Re: [CR]My mid 70's Gran Sport

(Example: Framebuilding:Restoration)

Date: Thu, 25 Dec 2008 16:21:59 -0800
From: Jerome & Elizabeth Moos <jerrymoos@sbcglobal.net>
Subject: Re: [CR]My mid 70's Gran Sport
To: classic <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>, Rich Pinder <rpinder@usc.edu>
In-Reply-To: <4953E567.6080603@usc.edu>


That is indeed Lagoon Blue or Laguna Blue, and is more associated with Carl ton than Raleigh.  Raleigh built a Carlton version of the Raleigh Profess ional and sponsored a Carlton team that was suppiled with Carlton Pros in t he Lagoon Blue and White scheme.

The Gran Sport is an unusual bike.  It was (at least in that era) 531 DB throughout, probably one of the least expensive bikes ever to use that top quality tubeset.  I'm not sure whether it was built at Nottingham or Work sup.  The early/mid 70's Gran Sports used a different serial number code from the rest of the Raleigh lightweights.  Also, the spelling of the mod el name varied from year to year.  Some are marked "Gran Sport", other "G ran Sports" and some may have even been "Grand" rather than "Gran".

OE would have been a long cage Simplex Criterium RD and pushrod FD with pla stic Prestige DT shifters. Actually the plastic Criterium derailleurs were very good, although they got a bad reputation due to resembling the much w orst plastic Prestige model. But the plastic Simplex Prestige DT shifters were absolute crap. So the VGT with SunTour levers you are contemplating w ound up on probably as many 70's Gran Sports as the OE did. I have a circa 1970 Gran Sports with exactly that setup.

For a long time the the Gran Sport didn't get any respect, as it was well b elow the top of the line despite being 531 DB throughout. For years you co uld scarcely give them away. But lately, they seem to have gained some pop ularity, especially the mostly blue with white panels, which is rarer than white with blue panels. I got my mostly white circa 1970 Grand Sports dirt cheap, but actually had to pay something resembling a fair price for a mos tly blue circa 1974 one a few months ago.

Merry Christmas,

Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA


--- On Thu, 12/25/08, Rich Pinder wrote:


From: Rich Pinder <rpinder@usc.edu> Subject: [CR]My mid 70's Gran Sport To: "classic" <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Date: Thursday, December 25, 2008, 1:56 PM

I'm on a tear here, with mid level bikes! This one is a Gran Sport, the model DL 160 I think. I rescued it because I liked the color. Someone said it is 'Periwinkle' blue ? But I found up on Sheldons site the catalog picture (linked on my page - click the Heron logo) calls a reverse imaged scheme 'Lagoon Blue / White'.

In addition to being totally gucked up with years of grime, this bike came with an assortment of broken, plastic, simplex shifters and derailleurs. In another fit of Irreverance, I opted for a VGT and some allow suntour levers. (hey, I figured it was like droppin a 283 in an early Jaguar - no harm, no foul ??). I took it for a Christmas Eve ride - LOVE the ride. From the catalog: "...a more comfortable yet efficient riding position than an all out racing bike..." - So that translates into what... a 2 degree difference in the head/seat tube angles ??

Seat tube has the 'Carlton' decal, and the heronHeadbadge says 'Nottingham'. Hmmm. Do I recall someone saying all the 531 frames were done at Carlton (the Worksop shop) ??

The seat is one worn Brooks... with a swap out, I think this bike will see a LOT of riding !!

Pics at: http://www-hsc.usc.edu/~rpinder/gransport.html
> I came up with a plan - I'm working on my "Twelve Days of Bicycle
> Christmas". Do any of you have those bike projects, that are JUST
> about completed.... or you've got the bike riding, but SOMETHING is
> not quite right ? We'll, my goal in this two week vacation is to
> work on, and complete, TWELVE of these things (above Trek is one
> !).... It'll be a GREAT feeling if I pull it off.
Rich Pinder
Van Nuys, CA