So, after acquiring this frame a couple of months ago as described in a previous post, I have finally decided to get started putting it together. The lingering question was just what to do with it? It’s not a high dollar classic or a particularly sought after brand, and not really very collectible so it had to be a good rider. It should also be reasonably light and a bike that is nice to look at, so my main goal for this Raleigh is just that, for it be a nice looking bike that is fun to ride.

If I were going to reconstruct this bike to bring it back to the parts spec it was originally built to, then I would certainly have a good looking bike, but not one that was very remarkable or particularly desirable. It would be a nice entry level racer but would lack certain qualities that I have come to prefer in a bicycle intended to be a sport rider. If I take a few liberties with the selection of parts then I can create a machine that not only meets my needs as a cyclist but may actually look better than original and ride better too.

Sourcing the parts

Most of the parts in the recipe shown below were already in my possession, either as take offs from other bikes or items that I had come across somewhere. I did have to purchase a few items such as rims and a freewheel from eBay, pedals from Velo Orange and some small parts from Soma. Also a brake bolt and a headset cone from our local co-op were needed.

Getting the headset stack right was my first challenge. The original unit was not specified in the catalog so I sorted through my old parts and found a “no name” unit that looked pretty good. It seemed to fit well enough but the stack height was just too tall and did not leave me enough threads on the steerer tube for the top locknut. I decided that If I could find a shorter “bottom cone” I could make it work so a trip to the co-op was needed.

Whats in the mix?

  • VO Grand Cru 48/34 Drillium crank-set
  • Suntour 68mm BB
  • Suntour 12-30 six speed freewheel
  • VO pedals and toe clips
  • Campagnolo Gran Sport 3600 front derailleur
  • Campagnolo Gran Sport rear derailleur with Soma extended cage
  • Campagnolo Gran Sport downtube shifters
  • Campagnolo Record High Flange Hubs
  • Weinmann Concave 2215, 36 hole rims
  • DT straight 14 gauge spokes
  • Cinelli 1A stem
  • Cinelli bars
  • Brooks leather bar wrap
  • Dia Compe 500 brakes
  • TRP Aero brake levers
  • Brooks B-17 Saddle
  • Titec seat post
  • Period correct no name headset
  • Continental Four Season 700x28c tires

This odd mix of parts is kind of all over the map. Some of the newer components like the VO crank, the TRP levers and the Soma cage extension fly under the radar because of their classic look. Much of the rest of it such as the Dia Compe brakes, Suntour freewheel and the Brooks saddle are close to period correct and chosen for their qualities of fit, function or comfort. What appears to be an ill-matched selection at a glance may actually work quite well together as a group!

The wheels I think are kind of unique flavor. I had some five speed Campy High Flange hubs which are spaced at 120mm and look great! The spacing of this frame at the rear dropouts is at 124mm, which apparently is an interim step that would let someone use five or six speed gearing. Of course a six speed would be preferable so I had to find a solution to best use these hubs. Cannibalizing another hub for it’s axle and cones I was able to cut a custom length axle for this hub/spacing combo. I had to find the right combination of spacers to get the correct length, but when finished the hub would drop right in with good spacing for a six speed freewheel.

The original rims would have been Weinmann A124’s which have a concave cross section and are made in Belgium. Ebay provided me with a set of Weinmann 2215’s which appear to be an American built copy of that rim. They have an interesting look but appear to be quite strong and for a rider of over 200 pounds like myself that matters. These were built up with some DT straight guage spokes and make a stout but nice looking wheelset that are very true!

Halfway there

It turns out that one of the more challenging things that I had to do was to install the Brooks bar wrap (not tape) and lace it up with the cable housing underneath for the aero brake levers. This required installing the levers and setting up the brakes, then fixing the housing in place and removing the levers to stitch up the leather wrap. After that, reinstalling the levers over the bar wrap was a snug fit to say the least! The resulting clean look of the aero cable routing along with the extra hand postion of riding on the hoods are big pluses to me!

I wasn’t confident that the leather and stitching would hold where the cable housing exited the bar wrap. Turning the bars or even simple use might cause the thread to pull through the leather, so I decided to wrap the exit point with a matching .5 mm cord which was knotted securely and then super glued to hold the knot well. We will see how this works out in the long run.

What is it?

Vintage, original, retro, resto-mod, period correct are all descriptions that could be applied to this Raleigh. All of these phrases relate to this bike to a certain degree but none really capture the flavor of what it is. I suppose in the end the semantics don’t really matter and it is just a 1980 Raleigh Competetion with a few updates.

To me the key word describing this bike is original, or maybe original-ish. The blend of parts keeps it correct looking at a glance but enhance comfort and performance to agree with my preferences. The high flange hubs and drilled chainrings do little for performance but add style points to my eye.

Original Catalog spec page

The ride

The first test rides on the Raleigh have been impressive. The bike has operated well and needed very few tweaks to get it just right. The Dia Compe brakes are less than impressive but that could be due to the older rubber on the pads. The calipers themselves even though they are single pivot, are short reach and should provide enough leverage to stop well. The TRP levers offer a great hand position that is not possible with older style levers which is the reasonI chose them and the resulting clean look of aero cable routing is not otherwise available on bikes of this era.

Shifting is excellent and crisp and the bike runs very quietly while ridden. The Gran Sport RD with a Soma long cage handles the extended gear range without a hitch. I could even drop to a 30 tooth front ring with a 32 tooth freewheel and it would handle that as well.

Right now the plan is to get a few more rides in on it and get it outfitted with a seat bag and a water bottle cage for some longer rides. Perhaps I can get in a century on it this year, or a least a metric. I’ll post a ride report on that later!