# '57 Lenton Grand Prix project



## bulldog1935

Guaranteed Genuine English Lightweight

I'm sure someone parted out this bike because the Williams crank had the Raleigh heron silhouettes, and GB brakes, and suicide FD, and Cyclo Benelux rear.  The temptation was too great, and the patina on the frame detracted from its "showroom" quality.  He probably could have sold this bike for $250 and instead, sold the crank for more.  I ended up with a such a deal on a frame not everyone would want.

The bare frame and original fork for a bike I always wanted, and my birth year to boot.
The '57 Alfa 1900 GTS Zagato of my dreams is not attainable




But this is attainable, and I happen to like the patina - the faded decals.  I like the ghost of the Lenton GP fleurs and wreaths, the herons turned white and gold, The steel is blued under the silver paint, and over 60 years, the bluing and silver paint have diffused, making a platinum gray that I like.  The head badge paint is great, and the two coolest decals are flaming hot - the Reynolds 531 on the seat tube, and the Reg Harris decal on the top tube.

Not a spot of rust anywhere on the frame.  So I cleaned it and rubbed it and waxed it.  As I said, bare frame and fork, and found a new Whitworth 26 tpi headset at Yellow Jersey for $30.
Planning to use all the pieces I have around that have been on and off my '76 Raleigh, ebay (_vt_) what I need, and engineer the rest.

Collectors are not going to like what I'm doing, and businessmen are going to think I'm mad.  But for less money than it would take to buy back the original parts and make this bike stock again, I can make it Very reliable, a joy to ride, and still look traditional.
I also plan to not alter the original frame and fork.
I'm going to end up with a modern bike, on modern wheels and tires, that incorporates 60 years of my favorite bike tech, and is an allusion of the original.
So here's my kick-off photo, and in my normal tedious narrative style, I'll be adding progress and detail photos later.


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## bulldog1935

next installment
As promised, photos of those two hot decals
That's the fork crown below - I'll always be looking down at the Reg Harris decal


 



The dropouts...Raleigh used the same frame for the Lenton GP as for all the pathracers, so rear dropouts are 114mm OLD, and 8mm axle slots.
Presents a problem for a wheelset.  I have a set of Zeus dropouts, but I'm going to keep this frame and fork original.


 


Hunt down 60-y-o hubs with 114mm axles, go with a 3 speed (not for my hills), or the esoteric, though reliable, approach.
I'm ordering a Phil Wood hubset, freewheel style, and having custom axle ends machined by Phil.  They'll use 10mm axles stepped to slide into 8mm slots and tighten with nuts, like these:


 
And should I ever decide to use the wheelset for something else, all I have to do is change back to stock axle ends. 

Will go with H+S TB14 rims, since they look the part and will let me ride on the best 700c tires.

I've mostly worked out the rest of the drivetrain, and have a cyclotouriste ring stack and crank arms ready to go - well mostly, drive arm is a TA, left arm is a Nervar that will do the job.

Phil makes the bottom bracket I need, 123mm asymmetric, off the shelf, with the Raleigh 26 tpi cups.
With my freewheel hub, a 5-speed IRD freewheel (already have two of these around), and here's the gear chart I've worked out - it's pretty perfect - couldn't do better with custom cassette.

And yes, I'll need a long-cage rear derailleur to get the chain wrap I need.

One more close-up.  It has a single braze-on rear shifter boss.



This was made for a Cyclo Benelux, but will also fit Simplex and Huret.
And it won't fit any modern shifters.
Going to use Huret shifters with a single Huret band clamp for the left side.


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## bulldog1935

So, will finalize with Phil next week, and it will be awhile until I have my wheels, BB, and can work on the drivetrain.
It's a rainy day (maybe tomorrow, too), but I have something to tinker with...

I put this chain guard rig together awhile back, never used it, but it makes sense for this bike - it will be the last thing to install next to fenders, but I'm fitting it up to see how it will work.
The Simplex chain guard was made to fit a piston FD, but I worked how to attach it to a Cyclone FD - plus it kind of looks like a suicide FD and takes your attention away from the 80s FD




The front support arm will go under the chain guard, with the screw head on top, but tightening this band clamp will be the next to the last thing to do before marking and drilling that hole, and I must have the whole drivetrain functioning to final position everything.
But in this condition, it's easier to see how it works.




