The fine art of brute force. The Raleigh gets an English lesson at my LBS.

Last year, I spent the Winter riding to work and training for brevets on my Rivendell Atlantis. I desperately wished for a second bike that I could ride in bad weather. But I parted-out my 1989 Cannondale 3.0 on eBay to raise the money to buy components for the Riv. So I had no choice but to ride it in the worst of conditions, which meant I was constantly cleaning grit and grime from the nooks and crannies of its carved, hand-painted lugs and hammered aluminum Honjo fenders.

When fall rolled around this year, I was determined to find a classic lightweight steel frame and build-up a bike that would get me to work fast and withstand the rigorous long distance training rides I will do preparing for the 2007 randonneuring season.

As it turns out, I was not alone. The old steel frames sell at a premium on eBay this time of year because serious riders are prowling the Web for them, especially frames that were top of the line in the 1970s and 1980s. Just for kicks, look at what this Raleigh Team Professional sold for during early Winter 2006.

The key to scoring a classic steel frame at a reasonable price on eBay is to focus on the lower-end of the top-of-the-line models. Another is to forgo the eBay route altogether and turn your attention to Craig’s List. I did both and found a 1973 Raleigh Super Course.

The Super Course was the least expensive high-end Raleigh racing bike in the early seventies, due to the fact that it was outfitted with lower-end components. The frame, with its exaggerated fork trail, relaxed head-tube angle, and chromed, tapered forks, and stays, was made of the same Reynolds 531 tubing as the high-end models minus the Campy components.

As I mentioned in the first installment on the project, I made the decision to update this bike in spite of the fact that its pristine condition and completeness qualified it for a restoration. I was inspired by the fine lines of this classic old frame. The idea of retrofitting it with lightweight components captured my imagination. It had me day-dreaming about riding a little piece of history on empty forest service roads around Mt Ranier, Mt Adams, and St. Helens.

Retrofitting an old English Raleigh frame with modern parts is not a casual undertaking. Fortunately, Sheldon Brown of Harris Cyclery has written an article that guides the daring garage mechanic through the process.

This project made me feel like more of a beginner than at any time since I began working on bicycles 30 years ago. If it weren’t for the guys at the Lake Oswego Bike Gallery, I would probably still be struggling with it in spring. If you have ever tried to remove a cotter pin from an old crank arm, or fit a spanner to an old bottom bracket cup, then you know what I mean.

I relied on Sheldon’s writings as if it they were gospel. His first parable? Overhaul the cup-and-cone bottom-bracket, or upgrade to a sealed bearing cartridge. While the old Raleigh crankset was beautiful, I wanted a cotterless single-speed crankset. Not only would this help create the illusion of a single-speed, this was a place I could whack pounds off the bike.

Left: The old Raleigh & the new Sugino cranks. Right: Cup & cone and cartridge bottom brackets.

I read that the old Raleighs had non-standard, 26 TPI (threads per inch). But I found that this one actually had the B.S.C. standard of 24 TPI. But the threads in the bottom bracket shell and head tube were rough and the new components hung up going in.

Kelly Aicher, manager of the L.O. Bike Gallery, retapped the bottom bracket shell to accept the new Sugino cartridge. While he had the drill out, he retapped the head tube, seat-stay bridge, and fender eyelets. He bored fresh holes holes for water bottle cages. Everything was clamp-on back at the old school.

Before: rough, half-tapped threads. After: clean and ready for a new cartidge.

Sheldon also warned that the front forks and rear triangle would have to be spread to accept modern hubs. The Super Course’s forks required only a minor adjustment to accept the Shimano Nexus Dynamo hub, but the rear dropouts were spaced 120mm apart. The Nexus Inter-8 internal geared hub would require 132mm spacing. So once again I turned to Kelly for help. He was able to achieve a 126mm spread by manually pulling the stays apart (see the photo at top of the page), but a special jig was needed to reach 132mm and keep the frame straight and true.

Steve and Kelly checking the frame for straightness after spreading the rear triangle

After the frame, the one aspect that most excited me about this bike is its Shimano specialty hubs. The Nexus Dynamo front hub is lighter than the Schmidt SON 28, which is the preferred electrical generator among randonneurs today. I have a SON 28 on the Atlantis, but frankly, I am underwhelmed. It is heavy and I can feel it vibrating the handlebars when it is switched on. I heard good reports on the Shimano and I am eager to give it a go.

I am even more excited by the prospects of using the Shimano Nexus Inter-8 rear hub. The idea of having just one exposed gear on the rear wheel, with 8-speeds “under the hood,” is totally stealth and very cool. The one drawback I can see is its weight. To counter that, I made the decision to switch to from 27-inch to 700C rims, which opens up a world of options in terms of tires

Drive-train conversion complete: looks like a single-speed, doesn’t it. Mwaahahaha!

Modernizing one of these old bikes requires a lot of patience. It seemed as though every fitting required tapping new threads, a new part, or a drill bit. I wish I could take full credit for this build, but I can’t. It was a team effort with Kelly, Steve, and Ed at the Bike Gallery solving one puzzle after another.

I read a piece just recently in Roadbikerider that suggests you treat your LBS to a sixer when they work miracles like this. We are into healthy living here in Oregon, so instead, we celebrated the the completion of the drive train with a half-dozen hamburgers from Giant Drive-in.

Coming up next: photos of the finished machine, a complete parts list, and the test ride report.

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