in search of a good steel road bike after parting with my all Carbon bike I found this beauty from a raleigh & colnago collector the bike was complete built and fine tuned and well cared for... I decided to do a lil modernization... so far so good. thanks be to BikeLane Chicago (Adam, Max & Mark.. great job guys!)
Frame:
'76 Raleigh Grand Prix 2 shades of blue Nottingham built & Stamped
Fork/Headset:
Raleigh/1" chrome
Crankset/Bottom Bracket:
Raleigh stamped Suntour/ Suntour
Pedals:
Shimano PD-M520 white
Drivetrain/Cog/Chainring/Chain:
53t&38tx13-18t/Suntour 6spd/Sake x2/KMC 6spd
Derailleurs/Shifters:
Raligh Stamped Suntour/ Dia-Compe BarEnd Friction
Saddle/Seatpost:
Brooks B-17 Narrow Antique Brown/Dia-Compe Gran-Compe
Brakes:
Cane Creek SCR-5 Gum Geko's w/Tektro Long reach brake arms
Front Wheel/Hub/Tire:
Chocolate Volocity Deep-V/'85 Sake branded NJS hubs 36h/Victoria Rubino Pro Honey 23c
Rear Wheel/Hub/Tire:
Chocolate Volocity Deep-V/'85 Sake branded NJS hubs 36h/Victoria Rubino Pro Honey 23c
Accessories:
Velo Orange Expresso Leather Handle bar tape, Knog Lites, Problem solvers shifter & brake cable stays, LG road helmet
Bike History
Click a link below to see past stages of this bike.
Current Stage Info:
Built up for speed & Class!
I replaced the origial 5spd freewheel body witha suntour 6spd 13-18t freewheel so I could crunch out a nice fitness and racing machine
Added by Rdnt. Last updated over 12 years ago.
20 Comments
simplicity is a beauty!! really love this one.. oh yeah btw, if i can ask, assuming you know more about raleigh since you have two of this beauty.. is there any possibility that raleigh uses tubing made by columbus? saw a raleigh (type is not known) on a wall of an lbs near my place, but it has a columbus tubi sticker on it (Columbus SLX if i'm not mistaken).. can't say it's a fake, but can't say it's legit too because every raleigh bikes i found are always using tubing from reynolds.. please help :D
Posted over 12 years ago
Thanks man.
I too have heard that there were a select few that were made with Columbus, I had not seen them myself, high tensile carbon from the 70's, Reynolds thin dia. Tubes, so far til now the Columbus has been myth, but seeing you have seen one, I guess that myth has been busted. Would like to see a pic of that if you decide to go back and snap a shot.
Posted over 12 years ago
They may have been custom built for certain riders and had a few replicas produced.
Try chatting it up with the LBS, see what they say
Posted over 12 years ago
they haven't open their shops.. besides, it's only a week now from the eid celebration.. but i'll take a snap when they're open again
Posted over 12 years ago
How's that brooks bar tape? I'm thinking of putting that on my bike you just commented on.
Posted over 12 years ago
I didn't use Brooks, I used Velo Orange leather tape, and I love it. it has good thickness for vibration asorbing, nice texture for the touch. I chose this one because a couple of people said it was more managible to apply and color lasted longer. I don't wear gloves so... it's about the same price. I did have a the violet brooks for another bike and it felt great too, softer than leather but not as soft as sued, if that helps.
Posted over 12 years ago
Great job modernizing an older classic steel frame! Is there a tubing stamp on the seat tube that tells what tubing was used? I can see from your pictures and from the change to the long reach Tektro Dual Pivot brakes that you converted from 27" to 700c. If you change to Kool-Stop salmon or VO (Velo-orange.com) brake pads you will get even better braking and easier brake modulation. With this wheel conversion you also have plenty of room to some day turn this racer into a true long distance Randonneuring bike by moving from 23mm tires to 32mm or 35mm tires and adding some nice fenders. Contrary to popular belief - a good quality wider tire like the Schwalbe Marathon Dureme HS 410 (in either Folding or Wire Bead) (700x35 475g fold/545g wire 50-80 psi) $34.99 for wire and $59.99 for folding (both reg. $80.00) at http://www.bicycleeverything.com. - will not be much slower but will improve cornering, wet weather & snow performance, ride quality, off road capability and last for up to 4,000 miles.
Posted over 12 years ago
thanks.
yes it has 20-30sl high carbon tubing, made by reynolds...(at least that's what the sticker says) it makes a high pitch ting/ding, so I'm inclined to agree...
yeah I saw the VO one's they are on my list of thing to keep around on the part shelf, for those days.
Posted over 12 years ago
Beautiful Raleigh! I definitely think you should invest in a newer/better components group. I recently acquired a mint Raleigh Technium that I was contemplating to rebuild with full Suntour Superbe group. You can find older parts like that sold individually usually pretty cheap. Just saying, if you're looking for this to perform at a level at all comparable to your Felt.
Posted over 12 years ago
Thanks. I was looking at the Superbe. I also saw a Suntour Ultra, but I didn't know much about it... will look into them. no I'm not looking to get it up to the felt... not yet atleast.. got to save some more money first. I got rid of the Felt because something was missing more so in the feel of the ride, that I think only steel can provide... thanks again for the info on the Superbe group... what's a typical cost on those?
Posted over 12 years ago
Photos
nagillum says:
nicely done, i like how you modernized some of the things on this bike, i bet its light to ride...
Posted about 12 years ago
Rdnt says:
Thanks, it is fun to ride. It is lighter but not as light as the olympian. Which I want to find suprbe parts for.
Posted about 12 years ago