I like to call my green Super Course a 1971, though it is just as likely to be a 1972. It came with Huret derailleurs. It's a 21-1/2" frame.

Sailor Benjamin gave me a brown one a couple of weeks ago. It's also a 21-1/2" frame, with the same graphics and Nervex Professional lugs. The paint is in somewhat better condition, but the chrome is worse.

I have given it to my housemate Al, a 26 year old friend of the family.

As Ben got it, it had
- Weinmann brakes
- Simplex derailleurs
- non-original wheels with steel rims
- original handlebar and stem
- original pedals
- original cranks
- original handlebar tape and cables
- Brooks leather saddle!

Ben threw in:
- some other wheels with aluminum Araya rims and no-name steel-shelled hubs, and a Shimano 6-speed freewheel with twisted teeth
- dry-rotted IRC tires (hey, I'm not complaining for the price)
- brown fenders from a Raleigh Sprite (nice!)

I told him to keep the Simplex derailleurs and shifters. I've had my fill of those and don't want to work with them any more.

For reasons I didn't follow, he changed the cranks to a pair that appear to have come off a Raleigh Sprite. It seems like a decent crank, though the chainrings are bent. They're still ridable, and I may keep the cranks this way.


Ben also regreased the BB and headset. I have to take him to task because the fixed cup wasn't even finger tight. What's up with that? Similarly, the headset wasn't adjusted or locked into position.

Brakes:
Ben gave me the original brakes, but I put them in a separate box and mislaid it. When I got the bike to the weekend home, I didn't have the brakes, so I installed some no-name long-reach dual-pivots which I had bought new, thinking they would fit on my Raleigh Twenty. They are not long enough for the Twenty, so I'm glad I had them on hand. I don't have any spare cables at the weekend house, so I was able to get only the front brake working. The housing is too short for the front brake cable, so I'll have to dispose of the Raleigh corduroy housing, or whatever it's called. I was skeptical about these brakes, but the front one works impressively well, even with the crappy grey pads. This is a pleasant surprise.

Drivetrain:
I installed some non-ratcheting SunTour stem shifters which work well. I don't know why I was a snob about stem shifters. They make perfect sense to me, and they give as much feedback as I need. I think it was a myth that down-tube shifters perfomed better than stem shifters. The only bad thing about stem shifters is that they came on cheaper bikes. I had a SunTour ARX (I think) rear derailleur, which works like a champ. I had a SunTour front derailleur which appeared to match the RD, but this bike has a cable stop, so it's best to use a FD that uses cable housing. I happened to have an old Shimano FD which is perfect for the job. I installed a brand new SRAM 8-speed chain. All of this makes for a very happy drivetrain. It shifts easily and is very quiet. The only spare housing I had was blue, which looks funky. Al likes it, so we'll leave it.

Handlebars:
The original handlebars are narrow, but the intended rider has narrow shoulders. Also, these are cool, so I'll stick with them. The original vinyl handlebar tape is tattered and dangling, so it has to go.

Saddle:
The saddle is cracked but looks like it might last a while. I can't tell if it's a B15 or B17. Very nice!

Pedals:
The original pedals look great. I'll put toe clips on them to see if Al likes them. He's not experienced with road biking, so it will be an experiment.

The ride:
On Sunday, we took a 13-mile ride through the country, doing errands. Al was able to climb the challenging hills and keep up with me. He fell behind a few times, but it turns out he was taking pictures and videos, not feeling weak. The heat and humidity were very high, which made everything difficult, but we had a great time. Ulster County, NY is indescribably gorgeous. I left the BB a bit loose, expecting that the fixed cup would work its way in by precession, and it did. The headset came a little loose. I have neither BB nor headset tools there. I'll move them plus my other bike tools and supplies there, as we are currently selling our NJ home. Al didn't notice these problems, so from his point of view, the bike worked flawlessly.

Still to do:

- New cables and housing (black or white, as I've run out of blue) for brakes. This will get the rear brake working.
- Straighten chainrings or replace entire crankset. I'm inclined not to replace it.
- Retape handlebars.
- Install toe clips.
- Make sure Al gets a GOOD lock, as he's going to be riding in some dicey areas in NJ.
- Install a water bottle cage.
- Install the fenders. One of the attachment bolts interfered with gear shifting in the rear.
- Replace the tires, as these don't look safe.

I apologize for having no pictures. They will come soon.

Yeah, that bike followed me home from Trexlertown cause I'd been whording those fenders and waiting for a brown Raleigh for a while. Then I got to thinking about our upcoming move to Rhode Island and thought maybe I was a little fat on bikes. Then I remembered how Tom had been so generous to me over the years with some nice frames and wheels and such.

For reasons I didn't follow, he changed the cranks to a pair that appear to have come off a Raleigh Sprite. It seems like a decent crank, though the chainrings are bent. They're still ridable, and I may keep the cranks this way.

Well, a previous owner changed out the drive side and I didn't have another to switch it back. I did, however have an off side that matched the replacement.

[COLOR=#000000]Ben also regreased the BB and headset. I have to take him to task because the fixed cup wasn't even finger tight. What's up with that? Similarly, the headset wasn't adjusted or locked into position.

I did mean to mention that I'd been busy and might not have finished much of what I started.

Here's some that I took;




I didn't take any true before pictures cause I was too anxious to see the fenders on it. But this gives you the idea. It's too small for me so I was gonna make it a beachcruiser, put Schwinn northroads on it and my favorite coaster wheelset. But darn that clear brown bar tape looks good whatever Tom says.

Oh, you did it that night? OK, then you're excused. I was worried that you didn't know that fixed cups have to be screwed in DF tight.

Here are some pitchers Al and I shot today, a little before sunset.

We got really funky with the cable housing colors because they were what I had on hand. Al will probably switch to black or something more fitting, but for the time being, we have neon yellow derailleur housings and blue brake housings.







Brooks B15 saddle

Classic Raleigh headbadge




GB bars and stem








Classic Raleigh seat binder bolt

Down tube logo, barely visible. This identifies it as either a 1971 or 1972 model.




Nice bell with a crown logo






Al is very photogenic, as well as very pleased with the bike. We took a vigorous and hilly 12 mile route in the sun.





Later this evening, we fixed up the rear wheel as well as possible. As you can see, the rear brake is hooked up now, too.

Tires desperately need replacement, which Al will tend to when he can gather the money for a pair of 27" Paselas.

I adjusted and tightened the headset.

What happened to the fenders? This is a great thing your doing, Tom. I hope he's able to get some tires soon!

I left the fenders at the country house and will retrieve them next time I'm there. I also have to find my cotter press so we can properly adjust the BB, though it currently seems to be about right.

I should mention that getting this bike to a good road-worthy condition is involving my teaching Al all about bike repair. Under my supervision, he has wrapped the handlebars, removed and re-installed the rear tire, and trued his wheel. He's done various other things and is quickly becoming a good bike mechanic, having had little previous experience in mechanical work. He's a visual artist, so his patience and intelligence bring him from art to craft readily. The bent rear rim was pretty bad, so I loosened the spokes near the bad low spot and whacked it with a 2x4 and a hammer. Then we loosened all the spokes and lubed them and retensioned the entire wheel. At that point, I taught him to true wheels, which he did until the wheel was within a tolerance of about a half inch. I brought it to within a tolerance of about 2 mm, which is the best I think it will get. He says that the bike rides more smoothly now with a round and true wheel. After our late-night test ride, I walked him through toe-ing in brakes to eliminate squeal.

Also, we've been raising the seat one half inch at a time, getting him used to a proper leg extension.