jeirvine 

If that's a Huret touring RD, throw it on eBay to fund the bike purchase. I tried and tried to get mine to shift nicely, and ended up being pleasantly surprised how much I got for it.

rgver

During tear down last night I noticed the down tube is bent on this one, so it is going to stay torn down with some nice parts going to eBay and my parts bin. Disappointed but I should have looked harder when I bought it, fortunately not into it for a lot, and the parts sell off should more than cover the purchase cost of $60.

noglider 

Seriously? How bent? Can you show us?

Bikedued

Kind of looks like a kink in the DT about an inch or so back from the lug, and the head tube angle seems a tiny bit off. Could be it happened early on, where a replacement fork was installed and would still match the fading on the frame. Hmmm. I want a picture too, and that fork.

I know it sucks missing damage on a purchased frame. I got a Centurion Elite RS, that had a HUGE dent hidden under the rear brake cable in front of the seatpost clamp, and a seat tube lug that had been tightened over the smaller top of the seatpost. Two cracks behind/below the lug on the seat tube. I found the damage as soon as I got home, and I contacted the seller. No luck getting my money back, so I chopped the frame up and posted pics of the damage for weeks on CL. He would rather keep my $70, than be a man and return my money. He still sells bikes too. He shows up at the bike swaps from time to time, and I have to control myself every time. He knew about the damage obviously, and did everything he could to distract me when I started to look the frame over. That was 4-5 years ago, and I am still ticked off about it. Trust no one, and don't let yourself be distracted.,,,,BD

https://sheldonbrown.com/centurion198...08elite-rs.jpg

Ed Garner

Here's my 1984 Super Course. It's a garage find. (my garage...I bought it new...haven't ridden it for decades but it probably had 200 miles on it) So, with the help of info on this forum and on Sheldon's blog, I got some tools and went through it. Lot of fun and when I took it out I got a lot of compliments... It had very little rust and all cleaned off with a toothbrush. Very glad I paid attention to the folks who were adamant about going through the hubs and crank. The grease was still clean but had turned orange. I still have some minor work to do and need to make a decision about whether to upgrade the original components... But for now it is on the road. (I probably can improve ME a long way before I could need to improve the components...if then)
700
I've had one major problem and could use advice.... TIRES! I have the originals.. They had Raleigh on them. Stamped 25 - 622 (700 x 25C) made in Japan by National Tire Co., Ltd. mounted on Araya 700C 1W rims... So! I go to the LBS and buy some 700 x 25 gatorskins, bring them home, mount them and durn... they rub on the rear brakes (actually, they rub on the rear reflector mount which is mounted on the rear brakes...

I take the bike and the tires back to the LBS... they even try some 23mm of various makers... nothing will fit....even with the rear hub seated as low as I was comfortable safely trying. So, back to the internet for more research.. Turns out the National Tire Co has evolved into Panaracer (part of Panasonic) and they make a model tire, Pasela, with gum walls (which look very much like the originals). I even contacted Panaracer via email.. They were very nice but did not have old records of National Tire and could not guarantee a fit. Some folks suggested that Paselas were often used on these bikes... A local store happened to have a set of Pasela Tour Guards. Panaracer assured me that the profile of the Pasela Tour Guard was the same as regular Paselas.... so I got them.

Get this... What I got was 23mm (not 25's) And they still rub!!!! So, I took off the rear reflector bracket. AND THEY STILL RUB!! So, I dropped the rear hub down in the dropouts to the very minimum. It was better. Only an occasional rub that I was able to reduce by tightening the spokes a bit in those areas...

I measured everything per all the instructions (including the bead to bead... it is exactly 622...)

Anyone else have experience with this? What tires actually fit these bikes?

Thanks again for all the help already. Couldn't have gotten to this point without it...or at least not on budget...

BTW, my first bike... 50 years ago... was a Raleigh with a 3 speed hub which my Dad bought at a police auction for $5... The frame had scrollwork engraved on it... Yes, everyone called it an "English Racer" Wish I still had THAT!

