not_jason

I have this frame, I think it's a 1962 Raleigh Gran Sport. It's just the frame, no parts. I have a kind of minor obsession with it that I'm not sure anyone other than me understands, and I've been getting really stumped trying to figure out what to do with it. The bottom bracket shell is tapped for a standard bottom bracket, the dropouts and forks have been grinded out to fit modern axles. It's ridiculously light for a plain steel frame. I've been wanting to make something sort of classic and era appropriate with it, but I'm worried that the quality of the finish drops below "patina" into "wrecked" territory. Advice? I'm worried that a bunch of new parts are going to look stupid on this. Anyone have any compelling examples of new parts hung on visibly worn frames with successful results?

LesterOfPuppets

I think it's beautiful! Build immediately!

Edit after reading entire text of post - I'm so lazy I just read subject line and clicked on pics :

I'd try to limit new parts usage personally I probably wouldn't attach any major components made after 1989.

Brand new chain, brake pads, etc totally acceptable.

uncle uncle

No. Use serviceable old parts with the same amount of "patina". Make a five speed sleeper path racer out of it. Chicks dig scars, GI Joe knows this, and now so do you. Revel in how smart you are to have a bike that can be left out front of the bar and not have to worry about it being stolen. Start wrenching.

wayback

The beer can adds a nice touch to your pics.

Go ahead and build it, but it might be more appropriate to install better quality used parts from the '80s rather than brand new stuff.

mkeller234

No, it looks to great. Though, that beer is to awful to drink!

3speed

I'd say that thing is pretty beat looking. That said, build it up! And as someone else pointed out, you won't have to worry as much about it getting stolen. I even have a rusty old Free Spirit 3 speed. My girlfriend rode it in college and loves it because of the sentimental whatever. Now she hasn't ridden it in years, but she loves the thing, so it stays. Your bike is a hell of a lot better than that Free Spirit.

EDIT: Oh, and yeah, you should be ashamed of your beer drinking habits.

LesterOfPuppets

I used to hate Free Spirits but then I got this. Now I'm seeing all kindsa Free Spirits that I love. Does the ol' lady have an FS3? I want one of those pretty bad. I kinda want a Brittany also.

Here's my Sunbird:


Free Spirit Sunbird@ Muchas Gracias. by Lester Of Puppets, on Flickr

marley mission

my fiorelli and atala are beat to hell frames so i admire the look - build it up however you like and throw down some finish pics - bikes like this are what its all about - no garage queens - but yeah stop the PBR and get down w a decent IPA

3speed

Her Free Spirit is the typical 50lb Ted Williams 3speed, steel wheels, crappy black spring seat, completely stock. I wouldn't even really hate on it so much(it was a decent ride for what it was and she looked really cute riding around campus on her mint condition old 3 speed with racks and fenders), but it was like brand new(hung in a garage unridden) when I gave it to her to use around campus. Then because it was left out to weather in bike racks, it rusted up pretty badly. The quality of bike + lots of rust = just let it go and get another bike, to me. But like I said, she loves it, so here it sits...

I did once see a Free Spirit 10 speed with a vintage disk brake in the front. That was pretty sweet. I never knew that existed back then, and haven't seen one since. And I've read that some Free Spirits were actually totally decent quality. I wouldn't be opposed to riding a decent one if I happen upon it some day. Yours looks pretty sweet.

peazweag

Go for it,that frames kinda cute

Lenton58 

I don't think its ugly at all. If you want a 3 speed runabout, goe for it. What might be amusing is to take some of finer scotch-bright type cloth ... maybe the blue grade is the right one. Scrub the daylights out of it with soap water. Finish of polishing with the next finer grade. Wipe down with acetone and rattle can spray with clear.

Before that, get the BB refaced and chased — headshell refaced to — what the hell. Align the dropouts. A nice set of wheels of yer choice and some Pasellas. Build her up as either a sit-up-and-beg, or a flatbar transit bike, but with very slick parts. Maybe a four speed Shimano hub.

I love what remains of the color. A cleaning and a clear coat to keep the rust off and you would have a "sleeper" as he said above.

psychicandroid

Like others here, I look at that bike and I don't really see ugly-I see a lot of potential. Build it up and run around one errands on it. You'll either get a lot of strange looks, or jealous ones. Either way, you said yourself you have a thing for the frame. Something in you doesn't want to let go of it, so I think you just came here to ask us to confirm what you already want to know. XD

Charles Wahl

I'll be a dissenting vote: if it were mine I'd have it painted (my preference, but generally more expensive) or powder-coated. I don't mind riding a finish-challenged frame, but that one looks like it would disappoint you, and it's decent quality, underneath. As far as the grinding goes, do you mean that the rear dropouts now accept a 10 mm axle, and the fork dropouts a 9 mm axle? Original equipment was probably solid (non-quick-release) axles.

Wildwood 

Treat the rust, build it up as a 5 speed or ss gravel grinder. Betcha got good gravel in Maine.
Or sell it to a hipster for an excellent fixie. No braze ons - right? How many hipsters are there in Maine?

edit: if it rides well and fits you, then I agree with C Wahl - the frame is worthy of a repaint.

iab

Remove rust and loose paint. Polish. Drink better beer. Build.

It will be a fine bike.

OldsCOOL

Whatever alloy componentry you hang on it......polish it to a high luster, make it GLEAM.

redneckwes

As a Raleigh fan, that frame for me would warrant a respray with new transfers. (Repaint and new decals). I didn't repaint my '62 G.S. (I just touched up the head and seat tube bands) But it had much less patina to begin with.



You also need to start drinking better beer.

old's'cool

Yeah, that's a bar bike in the making for sure. Everyone needs a bar bike! Use the money you don't spend on a paint job to buy nicer beer!

Wildwood 

What a buncha damn infernal beer critics!
maybe not_jason is a poor college student.

Trick fall

I like the frame and nothing wrong with sme Pabst now and again. I'd leave it as is and try o find some flat black parts. Think Rat Rod.

FrenchFit 

Fixie. Wrecked in a crash, but a blast.

not_jason

Thanks for the replies. I haven't read most of them yet, but I wanted to interject quickly to let all you guys know that I did not drink that particular can of PBR.

edit: I like the 5-speed pathracer idea. The guy at the LBS built up a bike like that the other day, with inverted northroads style bars and I've been sort of hung up on it since.

sailorbenjamin

Shiny new or NOS parts are easy to find. The true challenge is to find parts with just exactly that amount of patina. No more, no less. Once you've got the balance right it will be a true work of art. I call it "Faux Barn Find". It's the latest style. I'm working on getting the fad started and pretty soon, every one will want one.
None of these parts came with this frame but they sure look good together (gotta swap out that crank, though).

w1gfh

That "distressed bronze" finish looks very cool. I'd remove any dirt or grease and just leave the finish as is. Maybe clear coat.

old's'cool

I'm all over your faux barn find , but only if you include the weathered wooden bench as a sidecar!