danh123

Good to know. It is just my size too I was pretty excited about finding it.
​​​​​​
I'm planning to use evaporust on frame/fork and rusty parts first. Tires definitely have to be replaced. The shifters look kind of beat up. Wondering if seat can be restored, it looks pretty beat.

After that replace all the cables and maybe change gearing. I was thinking about painting the parts of the frame that aren't chrome.

danh123

Wow good eye. Thanks for the info.

bwilli88 

Here is my 73 when I got it free from a local co-op

73 supercourse by Bwilli88, on Flickr

And now as a dingle speed

IMG_20180717_114219125 by Bwilli88, on Flickr

noglider is right "good bones"

danh123

Nice, looks sharp. I think if I paint mine I will leave the chrome tips.

Piff 

Finally, finally, finally done. Just need to pop the chain on and figure out a sticky rear brake. I would insert the picture itself rather than link it but the site has been giving me trouble recently. It was a bit of a franken build, but it turned out nice.

Raleigh pic

Which brings me to a couple questions of how I might reduce friction of my rear brake. Do you guys lube the cable? And I suppose I ought to break down and clean the brake piece by piece. But any other tips? Have you guys had trouble with your super course's rear brake?

My brake is a weinmann 750 and my lever is some no name brake lever. Probably originally meant for a cantilever.

DiegoFrogs

Every problem I've ever had when installing a new cable and housing was a result of one or more of the ends of the housing being poorly prepared. It has to be flat and open, and use ferrules everywhere you can. You can test by inserting the cable into just the individual runs of housing and seeing how smooth the cable moves, so then you can focus on the real problem area. Of course, also make sure the brake springs itself back open and evenly when the cable is disconnected.

Real1shepherd

Exactly the same color, bike and yr as mine. I found an original Competition GS that had been hanging in a carport since '83 and so this bike never got done. Before you put a lot of time & components on it, I suggest stringing the frame for trueness. These bikes have had rough lives and PO's. Mine came from a druggie in Seattle....haven't had the courage to string the frame...lol. I would just leave the paint alone....so few people can match and paint bike frames properly. And when you find someone that can, it can exceed the value of your bike. I would re-sticker it though.

Kevin

Real1shepherd

Study the brake and how it works......on these old brakes, you need really true rims so that you can keep your pad-to-rim clearance very small. Center pull and side pull brakes just got so much better after those 750's. Somebody must make a retrofit pad that works better than the original style for these old brakes.

Kevin

bwilli88 

My chrome was toast and had a lot of rust. Sand blasting took it all off. Definitely made a better paint setup.

bwilli88 

Pic assist for Piff

Piff 

Got the chain on and fixed the brake issues, thank you to those of your who helped along the way! The original budget was supposed to be below $300, but certain parts didn't fit (or their axle was broken, stupid rear wheel) and I think I ended up near $400 which is much more than I originally planned. However, I really do love how smooth and responsive it is- just twitchy enough, but not too far. The 35mm tires don't feel like they're slowing me down at all. It's a lively bike, and I can easily see myself changing it to be more of a roadie/sport tourer in the future. Schwinn Approved Raleigh Super Course!

danh123

Nice. I haven't had the courage to check the frame either. I wouldn't try to match current paint. If I paint I would go with a whole new color. Not there yet though may change my mind.

Real1shepherd

My SC paint is pretty rough, but I think new stickers would make it all livable. I've read a couple of threads about matching that green....it becomes voodoo at some point and most just settle on something close. A new paint color would be the way to go....if you like BRG, that would look awesome!

Kevin

Slightspeed

On my SC, the rims are pretty true, and I installed Koolstop dual compound pads, black and salmon color for wet/dry. I have Mavic MA40s with the dark anodized finish. The Weinmans work better than my other bikes with Universal 61 (modern Shimano pads) and Mafac (Koolstop black pads) centerpulls. I did replace the cables and housings, and try to maximize bend radii.

