yellowsir

Hello, first post here. Is this bike worth fixing up for my first road bike? Thanks for the input. Found it on craigslist and its a Raleigh Grand Prix about 23 1/2, 27 wheels, and made from nottingham england. I've been working on mountain bikes lately...so this ill be different. Just so you know I am 6 foot tall and 275 lbs. Imma try to get the bike for $40.

DRietz

It's going to be some work, and possibly a new finish, but it's perfectly doable.

WNG

Seems pricey for the condition it's in. Unless road bikes are rare in your area CL, I'd opt to wait for a better example.

mike

Yes, the Raleigh Gran Prix is absolutely a worthy bicycle. For the bikes of that era in it's price range, the Gran Prix was clearly one of the better machines. The Gran Prix sold for $250 back in the late '70's which was a lot of money back then. A lot of the USA 10-speeds were going for $130 to $180. Of course, there were much more expensive offerings with more prestigeous components, but the Gran Prix was a smooth running, reliable 10-speed.

However, the bike in the OP's pic is in terrible condition. It looks like it was fished out of a river and not worth the $40.00 asking price.

All Raleighs had a special personality. Mostly, they are very sweet rides - very smooth. The frame geometry coupled with the butted steel tubing made for a luxurious ride.

Keep your eyes open for some thrift store aluminum rims (ie part out another bike) for a significant upgrade.

Another great upgrade is a Shimano 6 speed MegaRange freewheel. This will get you close to the range of having a granny gear on your front chainrings, but without the hassle of adding a granny gear up front. Cost $11.38 from Niagara Cycle.

randyjawa 

Being new to the hobby/sport/activity of vintage road bicycles, you might benefit from a visit to MY "TEN SPEEDS", my newest website designed to help people like yourself.

https://www.mytenspeeds.com/My_TenSpeeds_1/

Hope this is a help.

Mitchxout

Randy, great site, thanks.

Grand Bois

They sold for $250? That's what I paid for my PX10.

cycleheimer

Needs new friction shifters, since one of the plastic Simplex shifters is broken. Not a major problem, and a nice upgrade anyway. Check the rear deraileur. Those "plastic" Simplex deraileurs sometimes crack. Otherwise, a good cleaning and lubing can bring them back nicely. Get good brake pads that will stop you in the rain, since it has steel rims. I used to commute 25 miles a day on steel rims, and never had a problem with them. I love Araya and Ukai alloy rims, but don't mind steel rims either (I may be the only one on B.F. who doesn't mind steel rims...but for you at 275 pounds...they just might be stronger than some of the alloy rims...IMHO). Those cottered steel cranks can be a problem. They get loose and the wedge-shaped sides of the "pins" get chewed up as they shift about. You just need to replace them then, or at least tap the old ones in with a hammer and tighten the nuts. If it needs tires, check out Niagara Cycle. They still have tires for about $7 each. If you are riding without fenders, you can afford to go with "beefier" tires. The rust on that bike begs for an oxylic acid bath. Offer $25 or $30 cash...what the heck? Fix it up, don't like it...sell it next spring for $75 to $100+.

roccobike

If you buy it, I would not put a lot of money into that bike. It's not high end, actually, it's not a mid-level bike either. Sort of a higher entry level bike. Nice enough to have some fun with and Raleigh is a quality brand. I would go for it, make this your first vintage bike, then as you progress with the sport, look for your next bike. Remember, you can sell the Raleigh and recover some of your investment while you learn about bikes. It's certainly a fun hobby that doesn't break the bank.

Im Fixed

If i paid 20 bucks for that Id want to be able to rid it home. If i was lucky enough to have lose cottered cranks Id take them off and throw them away.If i wieghted 275 Id upgrade the stopping power say 700-32 rims and tires. A few sos pads and that frame would shine. They are nice rides Ive had a lot of Raleighs and if you put top of the line equipment on a hi ten and atop of the line Raleigh frame there is know difference my brother and I use a hi ten and a 531 frame all campy ( grand prix and super course) Later

Charles Wahl

I'd pass. If it weren't all rusted (meaning it was neglected for long period), then it might be a different story. At 6' tall, that bike's probably too small for you. At 275#, don't get something too delicate in steel -- a straight-guage tubed frame is probably best, like a larger GP in decent shape, a Raleigh Sports or Superbe, or a lower-end Fuji, Nishiki, Miyata. You might try starting with a cro-moly steel MTB frame having oversize tubes, and adapt to road use. That's pretty easy, if you just lose the knobby tires and get something comfortable with smoother tread, like Panaracer Pasela in 32 width or greater. If you cycle regularly, you'll lose weight, and then be ready for a really lightweight steel road frame, once you get sucked into this classic and vintage disease.

