Robleigh and Gugleigh Internationals
 

I have two Raleigh Internationals currently in the fleet, but both have been modified quite radically from original configuration, so I thought I'd share for posterity.

In chronological order, the first is a '71 International, which I bought as a frameset about 10 years or so ago. It was awfully beat up when it came to me, with a number of pea sized dents in the top tube, paint seriously patina-ed and chrome ends rusting away. I rode it mostly as a commuter through several Boston winters, and it did fine duty. Here's a pic of it in that configuration:

https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5609/...6f0a4c59_c.jpg

Well, around a year or so ago, I sent the frameset out to our B&F mad torches, @gugie, for the full gugificazione treatment. The objective was that it would fit 650B x 42mm tires, have braze-ons for MAFAC Raid center pull brakes, bit and bobs for attaching fenders, cages, etc. And a fresh powder coat in a sorta French blue. Here's the result:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4751/...d365c57a_c.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4652/...667a4688_c.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4723/...d70a631e_c.jpg

I have it set up with a 9-speed Shimano 105 drivetrain, Sun XCD crankset, custom front rack by Mark, front and rear dynamo lamps, Pacenti PL23 rims, Compass tires. It's very smooth and comfortable.

Late last year, I reached an agreement with BF-er @RobE30 to acquire his modified '75 International. Rob acquired it from @noglider, I think, who trash picked it in NYC or something, and then had a Spectrum in PA do a bunch of modifications including braze-ons for canti brakes, fender mounts, internal wiring for a rear lamp, bunch 'o bottle braz-ons, and new paint. I bought it as a complete bike but made a some modifications to distinguish it from others in the fleet:

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4798/...828e574e_c.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4801/...24d00274_c.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4779/...67e8895c_c.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4779/...297c4a36_c.jpg

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4788/...f64a77f4_c.jpg

It has a 7-speed Shimano drivetrain with 105 downtube index shifters, TA crankset, MAFAC canti brakes, Nitto front rack, and Acorn boxy rando bag, Honjo fenders, VeloLumino seat-tube mount rear lamp and B&M Cyo front, 700 Pancenti rims with Grand Bois 30mm tires. I've had it out for just one longer ride so far, and it handles great. It's going to be difficult to choose which bike to ride this season!

Beautiful. Does the first one have a Sun XCD crankset? I love the looks of those, but going to have to wait. The 2nd have Shimano A520 pedals? (I'm a repeat buyer)

Your success with Gugificazione helped me to take that step over the edge to send my old soldier Competition off to the great rehab clinic in the PNW. Things are shaping up, and before summer takes hold, I hope to bring my thread on it's progress to conclusion.

I feel I would be remiss if I didn't supplement this thread with my 1974 Gugleigh International. The frame is pretty stock except that it is now sporting the right front dropout from your '71 International, having lost its own in some tragic accident before our hero saved it from a lifetime of hanging from a bike shop ceiling.

https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4648/...9802f565_c.jpg

Hear Hear !!!!

Long live "the Internationals" :thumb:

Tasty!

My Competition went to another PNW rehab unit (TiCycles - they downplay their PT and counseling skills but they are good) to get its seatlug cleaned up, the Nervex dropout hanger tweaked for non-French derailleurs, a few WB bosses, paint and some braze for the lugs. (Seems the bike missed that step at Carlton.)

It's not the showcase of the bikes here, but it is a fun ride.

Ben

Amazing to me how little is required to keep a frame together.

But several tubes were cracked from not having proper support. I took the frame to TiCycles to have stripped then inspected because 1) it was so much fun to ride the local gravel but the washboard at hill bottoms is a real frame tester and 2) there was obviously almost no braze under the shifter stop. After stripping, they told me the paint was holding the bike together.

Ben

What a great French-ish blue!

This looks like the start of a "Show us your Gugleigh" thread... I'll post my Gugleigh Competition soon. Doing a little rebuild of it currently.

NOT a Raleigh, but still another fine example of Gugie's work. It's been to L'Eroica & The Dairyland Dare; recently used it for some gravel grinding in the Virginia countryside:

It's unclear to me whether I'm filled with hope or envy! I'm hoping do do something similar with my Carlton Flyer, which is very similar to the International. Without rehabbing the chrome, you managed to make two amazing variants. I think you may have given me the courage to make the plunge...

I didn't trash pick that frame. I got it in a trade with someone on BF. If I remember right, he was in the southeast US. It came with a new funky paint job, yellow and orange, I think. I would have kept the paint, but Rob's frame was my size, and mine was his size, so the trade was a no-brainer for both of us.

Say what you want about Raleigh's quality control. but at the rate they were cranking them out if the paint was holding them together like it did, they were doing something right and lots of it. I have seen many that were rusty, crusty, beat to heck and dusty. And while I know some failed I have never seen it and plenty of them were/are beautiful, especially for being mass produced, highly mass produced. ;)

You can screw up a lot in building a steel frame and get away with it.

That’s really nice. Is it 650b or a 700c with mafac competitions? Looks like a 38mm wide tire, whatever the diameter.

It's 650b. Those are Compass 42's, which measure out to 38 when mounted.

I have always liked the geometry of the International, even though I have never owned one. Don't worry about the chrome -- painting the whole thing is a great and longer-lasting solution. :)

I guess so! There is something special about the old Raleighs. I have quite a lot of them, and I've had others.

Tom, my dad said "never let the truth get in the way of a good story"

:D

...MAFAC RAID.

Doc got the frame back just in time to build for Eroica Cali, and there were some frantic emails back and forth getting the brakes set up. Worked out fine in the end, as I recall.

Your father and mine probably had a lot in common.

I'm more like the engineer in the engineer-and-the-guillotine story.