I attached the guard to the Cyclone FD using two pieces in a Z-shaped standoff.
I replaced the FD band bolt with closely measured M5 standoff.  This measurement is what centers the FD parallogram in the chainguard hump.
Attached the L-standoff that came with the guard hardware with an M5 button head.
Also planning to tap the L-standoff to M5 to get a better bite than it has with the French M4.  But the variable geometry of the Z-bracket and front support will let me final position this after I have drivetrain adjusted and FD cage at full outside travel.



the critical fitting on this will be clearing the low-Q of the TA crank arm - at outermost travel, the FD cage will have to be pressing against the inside of the chain guard in order to clear the crank arm.


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## TR6SC

I love these dérailleur/guards. Great looking bike. Inspiring schtuff!


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## Bikerider007

Nice Bulldog. You are creative and good with details. Look forward to seeing it done.

No real builds or cleanups going on at the other site, same ol' stuff. I think a good amount of vintage stuff is now on FB. Only down side, the format is not build friendly. Some great unique stuff to be found there though.


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## bulldog1935

good to see you friend - post some bikes for us


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## Dale Alan

I like your ideas,this will be a nice build .It will be quite unique,good to see you are only limited by your imagination.Working with quality components makes it a pleasure. I will be watching your progress.


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## bulldog1935

my serial number came out very nicely after rubbing the bike



but it doesn't specifically help for dating the frame.
Kurt Kaminer simply says this system began in 1955 moved the RA/RB up front and added a suffix letter in '61 or '62.

and here's that nice hedbadge


  I may touch up the white


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## bulldog1935

Making a little more progress and learning.
Have ordered my bottom bracket, and still working on the wheels.  Phil Engr. has to approve the 115mm OLD axle set before I can order my hubs.
I also gave up trying to find a hanger for a Campy Gran Turismo RD and decided instead to go with a Raleigh branded Suntour VGT - it's a great derailleur, and will do exactly what I need.  That makes the hanger easy, using the one I already have.
I made it fit the 8mm axle slots using dremel cut off and cropping each of the 10mm spaced tabs in half - came out perfect.  A little more tedious was reducing the shoulder width on the shouldered nut for the derailleur hanger, using a screw-slot file and a jeweler's file.



I did the same thing to a dropout spacer for the other side, and proved to be even more filing.




Learned something else - even though the braze on boss looks just like a Huret, the diameter is too big and the thread is wrong.  It's English, and there is only one shifter that will fit it, so I found one. 



You Schwinn guys will be happy to know I'm using a single Huret band clamp and shifter for the left side and FD

Got my brakes for a great price - no, not even going to try to buy GB, but found NOS Weinmann 730 for a great price.
Measured reach on these after I installed them and, as expected, and they will let me use 700C rims.
Something else about the rims - not going with the totally traditional looking H+S TB14 rims after all.  In order to submit my hub offset to Phil Engr., had to agree with go with 4mm offset (rear) Velocity Synergy rims - no worries here, though, have these rims on my International and am very happy with them - and they build a stronger wheel.


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## Dale Alan

Looking good,love the Cyclo shifter.  I thought that was a Huret boss too,do you have to modify the band clamp on the RD side?


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## bulldog1935

Hi Dale, just getting a single 28.6 Huret band clamp - the boss is symmetric with the cable stop as a shifter part. When I visually compared the bosses, they looked identical, but no go.

forgot one more thing - going use the Rustines half hoods on the Weinmann levers




If I get rained in this weekend, going to wrap the bars - have some mustard-grey Brooks leather that's been stashed for years. 
Also planning to use my KKT Pro Vic II pedals with Ale Clips and mustard-colored Binda straps.  

and speaking of bosses - I used my dremel and file to cut the boss from a top-of-seat-tube shifter clamp to get the cable stop for my FD.


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## bulldog1935

rained in today and, as promised, photos of my Brooks mustard bar wrap
the half-hoods will be flattened on the brake levers when the brakes get cabled



it's really not quite this yellow, tried to correct it with some blue...



this is closer to the true color


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## Dale Alan

Nice,really dig the hoods.


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## bulldog1935

thanks

btw, went back with my channel locks and bent the tabs on the Rustines hoods a bit more, and they sucked right into the brake lever bodies.



the metal tab runs all the way through, and is a perfect boss for the Weinmann cable stops.


