Marc’s 1966ish Raleigh Gran Sport

Posted

How about a little more from the Seriously Old Ten Speed department. This is Marc’s 1966ish Raleigh Gran Sport, a near twin to Bob H.’s Gran Sport from yesterday. Is it me or the OTSG is beginning wreak of mothballs and mildew?

1966ish Raleigh Gran Sport
Adjustable StemCampagnolo Gran Sport FDCampagnolo Gran Sport RDCampagnolo Gran Sport FD
Coureur 66 Center-pull BrakesCoureur 66 Center-pull BrakesAdjustable Stem

Which I found in the trash.  It’s been upgraded with an adjustable stem. It’s really really old. Has the oldest campy derailleurs on it. Even has the orig bottle cages mounted on the front. Brooks Swallow, not in the best shape.

Any info you have on this bike please let me know. Should I restore it? Its certainly a piece of history.

Marc

Thanks Marc

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  • Alex K

    I dont know if I would restore it. I would clean it up definately, try and remove as much rust as possible etc. I dont know how usable the parts on it are, but with enough know-how and elbowgrease it should be straightforward.

  • inaheap

    Mechanically I would try my best to keep it original and just get it sound. New cables, grease, and whatever. Otherwise I think removing as much rust as possible without damaging existing paint and such is in order. Also new seat and maybe bar tape. I don’t think I’d go farther than that, but that’s just me. Its yours, enjoy as you like.

  • Bob H

    Wow. So similar to the bike I posted, and to think both had been discarded! This one has a front derailleur, mine doesn’t, but it also doesn’t look as if it ever did. (Any thoughts on that?) Marc thought mine was in better shape but I’d have to say both are in very similar condition. I’m thinking along the same lines as imaheap for mine: gentle cleaning, new cables and bar tape, a saddle, that’s it. Pie plate and spoke reflector have me wondering if Marc’s rear wheel is original…

  • Pfaff

    These Raleighs have seen better days…….a lot of them.

    Is that a Brooks Swallow saddle from 66? Really cool.

    I’d use that as my around town bar hopping bike. I couldnt justify the cost of restoring it.

    I’ve got an army green and white 67 Raleigh Record that looks pretty similar to these two, and it was in seriously neglected condition. I kept the frame but nothing else. It was definitely down the line from the Gran Sport though, which looks like it was a really nice bike back in the day.

  • Pfaff

    I found that this bike is a 62 model and that is in fact a 1962 Brooks B15 Swallow Sprint saddle.

    The catalog has a description of it down to the “Large touring bag 2040 bag support” on the handlebars. There was a detachable bottle holder on the down tube but it looks like it got detached at some point.

    The Campagnolo pump clip looks to be still in place, and I read that the weird looking fork braze-on is actually a lamp boss.

    Scroll down to the end of the page for a drawing and a description:

    http://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/catalogs/Raleigh-Catalog-1962.pdf

  • http://www.balloontirebicycle.com Marc P

    Bob,
    You are absolutely right, and I totally forgot to mention that the rear wheel is newer. I changed it because I did not want to risk damaging the one that was on there. You are right, the orig has no pie plate, ….its a ‘Normandy’wheel. Never heard of them before I found this bike.
    As for cleaning it up: …..well when i found the bike it was totally seized up, even the chain was seized solid as it were. I oiled the whole bike literally, all of it, and basically managed to get it working. As for the question of patina/rust on the surface potentially coming off, well I tried using an SOS pad in a few areas and sadly I think that the orig paint is not as retrievable as I had hoped. Its for this reason I am unsure whether or not to restore it. I would have to powder coat the frame back to new again, and I don’t know a whole lot about powder coating and I am wondering if it is easy to replicate the orig colour which is a lovely gold metallic colour. I will certainly look into it. I have done it before, but with more straight forward colours.
    Pfaf: ……As for the year, I think you are right, it’s a 62. The only thing I can’t work out is the ‘coureur 66’ brakes. I saw a catalogue with these exact brakes in it, and the catalogue was from ’66, so I assumed the coureur 66 referred also to the year. What we dont know is A: how long did Raleigh produce this model of bike after 1962, (and if they still made it in 66 that would explain it) …..and B: Does the “66” on the brakes refer to the year, or did they make them just the same pre-66. I did zoom in really close to the 62 raleigh catalogue, and noticed a vey blurry depiction of writing on the (same looking) brakes. Question is did they say coureur 66 on them or for example coureur 62. Who knows. Anyone?
    The brooks Swallow is intact, but I wouldn’t dare sit on it because the leather has indeed seen better days, so I will make sure to oil it with the right kind of oil because otherwise I fear it will crack and break. I have ridden the bike with another seat and rear wheel, and it rides great.
    Pretty amazing considering how seized up it was when I found it. I should have taken ‘before’ photos of it before I serviced it and rode it.

    • http://oldtenspeedgallery.com The Ten-Speed Dreamer

      Personally, I would leave the paint as it is. Clean it the best you can and then give it a good waxing. Let it be old, there’s nothing wrong with old.

  • http://www.balloontirebicycle.com Marc P

    Yes, I think you might be right. It would look nice aged, and might clean up better. It is somewhat of a piece of history, and worth keeping orig for that reason alone. I’ll have to try some different things to see what works best to clean it up.

