cyclotoine

Mwahahah!



Seriously Narhay, I know you're in Van, if you do decide to sell the frame and Mike passes his dibs, I'd be very keen on the frame-set, I've been looking for a 1970s clean frame, no braze ons, 531, 120 spaced frame for years in that size.

cb400bill

Title fixed.

Narhay

Thank you mr. Moderator.

Narhay

Shoo, shoo you vultures.

I actually bought this one for a decent price because I have a soft spot for Raleighs. I have been half looking for a taller frame to see how I like it. Yes, this one is the 24.5" model and a 57cm top tube. I think the shorter top tube but higher head tube will eliminate some of the back pain I have hunched over the bars. We will see. Maybe I'll want to move it on and who doesn't like a full Reynolds 531 frame?

cyclotoine

Apologies for salivating on your bike. I hope you do enjoy it and that short top tube might be just the ticket for a nice french fit for you. I ride 25" frames and they are a definite eddy fit. I have one a 62cm c-t gazelle and the super record post is at max extension with 180mm cranks. It fits, just barely, but I do like a 58-59cm top tube. I think taller riders can tolerate more drop though, that is my experience. My road bike has 5" of saddle to bar drop and it feels just right. My commuter has more like 2.5" and I think of it as upright.

Narhay

Hmm, maybe all this saliva is where that rusty spot came from.

I had this 24.5" c-c miyata 610 for a period of time. It had a short top tube as well. It was quite comfortable and I could reach the drops in comfort but decided in the end it may have been slightly too tall. I will just have to build this one up and ride.

Narhay

Appears as though my frame is a 24.5" c-t and serial number WD9003630 which means it is a 1979. This size was not made in 1978. I'm excited to see how it fits as it is slightly smaller than the too big 24.5" c-c miyata I posted earlier.

Lascauxcaveman 

Yep, this one's on my list. too. Nice find The old-time running gear is icing on the cake.

Narhay

Nothing too exciting to report. I've managed to strip down the bike.

Drive side pedal threads were not in the best of condition. I chased them but the pedal is loose. May need something like a helicoil to repair it. Freewheel is completely fused to the wheel. I will try again after some pb blaster.

noobinsf 

Have you tried it with the removal tool in a vise and turning the wheel like a bus steering wheel? Lots of leverage that way. Someone showed me at the bike co-op a couple of years ago and it was like clouds parting.

John E

I have always liked the Raleigh Competition -- you get a nice 531 frame and Brooks saddle and save a little money on the components, which is a good compromise.

mikemowbz

I will consider myself shoo'd.

Stripped f/f looking sharp.

If needed, that three-arm crank is a candidate for a helicoil repair if I've ever seen one.

Mechanics at work try to avoid going that route typically, but some cranks are unquestionably worth whatever effort it takes to keep 'em rolling in good working order.

Narhay

I was able to do a bit more today on the bike. More bad news for the crank. The inner chainring mounting hole has a crack. The spacers are also different. Two of them are about 3.3-3.4mm wide. One of them was 4.3mm. I found a set of three at 3.8mm. I'd imagine 0.5mm won't affect things greatly, especially as it seemed ok with the one 4.3mm spaxer in there.

Otherwise the bearing surfaces in the headset and bottom bracket are in excellent condition. The pedals are nice and smooth and the rest of the gear cleaned up nicely. Still have the wheels and a couple other bits to do but things are moving nicely. I am leaning towards a modern drivetrain since the issue with the crank and mismatched wheels have manifested themselves. I have two other similar bikes, a 1972 Peugeot PX-10 with Nuovo Record/stronglight/simplex and a Nuovo Record 1978 Motobecane Le Champion. I dont have a modern road bike and this frame looks like it would fit one nicely.

I've also ordered some touch up, Reynolds decals (no chance of saving the existing ones) and black car polish for the frame. Hopefully it will bring out the colour nicely.

poprad

Nice pics and project you have there Narhay. Replace the inner chainring with a true Campy part and the right spacers and you'll be much happier with it. That's going to be a nice Comp GS when you're done.

I have one of the gray ones myself:

[IMG]Raleigh Comp GS 074 by Mark, on Flickr[/IMG]

I have since replaced the levers with the drilled SR Campy version, which really look the part along with cotton bar tape. I need to do a few more pics of the final version.

clubman 

Exactly!

Hey, don't decrease the value of my NG...er Record gears!

WolfRyder

I got a Raliegh Comp GS black just like that a few months ago. I think they are pretty nice and the model just under the Professional. Just missed out one of those recently ohh well. But I like what I have. Got it from original owner and nice little upgrade when he bought it was to put on Campy Record brakes. I will post some pics at some point.

rootboy 

The model just below the Pro was the International, wasn't it?

The only upgrade I did to my Competition was adding Record brakes to it too.
Which was quite a financial leap for me in 1976.
Man that was a nice bike.

WolfRyder

Yeah I guess your right. Raliegh Proffessional, International then GS Competion. They are all pretty good though. Some models from other mfg's have more of a quality drop off than the Raleigh. Comp GS is solid. Feel like I did ok on mine price wise , but maybe should of plopped down an extra $50 to make a play at that Professional though. It was clean and original. Would of cost me $500 maybe plus after shipping so, had to think about it. Still pretty good price after all and was very clean.

Kilroy1988 

The last year for the International was 1976, and from '77 on the Competition G.S. sat below the Professional in the lineup.

rootboy 

Ah! Thanks.

WolfRyder

Ok thats good to know my Comp GS is an 80

cyclotoine

Is the bolt circle the same at TA 3-pin cranks? The small ring mounts to the big instead of using the same bolt circle as the big ring? Weird. If you can somehow use a TA 3-pin. I can set you up with a 42 for a very reasonable amount.

Narhay

Thank you very much. They both appear to be 116mm. I am going a different direction with this build, however, and I am letting someone else try to salvage this crankset.

Narhay

Nothing too exciting to report once again. I did have a coworker put an air gun and socket to the freewheel remover and it popped off nicely. Way less effort than me hanging off of it.

Narhay

I've touched up some rough spots on the frame with testors gloss black paint. It looks good from a few feet away but it isn't perfect. Lots of black polish and a waxing and the paint has come back a bit. Repacked the headset and managed to remove the bent dropout screws in anticipation of their replacements. Huret downtube clamp with some shifter bosses, new Campagnolo seat binder bolt and the Campagnolo cable guide have been reattached to the frame. I've cleaned up the seatpost as well but I'll install that once I cold set the frame. I have some frame tools arriving so I will do the frame work when I am feeling a bit more brave.