Mr IGH

I went for a gravel grinder ride with my riding club, I rode my 1973 Raleigh Super Course that I tarted up with some modern parts. I was hammering away just fine, then we hit a big stretch of washboards at ~20mph. I started hoping the person that brazed my fork 42 years ago was sober the day my fork was built.

I'm starting to worry that my vintage frame wasn't really intended to be abused like this?

Maybe I should bit the bullet and get a modern steel frame from Surly/Salsa/Soma or the like for my gravel grinder?

icepick_trotsky 

I don't think that modern steel frames are any tougher/better constructed than vintage ones. The Super Course hasn't fallen apart over the course of the last 42 years, right? Maybe go with bigger tires if you're really worried about it. It looks like you have the clearance thanks to removing the rim brakes.

busdriver1959

Your SC will handle it just fine. Besides, how do you know that the welder behind the TIG torch on the modern bike was sober? If the filler on a lugged bike is insufficient there is still some support there. If a tig weld fails, what will hold that fork leg in place?

repechage

A brazing fault would probably have revealed itself a decade or two ago.

If you want buy a brand new Look cyclocross bike so you know it will brand new. If you are going to spend, spend big.

Spaghetti Legs 

I think your frame will be fine. Spokes and rims would be highest risk for breaking IMO. Years ago I used to ride on washboard trails with my steel shock-less mtb and I worried more about my arms failing than my bike.

fender1

Is it a trick of the camera or is the fork already tweaked a bit?

rhm

I see that, too. But I don't think it was riding on gravel that did the damage.

Barrettscv 

I didn't like the performance of my lugged fork on my Simoncini Cyclocross bike. The fork was very flexy, among other issues. I found a NOS Fuji fork that was a perfect fit. Now the bike is rock steady at high speeds and can absorb any abuse that I might dish out. The fork was $39.

Soma and Surly sell steel forks with 1 inch steerers.

himespau 

Give it a whirl. These things are meant to be ridden, right?

GravelGuy

I think a discussion point could be made that many older frames were built to ride gravel roads because…well, there were a lot of really crappy were back in the 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s in many parts of Europe, and the US for that matter. Bikes were built accordingly and riders had no qualms about taking them down some cow path or dirt road because that was the road. We didn’t know any better. Heck, some of us still don’t.

Wheelbases and chain stays were longer, had longer dropouts where more adjustments could be made and there was more clearance for tire width.

Even racing frames had longer wheelbases and more clearance. I semi-regularly put 35mm tires on my 1973 Colnago and ride gravel. And other than the looks other riders give me it’s a great ride.

cyclotoine

A gitane is french, there were no roubaix specific bikes back then you road the cobbles on your road bike. Cobbles are a whole lot worse than a lot of gravel roads. I would not be concerned.

I believe the camera angle is causing the illusion that the steerer is bent on the OP's bike. You would be able to tell pretty quick if it was as the headset would not stay tight and would bind when you turned the wheel.

SJX426 

I think you are taking less of a risk than those in the TdF of 80 years ago!

MileHighMark

Free your mind, and your bike will follow. Bicycles are a lot tougher and more versatile than the industry would have you believe.

crank_addict

Good topic. I consider the majority of gravel trails smooth, shouldn't have much if any concerns.

These days I seek more of the gravel and even the occasional ATB single track riding a road bike (modern and vintage). It's quite amazing what the fork's duty is and the punishment it takes. Those boulders and challenging descents riding a full rigid frame is where ones nerves are tested.

(Depicted is a bi-plane crowned road fork that oddly came on an old Specialized Stumpjumper hardtail. I don't think its original but the bike fits a 700c wheelset. Looks neat but I don't trust it for where I want to take it. Anyhow, I recently acquired a massive chrome Spinner with cast crown. Beautiful piece and found for only $10! Even though heavier than a uni-crown fork, I think its far more classic and beefy! The Frankenbike Stumpjumper will be fitted with wide 700c and honking wall climbing gearing.)

Frames: I mentioned the full rigid Stumpjumper.... purpose built bike for off or rough roads. Light, thin Tange Prestige tubes and TIG joints. One could easily inspect the joints on the TIG frames vs. lower end bike boom lugged type. I wouldn't put all the faith into some lugged frames unless its a high-end make with quality measures such as mitered joints. I'm not saying one could away with less quality lugged framesets but if you do go off-road, I'd want that extra security. Right now I'm finishing up a '72 LeChampion for all type of riding- road, gravel to full off-road. Nice geometry, longer stays but a bit steeper head angle, R-531 / lugged and a beefy fork crown for a vintage road bike.

79pmooney

I just picked up a Raleigh Carlton International and have been gravel grinding it. Obviously what that frame was built for! Every piece of the frame was designed and built for an environment of poor roads. Why you do anything else in a world where good pavement was not the norm?

And lugged construction is very forgiving of poor work. Even very poorly made frames don't fail very often. Most common places for failure are the seatstay attachments (outside the lug) and the right chainstay behind the gusset, both not a catastrophic event if they break while you are riding.

Do look at your fork periodically. Those steerers rarely failed, so a look when you are doing the headset bearings will be just fine. Crown and blades at the crown are the biggest issue. All that is visible. If the bike sees rain/water, all the better. You will have rust to help you find problems. Don't see anything? Ride it!

Ben

Mr IGH

LOL, the fork isn't tweaked, wide angle lens. I'm just not feeling good about this old frame. A modern uni-crown is much stronger, I am on the edge...Besides, after I add braze-ons and refinish I'm more than 1/2 way to a Soma DC disc with fork or a disc trucker.

gomango

I've ridden a Soma DC disc. Nice bike.

Unless you are going to ride with a full load, I wouldn't choose the disc Trucker.

FWIW I ride this routinely on the gravel in northern Minnesota near our cabin and it works great.

I maybe have $150 into it. No need to spend big $$$$.

[IMG]DSCN2251 by gomango1849, on Flickr[/IMG]

repechage

I think the purpose of the thread was to justify a new frame and fork, just an oblique angle to arrive to that conclusion.

busdriver1959

You've gotta know what the answer will be if you ask on this forum if you should ride a vintage bike hard. It'll always be yes. Forgive me for pointing this out but in your first post, you wanted a new bike because you were worried about the fork. Now you are justifying the purchase because of the cost of brazeons and a repaint that weren't mentioned before. It sounds like what you really want is the new bike. If you want the new one, get it. It's still steel after all.

oops, looks like Repechage beat me to it while I was typing.

gomango

Plus the Soma beats the daylights out of the first choice. They are dirt cheap and ride well.

Especially with two pounds of muck on them.

Lazyass

Yes it will be fine. All bikes used to be "gravel grinders".

Chrome Molly

You're good. Ride the snot out of it.

A fancy refinish and gravel will not mix well anyway...

fender1

I think the Super Course was 531 main triangle and hi-ten stays and fork right? I would think it would hold up pretty well to most riding abuse,except jumps etc. If you keep the frame and continue to ride off-road, maybe try a different set of bars? When I was riding my road bike off road, I was missing the leverage of straight bars. Wash board type terrain was tough with drops.

noglider 

Correct.

And I agree with @icepick_trotsky that if things have held up this long, that pretty much shows they're good for the "long haul."

nlerner

Some years back, I acquired a Super Course MkII with a stuck stem. In the process of removing that stem, I had the stem itself in a vise and tried to rotate the wheel/fork. As a result, one of the fork dropouts slipped right out, and it was clear that very little brazing material was holding it on (i.e., it came off nice and clean!). I had a local frame builder braze it back on, as well as add a bit more brazing material to the other fork dropout.