Oldpeddaller

Welcome to this Forum! There are worse ways to start and that Raleigh will give you the opportunity to learn a lot of new techniques. From other members' posts, I'd agree that the asking price is on the high side for a bike in that condition. However, a bath in Oxalic acid (see other posts on this forum), a complete strip, clean up and rebuild with new cables, brake pads & tyres and you've got a sweet ride. At 275lbs, a steel frame and steel rims would work for you, but alloy rims would give better braking if you can find some. Or - wait and look for something in better condition to start off with? To give an idea of how frames in this condition can turn out with a bit of work, here's a couple of 'Before and After' photos of my 1966 Claud Butler Olympic Road restoration:

sciencemonster

An Gran Prix is a nice place to start - any money you put into it, you can move to a better bike when you get one. Brakes, drive train, pedals, wheels...it's all standard except maybe the BB, so you reuse what you buy if you upgrade.

Most rust will come off or can be covered up. It may look like hell, but if you are learning, that could be a great bike to practice on.

You don't say where you are from, but short of a $20 garage sale or thrift store find, I can't imagine a better deal. Free I guess. Just make sure it's not bent up and nothing's froze up.

michael k

+1
Fix it up,have fun,learn something new and most importantly use it as an excuse to buy more tools.

Road Fan

This era of Grand Prix is straight-guage mild steel, what we'd now mis-name hi-ten, and which should be called mild steel. There's nothing particularly delicate about it. Nearly all it's specs were those of a UO-8 or other French entry bike. And in that day, if the Varsity was a low entry-level bike, these Raleighs and Peugeots were a better-value entry bike.

wrk101

Financially not worth it. Very poor condition, low end bike. I would pass on it for $10.

cycleheimer

If Claud were still around, he'd take you to the nearest pub and buy you a pint of ale! Nice restoration!

EjustE

Make sure that the rust is only surface rust, otherwise this would be a fine bike. You really don't want to use anything made with light steel because it might be stressed by your weight. Also, I would make sure that the wheels and the spokes are perfect (and probably change to aluminum wheels with at least 36 spokes back) so they will not fail. Good luck!

Oldpeddaller

Thanks Cycleheimer!

(Straying from Topic) I think you're right about Claud buying at least one beer! In February a work colleague asked me if I was interested in a 1953 Claud Butler? I bought it from his Father in Law, who'd had it since new. He told me that as an apprentice he saved up and ordered the bike then took the train 60 miles or so to Claud's Lee Green SE London shop to buy it. Plan was to bring it back on the train. Claud persuaded him to spend the return train fare on mudguards (I got these too!) then took him to the pub and bought him beers for the rest of the evening. MUCH later, when they staggered out it was already getting dark. He rode it home the 60 miles to Folkestone through the night without lights, 46 X 17 fixed wheel, getting back well after midnight! (Couldn't do that today with the traffic on the A20 route). He doesn't regret this one bit - told me lots of anecdotes he still remembers from that afternoon spent drinking with Claud Butler! At 72 years old he realised his knees aren't up to riding any more but wanted it to go to a good home. He certainly looked after it and now it shares a stable with a 1935 Claud, the 1966 one, a 1982 Elan model and a 1990's Enduro model, plus a brace of 531 Holdsworths. I'll have to find a Claud from the 1970's and one from the 1940's to complete my collection of a steel Claud from each decade they were sold. Claud himself went bust in 1957, the year I was born!

cooper34

I would offer $15 for it.
In 1973, I paid $120 for a new Grand Prix. Seemed like a lot of money at the time.

Grand Bois

What cost $125 in 1972 would cost $636.46 in 2008.

nlerner

Here's the Raleigh price list for 1973. Grand Prix suggested retail = $125.



Neal

Mike Mills

My short answer is, NO.

I wouldn't pay $40 for that specimen, in the first place. In the next place, it will likely cost more to fix than you could ever possibly sell it for and even getting it ready to ride will be a lot of work. To me, that is the very definition of NOT WORTH IT.

You may have a different definition of what something is worth. You really need to be clear with us about your criteria, only then can we tell you if it is "worth it".

P.S. - I had one of those in 25 1/2" (I have a 34" inseam, floor to crotch) from that exact generation of bike (1973). It was even white like the one shown above. The tubing is straight gage, nothing special steel. The bike is relatively heavy. The components are (or were, in this case) semi-functional crap. The rims are steel. You can do better.

nlerner

And for a further trip down Memory Lane and off topic, here's the 1952 Raleigh price sheet:



Neal

USAZorro

That sounds wrong to me also. Perhaps in the early 80's they did.

I agree that you could do better, but if everything works and it just looks like heck, $40 isn't unreasonable. I wouldn't get it if I had to dump a bunch of money into it, but if you want an inexpensive education, a sense of accomplishment at the end of the job, and end up with something functional to ride until you can latch onto something better - you could certainly do worse.