[CR]Raleigh Lettering Change - was - Gran Sport expert, or fiction writer?

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing:Falck)

From: "Raoul Delmare" <Raoul.L.Delmare@worldnet.att.net>
To: "C.R. List" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>, "Bruce C." <BruceCumberland@comcast.net>
References: <CATFOODvJVzJKbMsKRx00002b86@catfood.nt.phred.org> <001501c361b8$e9f96be0$f800a8c0@bourke>
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 16:11:31 -0500
Subject: [CR]Raleigh Lettering Change - was - Gran Sport expert, or fiction writer?

About the misleading write-up of :

http://ebay.com/<blah>

First , I'll be honest . It makes me kinda cranky . Makes me want to write the seller a letter . . . And , component parts can be swapped . On this bicycle , obviously , they have been .

But , the frame itself seems to have all of its original paint , and decals ( transfers ) , plus the later addition of a little oval Campagnolo sticker .

Up through 1972 the Raleigh name on the down-tube was done in flowing cursive script .

Beginning in 1973 the Raleigh name on the down-tube was done in squared-off print . I'm not an expert on fonts . But , I'd call it square , bold , block , sans serif , slightly italicized .

So , the lettering on that eBay Raleigh is from 1973 or later . No Question .

The 1972 Raleigh catalog lists the Gran Sport as having a Stronglight crankset . But , the photo doesn't look like a Stronglight crankset to me . Perhaps the one in the 1972 catalog photo is a Zeus or Nervar version of the T.A. Pro 5 Vis / Stronglight 49D ?

The 1973 , and the 1974 , and the 1975 , Raleigh catalogs show the Gran Sport with a Stronglight 93 crankset ( with chainguard ) , not a Nervar Star crankset .

The 1973 catalog shows the frame as white with blue head-tube and trim ( same as the eBay example ) .

The 1974 & 1975 catalogs show the frame as blue with a white head-tube and trim .

And as always , both Mark Bulgier's site and Sheldon Brown's site are worth long visits !

http://retroraleighs.com/index.html

I'd say the one on eBay is very likely a 1973 bicycle , with a whole lot of swapped parts . And , if it were the 23 1/2 inch size , instead of the 21 1/2 inch size ( and if it were less expensive ) , I'd be very tempted !

Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas


----- Original Message -----
From: Stephen Barner
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Sent: Wednesday, August 13, 2003 11:35 AM
Subject: [CR]Gran Sport expert, or fiction writer?



> Reading the description about this Raleigh Gran Sport, one might think the
> writer was a true Carleton expert, but I think he is engaging in some
> superlative historical fiction. I remember the white & baby blue Gran Sports
> as being a really nice, underappreciated model, but 1960? I don't think so.
> Maybe a dozen years later, but not 1960. I remember the Gran Sport as
> having decent Simplex delrin derailleurs and Normandy Competition hubs. This
> one has a Valentino rear, Record front, and Campy hubs. I think at some
> point, the Gran Sport switched to forged dropouts.
>
> Anyone able to date this bike and know what it would have come with? Mark
> Bulgier has a '74 catalog on his website that shows the Gran Sport with
> forged dropouts and a chainguard on the Nervar Star. I'm thinking this one
> is somewhere between 71-73.
>
> http://ebay.com/<blah>
>
> Steve Barner, Bolton, Vermont