IknowURider

Hopelessly, smudged in blue brush paint, at 58 CM, in a dusty co-op deep in the bowels of the ghetto here in CT is a Raleigh frame that's been through absolute hell. It appears straight though, and the braze-ons look Carlton-ish, but I am not a Carlton expert,

What confuses me is the lugwork is ornate, might be chromed oh but wait they painted those blue too, dammit.

The headbadge, which is hoplessly coated in paint has a little teeny-weeny tab thing at the bottom. I had a '74 Notty Record, which I thought I would take to my grave but I killed it, (sniff, sniff). It doesn't look like "made in Nottingham" would fit in that space.

Soooo, It looks like that itty bitty tab would say something extra. Please note.

"Carlton...Worksop...")

The drops are sweet, true and razor sharp, but the usual Brit production stuff , they don't appear to be Chromed Super Campy Neo- Recordolo.

The bike has cottered cranks, (nice steel quil pedals bashed to hell) a GP stem, nice brake levers, hoods, Weinmann Vanquer CP's,

I did spy some chrome on the rear stay...Hmmm..

But if you saw this frame you would cry and take up shuffleboard.

In your opinion, (and I know who might jump on this...Bicycle repair man, Tom Reingold, Chombi, etc.)

.....(wait for it...) (Captain Kirk voice)... Spock!!!!! What could... this... possibly ....beeee?

I usually can figger this out myself, but I am stumped.

I could have taken pics but that may have blown the aquisition. (long story involving much talking of sheet)

And the pics would have sucked anyway (poor light in the shop)

I don't remember old Grand Prixs having lugs like that, I mean these were pretty hoidy-toidy looking. Like swoopy, winkly-twinkly. Victorian era flashback etc.

If they are not Chrome I will surely shoot myself.


'65 Clubman? The bike had a Simplex Derailleur , the better one. It had two sticks jammed in it to align it LOL.

Remember, this bike is Toast. Probably ridden by some rasta drug dealer (nothing wrong with Rastas, but drug dealers should ride Giants, maybe even Huffies. A drive-by might dent the fork.)

But, could this be the stuff of C and V archeology?

Okay, reality check:

I am wondering what the realistic possibilities are, given what was shipped here, YES I know few road bikes were here before say 1972, according to Sheldon....Save it!!!

But we do have some exiled steel workers from the moors living here.

Crap shoot. Don't bother with "without clear pictures and electron microscopy it is impossible to assess". I know that.

Go deep into your creative mind...

BE THE FRAME.

nlerner

Be the inquirer who posts pictures.

Veloh

Entertaining read but 1 picture= 1000 words.

jeepr

Are you a gambler??

repechage

Small chance '73 Super Course with Capella lugs. Small.

sailorbenjamin

How much money are we taking here? At 58cm I'd have to get it just to find out.

Thumpic

the fork's bent.......(my first time!)

auchencrow

+1

David Newton

I didn't read it... what color is it?

cb400bill

First frame that I thought of, too.

sailorbenjamin

Nah, '73 International.

Roll-Monroe-Co

+1 ... looks like a front end collision. If you feel the top tube, right behind the lug, I bet you will detect a small bulge.

frantik

forth word of the post is "blue"

IknowURider

Oh good question. Underneath the nasty blue paint it's gold.

To other posters : Forks not bent. I knew I'd hear that LOL.

Pics may be coming soon, the aquisition process on this is a complex story, the chance I get it is 50/50. I will know what's up on weds.

It's also an issue of: do I want to spend 14 hours with citrus paint stripper (which worked amazingly once before, got the krylon off without affecting the factory paint.

And: Do I want to take on the energetic field of the previous owner, who fuglified this bike beyond comprehension.

I googled up a pic of a '73 Super Course that's gold and converted to single. This looks pretty close. Hmm, so we are talking 531, I kinda assumed that, I can't tell from squinting at the catalog if its double butted, but that's not a big deal.

It could be an International, though, I have to look at the actual frame paint again, the pic on Google showed it was more olive colored, but it could be olive/gold. I wish I could remember if the fork had that crown cutaway or not.

The fork on that bike on Google Images appears bent, however.

mkeller234

If it's an International it will have Campagnolo rear dropouts. I don't think early Super Courses had a integral hanger at all... just a plain, flat dropout.

rhm

The seat post size will tell you something about the frame tubing.
27.2 = 531 butted.
26.6, 26.8, 531 straight gauge.
25.4, hi-ten steel, unless your Raleigh is from the 50's, in which case it could still be 531.

IknowURider

aha! excellent. ok my vote is for the Super Course, Raleigh had a pretty strong presence here back in the day . The drops are flat and there is no hanger . They are decent, though, long and sharp looking, like you could shave with them. They've withstood the ravages of time rather well.

realestvin7

Do we get the full story after acquisition is complete?

ColonelJLloyd 

Really? I guess that doesn't apply to French bikes? My Jeunet 630 is full 531 DB and takes a 26.2mm seatpost (although the original specs may have been for a 26.4mm post).

rhm

Right, that doesn't apply to French bikes, or anything with metric tubing.

nlerner

And my '72 Raleigh Super Course (straight gauge 531) takes a 26.2mm post, my '74 Super Course MkII (straight gauge 531) took a 26.0mm post, and my '75 Super Course MkII (straight gauge 531) takes a 26.4mm post!

Neal

rhm

Oh, fine. I'm trying to make this easy, and you bring hard cold facts into it.

Sheeesh.

ColonelJLloyd 

You knew better, Rudi.

realestvin7

Lol. '86 Grand Prix checking in. Reynolds 531 DB with 26.8 seatpost diameter.

sauze

*edit for not reading properly ,