noglider 

@tonyoakes, Raleigh bought the Carlton company and made some of the Raleigh models in the Carlton factory in Worksop, England, including the Super Course. My 1971 has 24 tpi BB cups. I haven't measured the threads on the steerer tube, but @Slightspeed's experience means mine might be 26 tpi. I'm pretty sure the seatpost diameter is 26.4mm.

tonyoakes

Thank you very much sir I appreciate it greatly

vicious cycle

I saw this thread and thought I would offer up a bike from the storeroom, New in box, Blue Raleigh Super Course, 25" frame Suntour VX components, never assembled.
thanks, David
Vicious Cycle

dddd

Picked this one up last year while I was away. It's a bike that I was somewhat searching for a long time now, and, most importantly, I didn't pay too much.
Seller was in a far-away town, but by the time later in the week that I called, his son had relocated the bike close to my area, so I only negotiated the bike down to the tune of 10 or $20 less than the $200 he was asking.
Phillips bb spindle predictably says 2/73 on it, as it does also utilize the Capella lug set.

It pretty much rides like a dream after I upgraded the freewheel to a 13-28t 6s Uniglide. And, beyond luckily, this one even came with a 4-1/2" stem, which would be somewhat of a rarity in this frame size.

3speedslow

Great looking Super Course @dddd it looks like it was well taken care of! My 84 SC is currently taking a bath outside the coffee shop..

3speedslow

Great looking Super Course @dddd it looks like it was well taken care of! My 84 SC is currently taking a bath outside the coffee shop..

bikemig 

Good looking bike. I'm thinking of picking one of these up which must be the same year as yours as it has the same color and parts. Do you like those simplex derailleurs? I've never had much luck getting those delrin ones to work with well. This has standard english threading and came stock with alloy wheels right?

gpdave

This is a Super Course that I owned until just recently. I believe it is a 1968 or 1969 vintage.
Pretty much original, round hole Normandy hubs and the early GB stem.
Kinda cool but it was too big for me so it went to some one who was truely happy to get it.
These are the only pics I have of it.

beicster 

I am perfectly happy with my 79 Super Course. It makes a fine commuter. But, I would replace it in a heart beat with one of these green early 70's Super Course. Those things just call to me.

lugsNleather58

Gorgeous old Super Course ('73 or '74, I'd guess). Is that a 23" (59 cm) or 25" frame (63 cm)? My coffee '72 SC is a 58cm frame with similar vintage SunTour drivetrain. As you mentioned, the frames ride like a dream.

dddd

These bikes have standard English threading, alloy wheels and the Simplex gear can shift exceptionally quick with a good chain and freewheel combo. I would not use one of these derailers on a freewheel larger than 28t myself, but 28t or less teeth on the freewheel allows these to work as well as the very best derailers.
The front derailers are prone to splitting because of the clamping tension in the plastic, you learn to keep a frequent eye on the top right side area, most cracks progress slowly unless someone has recently tightened the clamping bolts (not advisable).
The rear mech's actually are adjustable for cog size, by means of the locknut that tightens against the outer cage plate (which locks the rotation adjustment of the cage pivot spindle). The spindle can be rotated using a 5mm hex key while holding the cage position stationary. I loosen the nut only slightly, which prevents the spindle from turning freely and possibly unwinding the cage pivot spring. All this to achieve a smaller or larger chain gap between pulley and largest cog, same as adjusting a modern derailer's B-tension screw or a modern Campag derailer's A-tension screw. A smaller chain gap is more compatible with more-flexible modern chains.
Simplex derailers work well with a minimal friction knob tightness and a light touch on the lever. If you ever feel the plastic lever flexing, you are doing something wrong! So start by lubricating the inside of the lever pivots, then make sure the simple cabling is moving super smooth along it's length, and keep the rear housing loop as short as allowed with the derailer first pulled forward as far as it wants to move when in the biggest sprockets.
I would perhaps consider 6s as the practical limit with these, since they lose a bit of their ability to pull fully outward over time. It's not the spring losing tension, it's the pivots wearing (a wider freewheel may require the chain be pulled too far to the right for one of these, and even 6s requires proper axle spacing for this reason).

dan3324

I'm back with my super course, from 1970 I believe, and I finally got rid of the cottered cranks. I replaced it with an earlier dura ace crank set along with a Shimano Crane GS rear derauler and dura ace front deraulier. I planning on changing out the wheels with some phil wood hubs i picked up, but the spokes seem kinda rusted out and I'm not sure if they should be re built. Probably overkill to use such fine vintage parts on a super course, but good thing it's my bicycle

greg3rd48 

My '73 Super Course TT with Suntour barcons, 50-36 Stronglight crankset, 28mm Pasela PT tires and 45mm VeloOrange Facette fenders

Untitled by irishbx4th, on Flickr

Untitled by irishbx4th, on Flickr

noglider 

I love that, Greg.