Real1shepherd

Hmmm....I'll have to try those pads then. On my old Trek mountain bike and my old Yokoto hybrid, the Shimano brakes are so powerful that if you hammer just the front, they will pitch you over the handle bars. Nothing I've had on those old 750's even comes close. They feel really mushy even set close to the rims. Back in the day we didn't know the difference, but by comparison now, wow!

OK so what I'm seeing on the Kool Pad website is a orange, four dot pad for the 750. What exactly did you buy and did you modify them?

Kevin

Slightspeed

I bought these, Dura2, $8 something a pr. at Amazon. I already had modern Shimano pad holders. You can also get them with the modern longer style pad holders.


Pads only for Shimano pad holders.
These are like the pad holders I have.

Here's my front, didnt realize how dirty it is from this angle.

Schreck83 

I started reading this thread a few weeks ago and it led me to pick up a Super Course frame recently as part of another bike deal. The SN is 337456 so I think it is a 1972. The frame is 22.5" CTC so the catalog dimensions would appear to be CTT. The seller stripped all the original parts so I am starting from a blank slate here. I have a bottom bracket that fits the frame, so I'll be going with cotterless cranks.

Most of the SCs on this thread are green and look great, but I already have a green bike, so the coffee paint color is good except that it is very close to the color of the Raleigh and Super Course script on the frame. I want to clean the frame without damaging the paint and decals any further and could use some direction as to the best way to do so. The chrome should clean up nicely but I am concerned about the painted areas. Would an OA bath damage this color or is it just not necessary? Would cleaning wax be the best way to go? Crustiness aside, the paint is in pretty good shape. Has anyone used shellac to consolidate and preserve crumbling decals (Reynolds, Carlton) or is it better to remove them and get replacements? Thanks.....

curbtender

Tips for removing rust?

Real1shepherd

Wow...thanks for all that!! Kinda spendy just for holders/pads, but what's your life worth, right?! I could ride in traffic with a lot more confidence on these old Raleighs with decent brakes.

In this town pedestrians and bicyclists are targets for cages & trucks. Typical of a town's police dept that looks the other way for pedestrian and bicyclist safety. It's appaling and dangerous. And it's a shame too because we have endless two-laners that roll out to the foothills and rivers. The farmers think the two-laners are 'theirs' and everyone else needs to stay out of their way. They're about 50% of the problem out rural.

I wonder what that 'wing' does...pull water away from the pads?

Kevin

Real1shepherd

I've posed this question before on my GS...it has slight rust specks poking through the paint-deadpan original bike in like that oyster pearl finish.. The problem is that the paint is not thick like auto paint and so when you rub it down, it's just gone. I got a hundred different answers on how to proceed. I tried some mild rubbing compound and even clay bar....both do a good job on contributing to paint sheen, but helps nothing with respect to the rust specks. I suspect you have to treat that separately before you do anything else. I have a gallon of the rust removal stuff that's non toxic and supposedly paint friendly. I was told to wrap that around the frame wet with a cloth and let it sit. I dunno.....like I said, you lift the paint and its GONE forever. I thought I might try a small portion and see what happens. If your paint doesn't have rust poking through it, I would treat it like an auto finish, but be WAY more careful of rubbing the paint off......VERY mild polishing compound followed by a superior auto wax.

Kevin

dddd

The wings are tire guides, which center the tire between the pads during wheel installation.
It's mostly a feature intended for faster wheel change-outs on racing bikes, so why many lower-level bikes (or complete pads) don't have them.

curbtender

I've done the wrap, let it sit for a couple of days and had no issues with the paint. It still had some rust residue that came off with a toothbrush dipped in the evaporust solution.

Real1shepherd

Ok, bummer....thought it may have had a greater purpose...lol.

Kevin

Real1shepherd

Good to know, thanks. I'm still chicken but will try the forks first.

Kevin

NJgreyhead

Sorry, but I don't understand this.
I'd appreciate if you'd elaborate.
TIA.

-NJg