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## petritl

Very nice


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## Dale Alan

I keep going back to that shifter .I had a set,wish I kept them. I love those skinny levers.


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## bulldog1935

something else I've figured out about the Benelux shifter - the only way to make it work will be blue loctite on the threads  - the thumbscrew tends to both tighten and loosen as you move the lever
FWIW, others have luck with loctite even on more modern shifters with the same cantankerous action.



btw, weeks ago, I was bidding on a single L/S band-clamp Cyclo shifter, but it outbid my interest.



and my Huret L/S shifter setup will do the job just as well, and will even look the part.


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## WVBicycles

looking good


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## bulldog1935

btw, I found a bike on bike forums verified to be a '57 model and s/n about 30 higher than mine (unfortunately, it had much rust). 
The point is, it verifies my frame was built in 1957.
Peter Kohler also has an article that the first Lenton GP was displayed at the 1956 bike show.  
It didn't arrive in Raleigh catalogs until 1958.


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## bulldog1935

It's an amazing small world.
I shopped UK for a decade to buy both my between the wars fly reels made by JW Young & Sons of Redditch, and postwar Youngs to convert to left-hand-wind and sell.
http://bulldog1935.u.yuku.com/
I made many friends across the pond.




My Phil bottom bracket arrived yesterday.  The RH-thread, left side cup glided in.  I spent all evening trying to get the drive side cup to start.  It would glide for 3 turns, bind, click, and instantly cross-thread.  Shawn at my local bike shop had pressed in my new headset and, at the same time, removed the 60-year fixed drive-side BB cup - he reported it was a booger.
I can only guess there's a piece of the old cup thread bound somewhere.

Google found a set of BB taps in the UK for me.  Vintage Raleigh, 26 tpi, RH and LH thread.
I contacted the seller, and asked if he would sell me only the drive side tap.
Sure enough, no problem selling the single tap and posting to USA.
Thanks Alf.

http://bike-inn.co.uk/

so here's a mock-up of the chain guard - looks like it's going to fit nicely and crank arm clearance will be tight, but should work great


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## bulldog1935

so another afternoon of tinkering as I'm waiting on the majors to pan out - yes, I know, you're supposed to build a bike from the bottom up, but I'm keeping all this stuff out of the way.
Routed my brake cables and even adjusted them near enough with a couple of wood blocks I use to adjust to the Synergy rims on my other bike when the wheels are out





again, this is just a mock up of the bottom - my tap is supposed to be here in a week.
The FD, along with the chain guard, is intentionally high right now to make room for working on the bottom end.



But I did cable the FD and left side Huret shifter, because none of this will be in the way, and the operating derailleur lets me better see how the chain guard will finally fit up.
But again, the chain guard can't be finally fit until the wheels are on and the derailleurs are fully adjusted.



you Schwinn guys should like this, though Huret reads upside on the shifter band.  

Found two good places to use some 4mm brass ferrules from a handful I have around


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## bulldog1935

When I removed all the parts from my wrecked '77 Grand Prix and moved most to my '74 International, I couldn't use the Esge double kickstand, because they intentionally did not leave enough room between the chainstay bridge and bottom bracket - they didn't want a kickstand on the butted Reynolds tubing.  The cut stand was too short to use on my high-BB Viner, so tried some fit-ups on the Lenton.

The problem with the Lenton is the rear derailleur cable - it's right where the clamp block for the kickstand needs to be.




The kickstand has plastic blocks to distribute the load and protect the tubing.  I had already gouged the drive-side block when it was on the 77GP to clear the ring stack bolt heads on the cyclotouriste triple crank.  So I drilled and dremmeled the block to make a route for the RD cable and to fit the step on the BB lug.


 

 


Here the blocks are in place on the chainstays




and it works great - derailleur cable routed through kickstand.


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## Eric Amlie

Nice work!
Do I assume correctly that you tried local bike shops to see if one could chase the bottom bracket threads for you?
It's a shame to have to buy a tool that you will likely only use once, though a man can never have too many tools.


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## bulldog1935

Thanks - I have a lot of time to think about it.
At this point, it's do it or not - a 1.370" 26 tpi LH tap is not too common.
I don't know of any local bike shops with the tool.  Everyone has the 24 tpi, but I already have the BB parts.
Buying the single tap didn't cost much more than finding someone with the tap, renting/ mailing it around, etc.
For me it's worth it.

