Originally Posted by
sd5782
I see a generous amount of room between the seat tube and tire. Does this point to this old racer from the 70s having what today is more sport or sport touring geometry? Reason I ask, is that geometry suits me best. My 72 Fuji Newest would probably have been considered a racer, but compared to mid 80s racy bikes, it is a much calmer ride. I generally guess that when I see a rear tire hugging the seat tube, the bike is not suitable to me. Perhaps I will watch for one of these to fall into my lap some day. Nice purchase, have fun.
There are a lot of higher end bikes from the 70s with a remarkable amount--at least by modern standards--of clearance for tires. If you want something as fat as a gravel bike, you likely will have to do a 650b conversion (and you may have trouble sourcing brakes that can reach). 700 x 32c-35c (and sometimes a 38c) are not difficult to fit. My 70s Fuji Finest takes a 32c with room for fenders. I have a 70s Mercier 300 that takes 32c tires easily. Your best for a bike with good clearance is likely one that was designed for centerpull brakes and 27 inch tires. The early 70s Raleigh Competitions may be at one end of the bell curve given the elegant (and thin) fork crown and relatively thin chain stays, though. The early 70s Motobecane Grand Records have fine clearance as well. So yes we likely would call those bikes sports tourer todays.
Gearing can be a challenge if you keep it at 120 OLD unless you run a triple and here half step with a granny is your best bet.