kstang

I know this question has been asked over and over, but I need help dating my old Raligh Grand Prix. It was my mom's back when she was in college at Northwestern. Now i have it as a fixed commuter to college for me. I have looked on sheldon brown and on this form to see if i can get any information. Its a 10 speed with simplex. It has a mallard heliocentric hub(i think was put on when bike was in spain and my dad was using it in the 80's). I found a number on the bottom of the bottom bracket but it did not match up with any thing sheldon brown has on his site. It also has a number on the rear outside dropout. I looked at the back of the seat post near the top tube where I read they put some numbers but i did not see one.

Here is a link to my site that I have. The pictures arn't the best. I have some more I can upload when i get to my apartment.
https://kevinstill.org/wordpress/?page_id=26

kstang

I wanted to know if i have the 26tpi or the standard 24tpi so i know if i can get a new bottom bracket b/c this one is going out. My guess from the catalougs is that is from 69. I think it is also from holland from the sticker at the bottom of the seat tube

kstang

O yeah I kept all the old parts to take it back to origional as well! I would just take the NDS side off and try an old cup but i am afraid to take the cotters out with out putting them back on.

USAZorro

Is there an apparent serial number? Either on the seat tube, the bottom bracket, or inside one of the chainstays or dropouts. Also, does it have an oval headbadge?

kstang

I will write down every thing i can see. There was one number on the dropout and one on the bottom of the bottom bracket. I am not sure about the headbage

kstang

Ok I wrote down every thing I could see.
On the bottom of the Bottom Bracket: 2966509
On Drive side drop out: 0181152
Pedal Axel 501
Brakes: Weinmann 610
On the stem there is a CB imprented in it.
It is made of 20-30 Steel i think(sticker is damaged)
It has a sticker that says it was from Holland.

kstang

The headbage is not round and it says "the raleigh"

Rabid Koala

Later than 1969 for sure. "Rampar" style decals and stylized "R" on downtube were more like mid seventies. I had a 68-69 Grand Prix as a kid. It had the old sort of cursive Raleigh lettering and the oval headbadge.

https://www.retroraleighs.com/grand-prix.html

USAZorro

The tubing is definitely 20-30. The rest is a bit of a conundrum to me. The Rampar "R" on the seat tube was (I thought) a mid-late '70's characteristic, but your serial number does not fit the pattern of letter-letter-number-number-number-number-number-number. The serial number is more like one I'd expect to find in a 1967-1972, but then again, I didn't think Raleigh was manufacturing in Holland (Gazelle) until post 1973.

Perhaps someone else can jump in and help out.

kstang

I asked my mother and she still has the recipt, she is not sure if it says the year of the bike but at least it will tell me when she purchased it. I will look at that when I go home in a week. I am really just intrested in the thread count of the BB.

Thanks USAZorro and Rabid Koala

kstang

I know for sure it has a Gazelle sticker on it. I checked the numbers two times to make sure I had it right.

USAZorro

If the bottom bracket cups look very similar to those on another road bike from the 60's - 80's, it would be normal English threading. I believe that Gazelle wouldn't have gone through the hassle of retooling just so they could use a 26 tpi bottom bracket.

kstang

Me being 20, and in the middle of mississippi finding old bike that are half decent to compair to is kinda hard. haha. But your logic does is sound about retooling. So i might be able to get lucky. This is probably a little more expensive to fix this old one up. But I will end up having a unique bike by the end, and the fact that it was passed down from my parents make it have some sentamental value!

USAZorro

If you need to get something for it from the bicycle shop, try to find one that's been in business for 20 years or more. Bring the bike in and have one of the older guys have a look at that BB. It really shouldn't be that expensive to restore. You'll probably need to re-lube the headset and bottom bracket. If the rims are steel, you might want to replace them with alloy. Otherwise, you'll probably need to re-pack the hubs. Also, you'll want to replace the cables and cable housing. None of this is very difficult, and the biggest expense is going to be rims (if you replace them). I think you could have that bicycle in tip-top shape for $30 - $80, depending on what you need to buy.

Here's a site that might be helpful if you're just getting started in bicycle maintenance.

www.parktool.com (Their server is taking too long to respond tonight, but they are helpful when they are up.)

kstang

Mechanically I have built a few newer bikes. So I know what to do in that department. Even a wheel or two haha! I all ready have that bike running a fixed gear set up. I just feel that the bottom bracket is going. So I am trying to plan ahead since I commute on it.

top506

The Gazelle-made Grand Prix do indeed have standard English BB. I have one in the shop now.




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kstang

That is the exact sticker I have on my bike. That feels so good to know that it has a standard bottom bracket. Thanks a lot guys you really helped.


That is before the fixed gear conversion. I have the Origional wheels as well.

mswantak

It's a '74 or '75.

Bikedued

Nice ride! You need the green chain though That blue one is kind of ugggh, lol.,,,,BD

top506

FWIW, the one in the shop came with a flip/flop hub, and is destined to be a fixie as soon as some collage kid buys it from me.
I ran it for a while with an old SR alloy crankset-just changed out the cottered spindle.
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kstang

I really wanted a green chain but i could not find one anywhere.

silversmith

I like your Dutch Grand Prix better than my 77 English Grand Prix.

And I know how hard it is to find good bikes away from the coasts. It was two years of nearly daily looking before I came across a Campagnolo part "in the wild."

Aound here I find a few Raleighs and the occasional Fuji, Nishiki among tons of schwinns.