76SLT 

I just got this the other day and am having a lot of fun learning about it. I've determined that it's a 73. Couple questions for all the knowledgeable bf members. Are these Zeus dropouts? They don't say anything but it does have the hanger. It has a GB stem but the randonneur handlebars don't say anything. Would they be GB also? The whole bike pic was from the ad so I hope he doesn't mind me using it. I'll get more pics up soon.

52telecaster

great looking bike. is that a 531 frameset?

bear_a_bug 

Glad you snagged it. I'd seen it on CL for the past few weeks but sadly not my size.

I would guess the bars are also GB.

non-fixie 

Nice find! I like the frame color combo. (Colorway?)

76SLT 

Thanks! the stickers on the forks say Reynolds 531 forks and the one on the frame say 531 butted frame tubes.

76SLT 

i had seen it several weeks ago and procrastinated about it, then when it came on again, i jumped on it. Glad I did because it's better looking than the picture shows. I'm planning on bringing it back to period correct parts. It will be fun!

juvela

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Enjoy!

Shift levers and rear mech the only strikingly non-original fittings.

Yes, randonneur bar Gerry Burgess.

Pedals appear they might appreciate a wee spot o' assistance. Originals would have been Atom 440.

Dropouts look like the may be Cyclo.

Other examples came through with Zeus ends or stamped ends without gear hanger.

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52telecaster

that will be an awesome ride.

dddd

Mine is perhaps just a half year older/newer than yours, had the Simplex stuff and Stronglight cranks and yes, Zeus dropouts.

My bike has the older(?), slightly wider Nisi Evian rims, yours appear to have the Weinmann rims, definitely one of the better rim models that Weinmann made!

Just one or two years later and the Derailers would have been Suntour Cyclone with claw-mount hanger, the cranks would be a very similar Nervar model (EDIT, per period catalogs, those derailers on the other bike I later found were changed by previous owner), but your 27" Weinmann rims were still being used (and have a modern 16mm inside width iir).

Note that the Zeus dropouts with integral hanger are a rather soft steel, I once bent mine visibly during a tire change and it really didn't take any kind of a whack to do it.

You might have an easier time finding a Simplex Prestige Competition model with direct frame-mounting instead of a claw.

Inspect your front derailer for cracks in the plastic body, and resist any urge to tighten the clamping bolts as this usually brings on cracking in any Simplex front mech that is this old.

These bikes have a quite-relaxed geometry that makes a given size frame feel a full size small in terms of forward reach.

I ditched the chainguard since it occupied the big-ring position, and as such had a Q-widening triple spindle length.
I then used a standard (shorter) 118mm spindle which gave much better crankarm symmetry left to right.

juvela

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Thanks very much for this chainset information @dddd.

Never knew the exact date for the change from Stronglight 93 to NERVAR Star.

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gugie 

You've got a winner!

I set mine up as a 5 speed IGH for commuting. It's a really sweet ride.

76SLT 

The pedals are pretty cool. They're Victor BMX pedals I think. Need a good cleaning.

76SLT 

Yours is pretty sharp. I like it much better with the gum walls. I've got a new set of gum wall Panaracer Paselas I'm going to throw on there.

Ball Bearing

I wonder if that's the bike I made the mistake of selling all those years ago. I loved that bike.

dddd

This is kind of the perfect bike to use for a project like this, the relaxed geometry especially (and the clearances must be good to handle those tires). Best if one of these bikes is selected from the bigger side of one's personal frame size spectrum.
Not to mention that these Raleighs aren't the sort of collectibles that you'd absolutely want to keep stock, I say do whatever you want with them, especially where potential urban theft is an issue and the bike needs to be affordable. I just bought another one last week, a '75 model, and the value was negotiated with a knowledgeable local seller and I received the bike upgraded with Dura-Ace freewheel hubs laced to perfect original rims with DT spokes for $225 in mostly excellent condition (there was some typical-Carlton-Raleigh piss-poor brazing at the seatstay end plates).

due ruote 

Nothing stock about mine. Well, ok, the crankset. Bought new and made a few changes over the years. OP, you have a really nice bike there; an everyday gentleman's bike. Enjoy.

gugie 

Man, you nailed it. This lady has loooooooong legs. Instead of a 650b conversion, I went 700c x 38 Paselas (measure out at 35 or so). The beautiful white and lagoon blue paint job hides that crappy brazing. The ugliest bit is the cable guide on the bottom bracket. It's downright rookie looking, but who's gonna look at that when you've got those majestic Stronglight 5 point star satan cranks?

dddd

Going back to my earlier post, please disregard what I said about the Cyclone derailers, I just discovered from Mark Bulgier's catalogs site that my bike got those derailers from a previous owner's upgrades!

And I was using the date codes on the derailers to date the bike I bought last week, ugggh.

Also, I couldn't readily find/identify a Grand Sports model year with the Nervar star cranks with chainguard, so might have been a mid-year parts substitution due to parts shortages(?).

I'll add an as-found photo, note the wheels also got re-laced with lo-flange hubs.

juvela

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Thanks for sharing this example!

Looking pretty snazzy with those bis chainwheels.

Keep in mind that the distance between the two chainwheels teeth is greater than in the stock configuration due to the way the teeth are cut from the stock. Teeth on OEM chainwheels cut from one side of the stock only. In the OEM configuration chainwheels are mounted with their flat sides facing each other.

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steelbikeguy

boy, that's the truth!

When I bought a Gran Sport back in '76(?), I bought it from the LBS and made a deal to just get it with the Stronglight cranks and the Weinmann brakes. The rest of the original parts were not great, and I already had a bunch of nice parts sitting around. The new parts were largely Japanese... SunTour Cyclone derailleurs, Shimano hubs, SR bar/stem/seatpost, Brooks Pro saddle (which I still ride), KKT Pro Ace pedals, Super Champion Mod 58 rims, etc. Rode that bike for 14 years and sometimes wonder if I shouldn't have sold it.




Steve in Peoria
(still wondering about Raleigh's strategy on the whole "Gran Sport" vs. "Grand Sport" vs "Grand Sports" thing. Maybe just ADHD?)

dddd

Miyata was one other company that mixed up those very same names on their touring bikes of the late 70's to early 80's, from their 1000 to their 610.

dddd

Miyata mixed up the same names between their late-70's 1000 and their early-80's 610 models.

76SLT 

Here's a few picks I took today. Too cold to ride it though. Fits me perfectly though.

dddd

That's looking really good. The stem shifters might be welcome while riding all bundled up in winterwear.


I used to anticipate the possibility of hitting black ice and so wore a leather jacket while riding through upstate NY winter.

due ruote 

Thanks. I will double check that. No problems with it so far.