Ed

NJgreyhead

Was searching CL for 531, found this one, came here to research and was impressed with the love these things get. I now have my own appreciation for these bikes. Thanks, All.
-NJg

jeirvine 

What exactly is the tire rubbing on if the reflector bracket is off? If adjusting spokes makes a difference then it may be on the brakes or even the brake shoes. Make sure the brake shoes are aligned with the rim and not the tires. A good large picture of the area would help diagnosis. (And nice bike/story -I hope you get a lot more miles out if it.)

auchencrow

That's a sweet one NJGrey! Congrats!

daf1009

Congrats @NJgreyhead that is a sweet find! One thing I love about these bikes is the "dichotomy" of them...great riding fun bikes...with some high end components, such as that great Brooks saddle...but...it sits on top of a cheap, steel seat post! What a dichotomy!

:-)

Ed Garner

Thanks for the response. As you can see, with 23mm Pasela Tour Guards, the clearance is about 1/8 inch... I've got the hub as far down in the dropouts as I dare... (the original National Tire size was 25mm)

Also, after riding for a couple of weeks I began to wonder if I was getting enough extension in my legs so I looked at some of the online calculators... This seems to be a 62cm frame, measured center bb to top of tube at the seat... I have a 36.75 inseam. When I used the Lemond guesstimate and set the seat at 32.5", center of crank to seat top, and rode down the street a bit, it felt great! But that made the seat post out 1 1/2 inch beyond the maximum! So no long ride test....

Also, 175mm cranks were recommended. These are 170mm. Are there longer seat posts available in 26.8? Used cranks?
I want to use this bike as an entry to train for a short sprint triathlon without breaking the bank. Would I be better leaving it as is and looking for a bigger/newer bike?

Ed

Ed Garner

I've got a couple more questions on my 1984 Super Course.... What is this little post on the frame just above the derailer? And there are small holes on each part of the frame near the rear drops (one is visable near the post in question...), what are those for? Also, these were stored in my bike bag. I have no idea what they are or where they might go, except they seem to fit the taper of the rear....

Thanks! Ed

noglider 

The post is for hanging your chain when you remove the rear wheel.

The holes are breather holes which were necessary when the frame was being brazed together. Don't fill them or mess with them in any way.

No idea what those buckles were for.

GrayIS

Updated with Shimano 600 Arabesque derailleurs. Damaged Simplex gear

Bikedued

Sorry just now saw this post. I had the exact same problem with mine. Mine rubbed with 23's. I had it adjusted to the max, and got a sixteenth of an inch finally. Someone measured wrong on the jig I bet, and they probably built hundreds before anyone noticed.,,,,BD

afabed

Those look like saddle bag clips that would then be clamped to the saddle rails, allowing you to attach a saddle bag.

This seems like another method to achieve the same goal.

Essthreetee

Here is my 1973 Supercourse. It was purchased for me by my uncle as a birthday gift & completion of first century gift. It was all original (except saddle) when purchased. Since this picture, I have changed out the stem.

daf1009

Very nice...glad to hear you changed the stem...not quite the best looking stem for that bike!

afabed

Good Morning Everyone! My project is almost complete, but I took a quick ride today and figured I'd share it with you all.

Its a '73 Super Course (with capella lugs!) that ive morphed into a Porteur style bike. Ive added a front rack, fenders and dyno lights (just have to build up a dyno hub into a wheel).

It rides really nicely with these bars, (nitto Nordeast).

auchencrow

Welcome to the SC owner's club, afabed!
That rack sure looks ready for some heavy duty. A two-kegger maybe?

afabed

I figured I'd fill it with plants and recreate the Hanging gardens of Babylon on a micro-scale.

nlerner

That's some serious rack-age! How does it handle with that weight upfront? I've converted a couple of SuperCourses to porteur style, but usually for relatively light loads.

afabed

I usually carry a heavy back-pack up front, about 10-15lb. It handles just fine, if I'm moving fast enough to lean into a turn. However, some work is required to turn between stopped traffic.



I didnt seek out such a large rack, but I found it and it was a great deal.

vqstaphbeard

@afabed Looks great! Who made the rack?

afabed

@vqstaphbeard, That's actually on my list!

I picked it up from Via Bikes in Philly, who had picked it up at a bikeswap. The story is that a woman commissioned the rack, and wanted her name in the design. When she came to pick it up, she refused to buy it, as her name was spelled with a "K" not a "C". And so I ended up with the "CAT" basket.

noglider 

A pre-1978 super course has a floppy type of handling, and I suspect it's not the best type of bike for front loads. I haven't tried it, though.