You only need to read the first four letters of this post title to know it will be a good one. D-O-N-S has provided the OTSG we a half dozen or so rare, beautiful, and interesting OTS and not-so-OTS. Today’s is no exception.

Hi Cameron Here is my latest find for the OTS gallery. It is a 1970′s Peugeot Caravan UE-8 in almost original condition. It has the factory fenders and working Soubitez generator powered head and tail lights..Simplex shifters and Mafac Racer brakes and levers. Someone handmade the cool looking toolbag on the luggage rack !

Thanks as always for a great website Don S

I hesitate to call this cherry Coast King ‘Crappy’ but with all the gems we’ve seen recently, it will just have to do. Is it me or is ‘Transtar‘ about the sweetest model name since the legendary ‘the Dude‘?

serial number HC 3993931 location left side front tube. Underneath BB Left Side: C8009586805 Purchased Saturday 05/14/2011 at auction for $20.00 I added air to tires (26 x 1 3/8) , Washed Bicycle, cleaned and adjusted gears/sprockets, replaced shift cable, added travel bag.

I swear, I’m not cherry-picking the posts recently. This is just the kind of quality rides I’ve been receiving the past few months. Can somebody start bringing the crappy back? You know if it’s not crappy, I’m not happy!

hello, this is my fourth submission, hope you all enjoy it. this bike is a mint 1985 panasonic team that i acquired on craigslist for a great price. it was in dusty, but excellent shape. the frame is finished nicely with tange 2 tubing and tange chromed dropouts. it’s hard to describe but when disassembled, the frame just feels like a really nice steel frame should, light and almost delicate with a nice ping when “flicked”. i completely customized the drivetrain making it a 12 speed indexed shifting bike. the cranks, bottom bracket, and front derailleur are shimano 600 arabesque that i’ve been holding on to for a while, i’m psyched to finally find a bike worthy to use them on. the rear derailleur is a vintage light action model with more aluminum than most you see, matched to a shimano hg 6 speed freewheel. the aero friction shifters were replaced with sunrace clamp-on dts which i must say are much better than i expected both cosmetically and mechanically, finish is good and shifting is quick and precise. my only gripe with them is that the front shifter has a strange feeling ratchet action and the d rings are purely cosmetic with no purpose other than to rattle around, both are definitely not deal breakers though. i also replaced the gran compe brake levers and installed new tektro “campy copy” levers. the gran comps, though nice, just didn’t feel that great when riding on the hoods (which i do 75% of the time). a nitto technomic stem was installed, as i like my bars at or close to saddle height. the cables, housing, tires, and bar wrap are all new. i used “friction” electrical tape to finish the bar wrap instead of regular electrical tape, and i really like it, looks like cloth and doesn’t slip and leave a sticky mess. the bike came in at 21lbs, not bad for the price. well, looks like the sun’s finally out, i’m taking this bad boy for a ride!

thanks, mike v. westfield, ma

This has to be the nicest resto-Raleigh we’ve had on the OTSG is a long time. This is Darrell Y’s 1973 Raleigh Competition. Look but don’t touch!

1973 Raleigh Competition

The Quintessential English Lightweight with a Decidedly French Italian Accent

This was my general concept for Compo:  Build a Raleigh Competition with of the era components that complement, possibly even improve on the original.  Vision:  If I were the age I was in 1973 (22 years of age) would this be a bike that I’d really be proud of owning and riding?  To add to that, this is what I think Raleigh might have built if they had offered a Campagnolo Gruppo option for the early seventies Competitions.  There were several challenges to overcome, not the least of which was the Huret dropouts.  I bought a bare frame on eBay to build the project.  I decided to stay with the 27 inch wheel format and used components mostly from the seventies and early eighties. It’s easy to do ol’ school, when you are ol’ school.

Darrell Y. Arlington Heights, IL

• Frame – 1973 Raleigh Competition – Reynolds 531 – 22.5 inch (~57cm)
• Powdercoating – Powdercoat Studio, Traverse City, Michigan
• Wheels – Homebuilt
  • Vintage Campagnolo Tipo Hubs Drilled & Polished by Peter Weigle
  • Sun M13II Alloy Rims
  • DT Swiss Double Butted Spokes
• Tires – Panaracer Pasela Tourguard 27×1.00
• Stem – Vintage GB 70mm
• Headset – Tange Seiki 26.4mm
• Handlebars – GB Drop Bars – Marked British Made 54 – Measure 38cm C to C
• Tape – Newbaum’s Black Cotton with Clear Shellac
• Brake Levers – Weinmann Brakes – Vintage Weinmann 610 Vainquer  999 Center Pull – Yokozuna Brake Pads
• Crankset – circa 1981 Campagnolo Gran Sport 42/52 T NOS
• Rear Derailleur – Campagnolo Nuovo Record circa 1972
• Front Derailleur – Campagnolo Nuovo Record NOS
• Freewheel – IRD Defiant 13-15-17-20-24
• Bottom Bracket – Modern Campagnolo Veloce Sealed BB 115.5mm  (2.5mm Spacer on Drive Side)
• Pedals – MKS Sylvan Stream
• Chain – Wipperman Connex 808
• Saddle – Vintage Brooks Professional (Thanks Uncle Fred)
• Seatpost – SR Sakae 27.0mm Reproduction
• Decals – Cyclomondo, Australia
• Black Silca Frame Pump – Campagnolo Pump Umbrella

This year’s Tour was one of the most exciting and entertaining of any in recent years. And it wasn’t just because of the wrecks, I can actually do without those. It was more the spirit by which the racers went about the task of racing. No gifts, all was earned. Thor winning on a mountain stage; Gilbert attacking at some point in every stage; Eddy Boasson Hagen making the winning break two days in a row, and making good on his second attempt; Voeckler making the break that made the Tour. All these things kept me glued to the TV every night. I could go on and on in whirlwind of post Tour analysis and speculation but I’ll keep things simple. I have assembled a small list below of my Best and Worst of the Tour 2011.

Best Podium Shoes – Team Europcar

Best Sprint Call – Stage 10 Happy Norwegians

Best Break – Stage 13 Thor chases down Roy and Moncoutie on a Mountain stage.

Worst Sock/Shoe Combo – Mark Cavendish’s horrific black shoes/white socks. What’s next, a fanny pack?

Best Second Attempt – Stage 17 Eddy Boasson Hagen after being nabbed at the line by The god of Thunder came back the very next stage and got his.

Biggest Surprise – Thomas Voeckler

Best Cape – Cadel Evans

Best Rolling Recovery – Johnny Hoogerland and his battle with barbed wire.

And if you’d like to see some awesome photography from throughout the Tour, I would highly recommend Totally Cool Pix (Week 1, Week 2, Week 3)