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Old 10-27-20 | 09:00 PM
  #31  
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Road Fan
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Joined: Apr 2005
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From: Ann Arbor, MI

Bikes: 1980 Masi, 1984 Mondonico, 1984 Trek 610, 1980 Woodrup Giro, 2005 Mondonico Futura Leggera ELOS, 1967 PX10E, 1971 Peugeot UO-8

Originally Posted by rhm
Sadly it sounds likeI the frame Miguel is looking for is not currently hanging in Neal's basement.

(You sure about that, Neal? )

No, but seriously, i have, or have had, a few bikes of the kind you're thinking of.

The first was a Raleigh Lenton Grand Prix that i got from Neal. Nice plain gauge 531 frame, similar to the Super Course. I ran it with an FM hub for a while, then reverted to the original 2×4 derailleurs, then moved it on to another forum member. Cool bike!

A recent addition is an Armstrong Moth from about 1950. I got the frame from Neal. I'd say this might be what you want, Miguel, but it's a complete bike, not a project.

Aside from those two, and perhaps something I've forgotten, Neal is in no way implicated in the Norman Rapide, Holdsworth Sirocco, Fothergill, Lambert, Falcon, 1963 Lenton Sports, Drysdale Sport Tourer, Schwinn New World, 1951 Lenton Sports, and other projects.

The perfect bike will fall into your hands sooner or later. But in the mean time I would probably find a placeholder frame and start assembling something around that.

There are a few common English bikes from the early seventies that have frames indistinguishable from the frames you're looking for. Raleigh made the Super Course, and other makers offered something similar-- Lambert, Falcon, Dawes, Holdsworth....
The earlier Super Courses were very similar to my 1952 Rudge, down to the difficult Raleigh BB thread. With the '50s Raleighs be aware of quirks like front wheel OLD, rear wheel OLD, front dropout design and wheel retention features, odd 32 hole spoking and 40 hole in the back, great wheel clearances, frame designed for fenders, US AW (wide-range) hubs, limited gearing options unless you fit a chain tensioner and go hybrid. Plusses: looooong chainstays, curvey high-rake fork, 531 straight gauge throughout, interesting "livery," low trail, very smooth ride. Very laid-back geometry (71 degree seat tube!) allows great setback with a Brooks saddle, top tube is long and stretched out, but a lot of that is for saddle setback. Wheelbase around 1080 mm for a 55 cm seat tube. Not a road race bike, but in those days, it was about long rides solo or with a group, allroad performance, practicing for Land's End to John O'Groats. The RRA was the next step up from this bike. Mine has alloy rims and 350-ish gram Paselas in its future! Brake reach would be huge if I went for 650b, the frame would need brake augmentation surgery.
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