Yo Jimbo

Hi all
My latest thrift store purchase is this nifty GP, I think it,s a late 60's or early 70's. The serial number is on the BB seven digit 28235xx . The head badge just says Raleigh and there is a decal on the down tube saying Gazelle. Anyone figure out what year this one is?

juvela

odd that it has nutted hubs rather than the ususal qr one would expect on a gp. fork appears to have been "relaxed" or "softened" by someone riding down steps or off curbs.

have also had one or two of these gazelle built gp's. i would guess ~1972-73. not only did gazelle build some but also around this time there were some done in ireland. had a dark red flambouyant one with black and gold trim come through with a "made in ireland" label on the seat tube.

Yo Jimbo

A , few more pics:

juvela

the deformation of the fork shows in the third picture of this group. if you clean the hub barrels you may find they are marked "tdc" for t.d. cross ltd.

Yo Jimbo

Ah, bummer I can see it now. I didn't notice it when I bought it. I took some more photos and I compared it to my Super Grand Prix. Is that something I can fix or is the fork toast? I like the frame size on it. Well I only paid $29.99 for it, the leather seat was worth more than that.

sailorbenjamin

I bet you could straighten that. Check that the steerer tube isn't bent, too. Did you get a flip flop hub on yours?

juvela

Hello Yo Jimbo (are we to picture you running though a medieval japanese alley with a human hand in your mouth?) ,

thank you for the additional pictures. the fork's steerer is bent just above the crown. the bend will take the form of a bow. the blades appear to be fine from what can be seen in the pictures.

straightening -

you can get it pretty good without any special tools.

remove fork from frame and remove brake caliper from fork. you can leave fork crown race in place, it doesn't really matter.

use a half-round bastard file to deburr the interior of the bottom end of the steerer.

find a piece of solid steel bar stock about 20-22 mm in diameter to employ as a straightening mandrel. a piece two to three feet long will give you more than enough leverage. this can be located usually at a place such as a junkyard/dump/community recycling centre.

you can determine the area and size of the deformation by holding a straightedge up against the steerer.

clamp the steerer in a hefty bench vise with wooden blocks between the steerer and the jaws of the vise.

now you can pull things straight with the mandrel. the steel has a slight springiness so it is necessary to take things very slightly past where you want to go as the metal will want to return somewhat.

after making an adjustment you can again check the steerer with a straightedge to see if a second adjustment will be necessary.

when you think you have it straight then reassemble the headset. check to see if it can be adjusted to turn smoothly and evenly. if it binds in one spot and is loose in another then there is still a misalignment somewhere. a readjustment to the steerer will be needed.

Yo Jimbo

Yep flip flop, not on my SGP though.

Yo Jimbo

Thanks juvela for the good tips, I think I can get it done or real close. I'm going to give it a try. I'll post my results.

Yo Jimbo

auchencrow

Yo Jimbo -
Good luck with the fork straightening - It's not so difficult - but you just have to take it S L O W or you risk overdoing it and doing more damage.

Yours is a pre-1973 based on the decals. It's interesting that Raleigh went for the additional capacity in Holland so soon. I have 2 Gazelle GP's from 1973-4 (a blue and a white one). I'm really not clear on when Gazelle's contract started or stopped.

- But they're really nice bikes. Just replace the steel rims with alloy, and it will surprise you.

IknowURider

These are fantastic frames. I've restored and sold two of them.

DMNHCAGrandPrix

Same color and same font as my early 70s Holland-made Raleigh Grand Prix. Same fork too! (I liked to launch myself off a curb at the end of a freeway overpass on my way to high school, and also ended up with a bend like that one). I put a ton of fun miles on that bike, and hope you enjoy yours as well.

juvela

Hello Yo Jimbo,

it has been a fortnight. how are things progressing? have you been able to realign the bicycle's fork? discover any marking on the hub barrels?

best wishes with it.