Hi,

A friend just gave me the bike she got as a high school graduation present back in the 70's - a Raleigh Grand Prix. I know that this isn't considered a real collectible bike, but I've been thinking about getting an old steel frame bike for a while now, and think it will be perfect for running errands, going into town, etc. It's got a lot of personality, has a bit of rust and needs new brake pads and probably some other stuff. So I'm just here to introduce myself and warn you that I'll soon be peppering you with questions about fixing up older steel frame bikes. I'll not want to "restore" it or sink lots of money into it, but it would be fun to give it some TLC.

Thanks in advance for your patience and help!

Welcome to the classic and vintage world. That Raleigh should serve you well for many years.

I'll second the welcome!

I have a '76 Grand Prix that I bought from the original owner last summer. It's one of my favorites. Please post some pictures of your bike and some more details.

welcome, now post pics.

Pictures may cover the intro fee for vintage advice, all provided is classic...

TruF, nice to see you again! You'll find some familiar faces and names here, that you may already know.

Your Grand Prix sounds very interesting, looking forward to more info.

You probably should start with new brake pads. If your rims are shiny chrome, or are chrome that was shiny, or a fridge magnet sticks to them strongly, you have original-style steel rims. You should probably get red Kool-stop pads, the kind for Campy Nuovo Record brake shoes, which are very similar to your Weinmann center-pulls. Two ways to buy them: Pads only, in which case you have to figure out how to get out the old ones and get in the new ones. It's tricky, but ... see what you think. The other way is to order a set with brake shoes or with built in brake bolts that will just bolt on to your brake calipers. Cost versus trickiness. I think both of them are available on the Harris Cyclery web site.

If you do this and the brakes pull and release well, and the tires hold air, you can take him out in traffic and play a while.

I've always liked the green and black ones.

I buy the one-piece KoolStop pads for all of my bikes. You will still eventually want aluminum rims, if you can find them at a decent price.

I can see two things that will force a change to aluminum rims: damage to the existing tires and minimal availability of a good 27 inch tire, and damage to the existing rims or inability to true. If you go to aluminum rims (and I don't deny their benefits), you'll need new spokes, tires, and rims at teh same time. You should be able to find a decent set of 700C clincher wheels used for less $$ than a full wheel re-rim.

I think this is how Frankenbikes are born!

Welcome TruF.

Don't worry if your bike isn't somehow a "classic" the riff raff around here don't care. If it's an old bike they love it. It doesn't have to be the right brand or a lightweight or an American bent pipe cruiser they don't care.

What people here care about is whether you're preserving it in usable form and enjoying it for what it is. It's about having fun with bikes. Enjoy

Now you have to buy a doner bike for the aloy wheels. than you have to decide you like bike #2 so now you need a 3rd that you will take the wheels off. Welcome to Vintage.

Thanks, everyone! Just took lots of pictures and am downloading them now. Will post later today. (Hi Road Fan!!)

A magnet sticks to them strongly. I even took a picture for you!

Oh no - it begins again !

Here are three shots of the bike and one just for Road Fan. I love the handlebars. Different sort of "sweep" to them from the handlebars I normally see today. Is there a name for them?
I'll post close-ups in next post.

Close ups. So wonderful to have a place to share these with people who are actually interested! And I am a most grateful recipient of your responses.

Have you determined the year yet? Except for the color, yours looks exactly like my Gazelle built '76
GP.

The wheels look straight to me, no signs of damage. Just some rust. And I can always ask the original owner if she ever had an accident while riding the bike.

I'll order the new brake pads. I'm thinking of keeping the blue theme when I replace the handlebar tape. And I've always wanted an excuse for a Brooks saddle. Overkill for this bike?

Wow! They could be separated at birth! Beautiful bike, gbalke. How do I determine the year? There is a number I can see on the bottom of the frame: 16146.

Beautiful bike. I hope you're pretty small though - that thing looks tiny!

Thanks! I'm 5'4-1/2". Seems to fit me pretty well. The original owner is about an inch-and-a-half taller, but I'm a long-legged lass.

Looks like a good fit and you've got the right idea, don't sink big bucks into it. Tires, brake pads, bar tape are all good because that just maintenance. Go ahead, buy the Brooks, just find a safe place for the old saddle because you'll need it when you upgrade to a better frame. Also, be on the lookout for 27' alloy rims to replace the steel rims. I'd ride it as is until then.

You remembered!

Comfort is not overkill. Besides, if you do like the Brooks but not the bike, you can keep the saddle when you sell the bike.

I just got a B17 from Ebay seller American Cycle Center for $80!

Those bars are probably best described a Maes-style bend, after a Belgian racer of the same name. Today the Nitto B115 and the Noodle are similar, at least in hook and ramp shape. These were probably made by GB, since the stem is GB.

Your frame is made by Gazelle of Netherlands, one of Raleigh's better (for want of a better term) subcontractors. Well made, carbon steel, seamless tubing (I think); a high-quality frame with middle grade materials.

You have the original Simplex derailleurs. Many people will tell you to dump them, but when new they functioned at least as well as the Campagnolo Records of the day AND over a wider gear range. If they didn't wear out in their first life, they'll be good to you in their second -- worth a try. The brake calipers are saleable on their own for a decent fraction of what you'll pay for the Brooks. Ditto for the 'bars and stem, especially with brake levers. Most of us back in the day ditched the safety levers on the brakes, but some liked them - you might. Certainly a lot of these bikes survived with the safety levers.

OK, after boiling water, exacto knife, pliers, screwdriver, etc... I think I'll opt for the less "tricky" option. Unfortunately, I don't see the pads with shoes option on sheldonbrown's site. Just the pads. Suggestions for shoes that will work for this bike? Thanks in advance!

The easy one is called BRK10 on the Harris Cyclery site and they call it a complete brake shoe with threaded hardware. The tricky one is a refill, BRK22A. Get the shoes. Guess I wasn't clear before.

I've shoehorned the refills into old shoes a few times now, and I have to figure out how I do it anew every time. I think I'm getting marginally safer each time. The last time I only half-stabbed myself with a screwdriver. I do NOT recommend using an Xacto knife for this job.

I have some red refills on order for my Trek.