Did I mention my Super Course will have a major update? It will take some time, though.

Slightspeed

Just to clarify some statements above, my '73, with Capella lugs, coffee color paint originally, but spray painted pea green as found, definitely has 24 tpi bb, a Sugino installed as found, and the threads work very smoothly in the frame. As for headset, the lower bearing cup was badly (bigly?) missing chrome plating. I tried to use the headset from a crashed Bianchi from the 90s that I had laying around. The upper threaded parts were no go due to 24 vs. 26 tpi threads on my fork, which is a NOS Rampar tange Ebay find. I finally was able to use the Bianchi bottom cup, non-threaded, and a better quality 26 tpi original upper threaded cup on the new fork. I used new loose balls on top, and the Bianchi bearing carrier on the bottom. It all tightened down very well, and feels very smooth.

beicster 

I am looking forward to the debut.

bwilli88 

Not as long as your International

greg3rd48 

No you didn't Tom. When will you be giving an introductory post??

noglider 

Wow, people pay attention. How embarrassing! I still haven't put fenders on my International, so I consider it incomplete. I have "temporary" wiring to the tail light, and it's ugly, but I'm not fixing it until I get the fenders on. Crazy, because I ride it almost every day.

My plans for the Super Course:

I'm retiring the 27" wheels I built for a previous bike back in 1983. The rear has flat spots which I've lived with, and I replaced the rear axle a year ago with some improvised parts from the wrong kind of hub. Cassette hubs offer advantages over freewheel hubs, so I'll move up that way.

I'm "converting" from 27" to 700c.

@sloar sold me a brand new 3x8 Claris drivetrain off a bike he had just bought. This includes cassette and cranks.

I built a rear wheel with a nice 105 hub, but the spokes ended up being too long. I had miscalculated. Another BF member found a wheel on his local craigslist which was perfect for me, so he facilitated that. It was actually a pair, but I didn't need a front, so he has the front. The rear wheel is a newish 105 hub, DT spokes, and an old 700c Super Champion Mod 58 rim. It's in terrific shape.

The front wheel will be a pre-built 700c wheel with Sanyo dynamo hub.

This has been my only bike that does not have drop bars. The drivetrain will necessitate going back to drop bars. I think this will be OK, but I'm a little apprehensive, because the "all-rounder" bars with the extensions on the ends have made a comfortable and versatile setup. I've taking fun rides, run errands, taken a loaded tour, and ridden gravel roads with th setup. After this conversion, all of my bikes will have drop bars.

I should have lots of room for wide tires, and I have some Vittoria Voyager Hyper tires rated 35mm which actually measure 37mm. For all their bulk and weight, they sure ride great. I've ridden this bike on gravel roads at insane speeds, so these tires could make that even more fun. The Super Course has more clearance than the International, and moving from 27" to 700c should give even more, so I'm guessing the 37mm tires will fit with fenders.

I'll put some new (to me) fenders on, as the old white Bluemels are shredded and disgusting looking.

And the paint on the bike is an eyesore, so my planned solution to that is some contact paper, for the sake of doing something different. It's a faux stone finish, so I'll be riding a rock bike on rock roads. We will see how good I am using an X-ACTO knife, carving the shapes required for Nervex Professional lugs. Maybe I'll use some kind of contrasting paint for the lugs.

A few years ago, I swapped the original Weinmann brakes for MAFAC Racers. The pads are pointing down a bit to reach the rims, which means I'm pushing the limits of their reach. I'll dig up the old calipers or find some other Weinmann or Dia-Compe calipers.

S28546

I'm getting closer to starting to work on this '74 Super Course Mk II I picked up in August. I finally took a nice ride on it but ended up limping home on a two speed as I broke the rear derailleur cable. It was looking worn and should have been replaced before I left, but the day was so nice I had to go for a ride.

beicster 

I am a sucker for a pretty red bike. Man that looks good. More pics will be appreciated when you get time.

bertinjim 

S28546-
Lovely bike! Thanks for posting.

jpaschall

Yep that is a beaut. Can’t wait to get my green MKII rolling.

noglider 

@S28546, I recommend moving the brake levers up the handlebar a touch when you retape it. Put a ruler along the bottom of the bar, and the brake lever handles should protrude below the line just a little or not at all.

NJgreyhead

Is this for aesthetic reasons, or is there a practical reason?