greg3rd48 

@Narhay All is well that ends well. Your patience has paid off because that International is SHARP!

ascherer 

Beauty! Great build.

Narhay

Thanks for all the compliments.

Other than a rubbing tire on the left chainstay and saddle adjustment it was a relatively uneventful 51.8km through Vancouver.





I can't say it was instant love...there was some getting used to it and the Brooks pro needs breaking in but about halfway through the ride I started to go a bit faster and test the bike out a bit more. By the end of the ride it was quite nice and I'm sure I'll dial a few minor things in over the next few rides to my satisfaction.

As for the twine...I just followed epicurean cyclist twine video on YouTube. I did make it quite tight as I was wrapping it and again when I cinched it all together.

https://youtu.be/UGC7zS9jY04

jj1091

Congrats on the wonderful build. That paint is just stunning. What sort of polish did you use?

Narhay

$5 jar of turtle Wax polish and another $5 jar of turtle wax. I'm sure there are more in depth products out there but these seem to work ok for me. I think I just lucked out with a bike with nice paint.

Narhay

I made some modifications to the bike. First and foremost I brought the bike a bit back to original spec with a correct date Patent-75 Campagnolo Nuovo Record rear derailleur. It just barely clears the 28T large cog.

The braided cable housing of unknown provenance wasn't as friction-free as I would have liked so I replaced it with some white SP-41 housing. This housing is slightly more flexible than I am used to but apparently it is the bees knees these days. I also replaced the rear section of braided housing with more of the same white stuff. While it looked right, the housing would flex, especially in the smallest gears where the failings of the previous setup were most noticeable.

Future planned changes are as follows:

- New tires - these have a slight wobble and I think 32s are a bit too wide for my purposes. I have a set of Vittoria Corsa graphene G+ 700*28s showing up soon. Either this bike will get them or it'll get some hand-me-down 700*28 paselas from my competition.

- New fork decals. It should say "fork blades" and these waterslides are a bit too fragile to not clear coat over.

- Bottle cage. I just need to clamp one on.

- Install hammered silver Origin8 fenders. The dry weather keeps putting this off but every now and then I wish I had them on already.

RideMyLeMond

This International of yours turned out to be a Classic Beauty. Love that color and and all that nice shinny chrome. Those fenders sound like just what you'll need to keep this beauty looking great!

Narhay

Thank you. I just need to make the time to install them. The only thing holding me back is the chainstay bridge- it doesn't have a hole in it to mount the fender. I have been considering drilling one. An international ought to have fenders...it's a touring club bike after all. I am just reluctant to bring the drill up to the tube. The p-clamp option is a half measure in my opinion.

repechage

Stainless steel P clamp. Check the fender line first. Even consider a cool spring to keep the fender line concentric and assist with rear wheel removal.

ascherer 

If you don't mind, where are you sourcing your decals from? I'm thinking about getting a set for my '71.

Narhay

I had shelved this bike for some time. I found the handling to be ponderous, I found myself with a Raleigh Professional and a modern BMC and the headset came loose. Then I moved and it sat disassembled with no space to reassemble it. I finally dusted it off and put it back on the road today.







The steering is a bit slower than the other bikes I ride but reinstalling the headset did quite a bit to improve the handling. Other than tightening up the derailleur cables when it goes back on the stand the bike performed really nicely on my 28.8km jaunt at a brisk for me 28.6kmh average with some climbing. I can see how this was used as a do all club bike. I also saw people admiring the bike which was nice.

One annoying thing is that the shifting between my second smallest cog and smallest cog has a very narrow happy area with just one ratchet click throwing it into either cog above or below.

I may try some nicer tires one day.

noglider 

What do you mean by ponderous? It is definitely slower at steering. It's not a good idea to do high-speed maneuvers in tight spaces on this bike.

Bandera

I raced mine in Crits and road races when new and rode my !st 'Cross on race it with never a thought that it was "ponderous" handling, but then again mine has been on a flat table, in the fork jig straight out of the shipping carton and had it's headset properly adjusted from Day 1. That being said it was superseded by a succession of dedicated road racing and 'Cross bikes but oddly enough those are long gone and the Internat'l is not. Go figure......

-Bandera

Narhay

The front brake headset cable hanger overhangs the wrench flats a little so adjustment, especially as it gets tighter, became more difficult. This, plus a slightly pitted lower race contributed to poor adjustment and it eventually coming loose. Those contributed to the slower, poor handling I believed was inherent in the fork and longer trail of the bike. I was wrong on this and the bike does take a faster ride nicely as I learned yesterday.

I am still adjusting fit but see above. It does turn slower than racing geometry bikes but with the proper headset adjustment it feels quite a lot better. I would say my latest ride was very positive and if I was on the fence with this bike it is back in the longterm keeper pile.

Kent T

I have a 1982 Bridgestone Spica which will have one fitted ASAP, and a replacement for the medieval torture device aka seat on it. Which is the one originally fitted item on this bike which is of dubious quality for the price point. P.S. I am a ideal BOB member, and didn't know it. But iBob will have to do. A note, you're awesome to the OP, fender1, and this is a class act on your part. BF at it's best. A classy forum with some of the nicest people ever. Which I enjoy reading (and occasionally posting to). And I am a major fanatic of the Raleigh International (my first bike with Disraeli Gears). And the one I was saddest to outgrow in my life. But my example lives on (still ridden by it's second owner, who's had it and superbly cared for it since 1978, and rides it daily).

beicster 

That is a beauty. I find myself thinking of an International on fairly regular basis.

noglider 

Do it. You won't regret it. It's really not very different from the other old Raleighs, but it's a bit lighter, and why not? I have a Super Course and an International, and I like them equally well.

beicster 

The only thing holding me back is finding one at a reasonable price. There is one on eBay in my size but it is listed for almost $1,000. I am not going to do that right now.

noglider 

You're using the strategy I use. I don't need many things urgently, so I wait until they pop up at under-market values. Use ebay and google alerts. Check frequently. Buy infrequently. That's how to save money. I have some pretty fancy bikes that I built for unfancy money.

Kent T

My late, outgrown, beloved NOS 1969 International greenie in 1973 was not "Ponderous" handling. It was lively, tracked straight, went where I pointed it unfailingly, athletic, but not too twitchy. My only regret in life, was not being able to find one in my size as a grownup, I got to ride one recently which belonged to a new friend. I still like it as well as young me did in 1973. I am a fan. That green International was so fine, and so enjoyed. It always got me where I wanted to go and well maintained (tires and overhauls annually all it asked of me, and making sure tire pressures were just so). I enjoyed 50,000 miles of style, and pure pleasure. And joy!!!