  • Alex K

    The 66 on the brakes should be for the length. Try and salvage anything you can. The headset can be salvaged, just loose balls are fun. Seriously though, this is the coolest bike I have ever seen. Not even from a monetary standpoint, I just lust after old british bikes. If you have any questions, let me know. Im a bit of a Raleigh freak, and I have lots of experience from my supercourse. I would have left mine original, but the parts on it werent cool enough to warrant saving.

  • http://www.balloontirebicycle.com Marc P

    Alex,
    The decal on the seat tube is covered with another sticker that has a faded out number on it suggesting that the bike was used in a race back in the day.
    So I am assuming that the guy who raced it also upgraded the stem to the adjustable one thats on it now. It has to be one of the coolest stems I have seen. But I have absolutely no idea what kind it is or where it is from. Do you have any idea? It has no script/writing on it, and I have searched ebay for one, just for info, but have never actually managed to find one, or any pics of one anywhere on the internet. Also, I’m glad Bob H has uploaded his Gran Sport too because I can see the fenders on his for reference so that I can find some for mine. I assume the ones on Bobs are orig, but if you happen to know otherwise, let me know. Its just I can see the rear one on Bobs bike is not attached properly so they could have been added later or something.
    Since you lust after old British bikes, I got another question for you. I have an old Elswick bike from, I believe, the late 40’s or early 50’s. Its not a ten-speed though so I won’t be uploading pics here. Its a coaster/single speed. My email is babyjesus3 at gmail dot com. If you drop me a line I can send you a few pics of it so I can better ask you the question, which has to do with something on the frame that suggests one should attach something to it. Maybe you know what it is.

  • Peter Robb

    Its gorgeous, love it, keep it up with seriously old ten speeds…

  • Peter Robb

    It looks good as is .. patina they call it, real patina .. and its English

  • Peter Robb

    Yes about being trashed.. In NZ its the same lovely BSA ten speeds thrown out, Becani Vivace, Coventry Eagles and others.

  • Juhas

    Marc,

    You’re lucky guy, Your bike is awesome, greate material for restoration. I like this leather seat, classic frame with beautful paintjob and symmetrical breaks.

    I Will visit the scrapheap more often:D

  • spike

    It’s older than 1966, more like early 60s. Nice bike.

  • MikeG

    there’s a time lapse before and after photo set of a restoration of a vintage Raleigh Gran Sport on Flickr – check it out. http://www.flickr.com/photos/jwright/sets/72157594494565758/

  • http://www.balloontirebicycle.com Marc P

    There is one that is almost identical on ebay right now.
    With the orig stem on it unlike mine. But it is the closest I have found. Reserve not met with some low bids. No idea how much it is worth, but hopefully somebody will bid past the reserve and it will sell so I can find out how much a good one goes for at least.
    http://cgi.ebay.com/vintage-raleigh-gran-sport_W0QQitemZ200388849502QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item2ea81b2f5e&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

  • http://OldTenSpeedGallery Wooden Shoe Biker

    Is it possible a machinist made the stem custom and it is the only one existing? I just may convert one of my Raleigh Twenty folders to a ten speed with all the spare parts I am collecting. Nice old steed / what does it weigh ? 35 pounds is my guess. Thanks Ed

    • Spike

      That’s a TTT adjustable stem, not super-rare, but a curiosity nevertheless. It’s sometimes found on track bikes of the 60s. Not sprint bikes, obviously, but time trial bikes.

  • http://www.balloontirebicycle.com Marc P

    I saved some pics from an ebay auction of the same stem only this one is in perfect shape: http://www.balloontirebicycle.com/AdjustableStem.html
    The auction had it as being early 60’s 3TTT.

  • http://www.balloontirebicycle.com Marc P

    Found a 1974 3TTT catalogue with the stem. It’s called a ‘Record Regolabile’: http://www.velo-pages.com/main.php?g2_itemId=161 and another 1978 catalogue with the same again: http://www.velo-pages.com/main.php?g2_itemId=6661 . So the bike was at least 10 years old before it was added.

  • https://www.allwearanywareairbrushing.com Dann

    hi, i came across my 1962 Raleigh catalog. the bike is long gone but the catolog is in great condition. is anyone interested in purcasing it?

  • Senor Juan

    Another option regarding paint, if you’re up to the task of stripping the bike, is to soak in Oxalic acid bath which removes rust, toothbrush it, rinse in baking soda solution to neutralize acid bath, rinse, and dry it out real good before clear coating as-is. I’ve seen some rusty bikes come out looking very nice that way. Small rusty parts can be cleaned this way as well. It won’t replace lost or heavily pitted chrome but is definitely an improvement.
    Dings in aluminum alloy parts can be gently filed, wet/dry sanded thru various grits and buffed to look very nice too.
    It just depends how much time and energy you’re willing to dish out.

  • http://www.facebook.com/duncan.heathcote Duncan Heathcote

    Do you still have that old Raleigh gran sport. Did you restore it? I have A 1963 Raleigh gran sport that I am restoring and need some parts. I am in Minnesota.