, the RD I picked for this build was the Suntour V-GT which will accommodate taller cogs. That was not on purpose; it was the first best affordable group I found at the time. I might have gone Cyclone or 600 Arabesque or similar just as easily.

And maybe a set of Suntour Powershift downtube levers...? Winter is too long.

davlafont

A few pics

davlafont

davlafont

Here's where we landed with changes noted above, plus a new Selle Anatomica saddle that won't stay mounted on this bike. I've got a modern bike coming together that this saddle is intended for. Meanwhile, I'll be using the Super Course to get used to and dial in the SA.

I'm most likely gonna mount Velo Orange hammered fenders. The Planet Bike fenders I had on this bike before have migrated over the my Trek 720 tourer.

noobinsf 

How is the paint holding up? Seems ok, but it’s difficult to really tell from that distance. I ask because I am thinking about a DIY paint project later this summer, and I really appreciated your thorough documentation earlier in this thread.

davlafont

To be honest, it's okay at best. You get what you pay for and all told, the paint probably added up to $30-40 at most.

There are plenty of chips and dings to bare metal. I suspect I should have let the paint cure longer before reassembling and putting it into operation. I was careful to layer the coats thin but I still experienced an imprint where I clamped the frame during reassembly and where I wrapped a phone mount. At least the paint and primer didn't peel or flake.

I'm glad I didn't spend the big money for repro decals (yet). I will probably disassemble the bike this fall, sand and fill the current bald spots with high-build primer, and re-spray. That will probably "erase" the little bit of lug lining I did, but I can redo that too. I'll definitely use Duplicolor Metalcast Orange as a finishing coat next time. Then I'll just store the frame over winter before reassembly. Spray enamel will never be as durable as automotive lacquer or powdercoat, but I'm realistic about the value of the bike and what would be overkill.

davlafont

Late season update: This year I've been focused on my new bike but I did put some miles on the S/C earlier in the summer. I did some morning exercise and commuting in April, Bike-to-work challenge in May, and more recreational riding in June including a 35-mile Gran Fondo event for a total of about 326 miles. Considering my commute to work is as short as 4 miles (sometimes I take the 10-mile "long" way home), and my morning exercise route is only 16 miles (time limited mostly), I'm pleased with the amount of time I spent riding her. My new bike arrived early July so the Super Course has been parked for a couple of months. Last week, I took her to the beach as part of a sailing/camping activity at Sandy Hook National Park in New Jersey. I wasn't sure how much sailing we would do, so I brought the bike to keep me occupied on shore. We ended up sailing quite a bit, so very little biking afterall. These pics are the S/C in its current configuration and its natural setting.

'Til next time...


Sports Tourer = Campsite Companion



Morning sun makes for tough photography



I think my iPhone did some color correcting for me? Or maybe some fill flash I wasn't aware of.