Super Course do it or screw it?
 

I can get this Super Course for 95$...I have to drive my car into San Francisco to get it. I hate the damn city. I really hate the darn city.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sfc/bik/1648141154.html

It's been listed for several days. I'm really surprised it didn't sell...I might turn it into a fixie. A fixy you ask? why...because I already have the wheels/tires/'tubes/cranks/chain but don't have much money.

700C wheels would be a nice upgrade. I've got sew up rims I could use for a geared bike. I've got period correct suntour bits.

Is it worth a two hour drive plus gas/bridge toll...This makes the bike a 130$ cost. Yeah or nay?

I have been debating the same thing on the same bike frame and color, hehe. Its an hour and a half away but its only 45 bucks...The only thing keeping me from getting it is that its one size too small. but still...

http://rochester.craigslist.org/bik/1645720370.html

This is the C&V forum, and you guys are debating whether its worth getting in your cars to pick up an all time English classic road bike in Reynolds 531 with fancy lugs and a ride that exceeds practically every other bike? - For $95 and $45 respectively?

How far is it from Detroit?

I'm much closer and it's not worth it to me. I hate driving in San Francisco, too.

Looks like a brooks on it, too... I'd be there without second thought. $130 is still a great price.

That's in Rochester NY :) Quite a hike from Detroit

It's straight guage 531 and it has stamped dropouts.

The ride does not "exceed practically every other bike".

Eh, I have thought about it for 2 days now and I even have a buddy from my reserve unit who lives over there willing to pick it up but its just too small for me and I have absolutely nothing to dress it with...the one thing that nags at me is that price though, and the fact that delivery will only cost a 12 pack of good beer. If someone on the forum had a touring frame to trade for it I might do it...

- In THAT price range ?

OK, you guys are peaking my interest now, what components came standard with this bike in the day?

Nevermind I just pulled it up on Sheldon Brown, and now I'm thinking of turning it into a fixie for my wife...

I prefer mine over some of my more expensive bikes, at least as far as ride quality. The components are really nothing special. That shade of green is spectacular in person. Pics don't do it justice.

You didn't say that.

I never minded the drive into the city for a good CL deal. I always tried to arrange a pickup after hours to avoid the traffic.

And besides, it's Pacific Heights. Not like your driving into the ghetto.

Yes, the frame is 531 straight gauge.....nothing to get excited about....I worked in a ralrigh shop in 1974,and back then,
raleigh got no respect by the guys in the shop...They were really shoddily made....I really don't understand all the interest in these now...Back then,we assembled them, but we didn't give them a second thought...

I worked in a shop that sold Raleighs and Peugeots. I don't remember paying much attention to Super Courses or even Internationals because they had those cheap looking brakes. I really wanted a Raleigh Pro, but ended up buying a PX10 because I could afford it.

I don't think there's anything wromg with Weinman center-pulls.....Although I always liked the MaFacs mutch better...It was the Raleigh frames themselves that I find unimpressive...

It is in fact the frames that people do get excited about. -Though the fit and finish is less than stellar (perhaps a gap here or there, some rough spots) the colors are lovely (in person) and the frames offer rigidity and flexibility in all the right places - giving them a dreamy ride quality... I can't adequately describe it.
-Anyway, like sailorbenjamin above, I prefer then to my more "expensive" bikes. Plus , they are really adaptable -you can put about anything on them, and people build them up a million different ways.

There us a current thread where you can see some EXAMPLES .

Weinmanns were on all the cheap bikes back in the seventies. They were also on some good bikes, but they make those bikes look cheap to me. It's just my personal feeling about them. I'm not trying to convince anyone else not to use them. I'm not saying they don't work well. I've never had a bike with Weinmanns and if I acqure one I'll change the brakes. I wish I had bought an international when I could have got one with an employee discount. I could have changed the brakes to Mafac Competitions.

I've seen the examples. One of them was mine. It had Mafac Competitions, come to think of it.

I am kind of in Grand Bois' camp here (and this is probably the only thing we agreed about in this forum - other than the use of Gatorskins in one of his bikes ;) )

Depends on the ride you are looking for. Really. And it is a personal preference thing and a lot of it has to do with geometry. With Raleighs, unless you went all the way up to the Professional level (back in those days -70s-; and those were hard to find), they had a lax geometry (which is perfect if you like to ride long distances leisurely or want a do it all bike or a city bike that can deal with rough roads). They changed a bit later and their 80s bikes were much more responsive. Again, this is a subjective personal preference and I still think that the OP's San Fransisco bike even at $130 with gas and tolls is a great deal.

We don't even agree on the Gatorskins. I don't like the way they look on my Gitane. I hope they wear out soon so I can replace them with some Panaracer Paselas.

I'm only interested in bikes made prior to 1980 and I like tubulars.

I also seriously thought about a trip to San Francisco when I first saw that Super Course listing about a week ago. However, I decided to pass after looking up more about Super Course specs, components, weights, etc. I already commute regularly on a 1983 Raleigh USA Grand Prix. Ten years after the 70s bike boom, that model had been upgraded to include many of the features that distinguished the 70s Grand Prix and 70s Super Course. (Like the earlier Super Course, by 1983 the Grand Prix had unbutted CroMoly main tubes, all standard threading, alloy rims, weight around 27-28 pounds, sport touring geometry, long enough chain stays for fenders, etc). The 1970s Super Course seemed like at best a lateral move, and in some ways a step back from the the later mid-level Raleigh that I already have functioning very well as a daily commuter. In contrast, show me a good deal on a 70s Raleigh International, with an all-531, double butted, lighter frame and better components, and I would drive to San Francisco in a heart beat!

Most of us have the same bias about stem shifters and turkey levers. You can find them on Paramounts, but they make it look cheap. It's the dia-compe center-pulls that I usually look down on for some reason. My Raleigh Competition came with some Weinmann 605 side pull calipers... boy did those stink. I'll take their center pulls any day though.

In my experience, Weinmann brakes are more effective than Dia-Compes. Just sayin'

I vote "yes" on the Super Course. Some are nicer than others, of course... but it's worth trying it out. If you decide you don't love it, you can get your money back.

It has stamped dropouts, steel cottered crank, Weinmann centerpull brakes. If you don't like that, skip it. I don't mind any of that, though. The Brooks saddle may or may not be any good; at this price you can't expect something with a lot of life in it, but you may be in luck.

My ~1973-75 Supercourse had steel cotterless crank (yes, steel and cotterless). I have very fond memories of that bike and remember it being the most comfortable ride I had until recently. Why was that? Probably because it fit me and my first two "10 speed" bikes were bought either randomly (late 60s Gitane) or sold to me too large by a LBS (75 Windsor).

All I knew was that the first time I rode that thing when I bought it used from a guy, I knew it "fit" and felt really good. There was no doubt, no tweaking, no second thoughts ever. Rode it from around '77 until mid-90s when I sold it and bought a similar-level (i.e. fairly low level) Bianchi. The Bianchi had a much better shifting and brakes (lowest level shimano sis compared to the crap simplex on the Raleigh), but never felt as good riding as that Supercourse. That could have been the frame itself, or the fact it was too small- at the time (and still) many/most people really think fitting a smaller frame is the way to go. It could have been the steel or the geometry too, I just don't know.

By the way, I'm pretty sure the saddle on mine was Ideale, not Brooks. It was pretty comfortable - much more comfortable than the plastic racing saddle on the 60's gitane.

I would gladly buy a decent Supercourse frame if I could find one in the RED that I used to own. I'd probably try to build it up with more modern shifting, etc.