Got the word my hubs are being made, my rims arrived today (discounted price), so I'm just a few weeks away from riding this bike.


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## bulldog1935

A timely discussion came up on CR.


 
It was an example the original derailleur mounted chainguard.
That led to photos and catalog examples of the suicide-FD-mounted chainguards made by Cyclo and Huret - the Huret catalog page is '58


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## bulldog1935

I hunt these down on ebay, and use them everywhere they're needed on all my bikes



(where these spread wide on big tubes, cut a slice of road butyl inner tube - makes a great rubber band to keep them firm)

The plastic cable clips from the 70s/80s.



They protect the cable ferrules, the bolted or brazed ferrule bosses, the cables themselves, and make any cable operated control more positive by eliminating flop of the cable.  Needed where any cable coming from your bars hits the frame triangle.

This is especially useful on side pull brakes, where a third of your brake lever travel can go into flopping the cable housing around.






They may not be elegant, but it's a case of form follows function.

This RD boss was a very useful place for one - the housing wanted to bend the cable at 30-degrees coming out of the boss.
The torsion was too great for the clip alone to hold the cable, so I used a zip-tie behind the cable clip.
But this should eliminate a usual source of ghost shifting problems, and keeps the cable moving straight and smoothly through the boss.  




btw, paid for and ordered my custom hubset today.  I will say the modifications cost $150 more than the normal hubset price.


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## bulldog1935

one more bit to show - was delighted to find Nitto T-cages at a used parts re-seller in CA for half-price.  They're in perfect condition, look the part, hard to come by, best on-line retail price is $58/, and up to $80/ from gougers.
They were on the third page of a google search
They're better-made facsimiles of the Simplex and TA bottle cages of the 40s and 50s, and while many hung from the handlebars back then, they did make tube-mount bottle cages like these as well.



If I hadn't found these for such a good price, I would have ended up with the real-world Velo-Orange version, but heck, this is Nitto (after 4 years' use, I sold my Nitto big rear rack for what I had paid for it 4 year earlier)

I used King Cage stud-welded hose clamps for the 2nd time, and really like these - have strips of clear vinyl between the frame and the hose clamp.

More tedium waiting on Phil to deliver my hubs.  Even the BB found a glitch - the drive side cup they sent me was RH thread, even painted with the drive drive side indicator.  (The thread chase was not a waste - it was needed, too.)  The (hopefully) correct cup is in today's mail, so I'll get to finally install the BB and crankset on this rainy afternoon.

Also took advantage of the rainy morning and waiting to clean up a couple of things.
Dug into the Weinmann NOS brake box and swapped the plastic cable clips for the steel Weinmann (padded with clear vinyl) - they're a lot stiffer than the plastic and look better (not as smooth to the touch).



I'm going to end up with a lot of metal band clamps on this bike.

Took a dremel sanding cylinder to my kickstand plastic block to dress the channels for the ring stack bolt heads and granny ring clearance, to make sure I'll be able to dial in the tightest possible chainline.







ps - BB and crank now installed - got the clearance as tight as possible (2-3 mm) and chainline will be perfect.
Probably should have photographed the cartridge, but the Phil cups are internal, don't require facing of the shell, and instead of grease use loctite.



Needed crank bolts and dust covers anyway, so bought the flanged titanium bolts and covers from Canada - not expensive for what you get, and they grow a beautiful patina.  http://www.torontocycles.com/Selling/Chainrings_and_Cranks.html

Not a pleasing photo, but a good projection of the ring stack clearance.




I have this bike built except for the wheels now - come on hubs.


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## bulldog1935

yeah, still waiting on Michael at Phil to get me some hubs.  Once I have built wheels, this bike will be rolling, but still tinkering.
Ever seen a speargun shaft thread converter used on a bike?  Now you have.



The fork has a boss for a lamp mount.  Maybe I can't stand ersatz bosses on bikes, but I decided to attack it, to move my Cygo light mount from the handlebars to there.  On the left is the boss and big bolt head. 
The thread is not as big as it looks, measured 5/16" and exactly matched the pitch on a 24 tpi bottom bracket cup, so it's 5/16-24 (fine thread).  I needed something small enough to let me use a VO lamp bracket.  So I googled 5/16-24 and M5 thread converter, searched McMaster and Fastenall. 
What finally came up was an ebay match to an M6 speargun shaft/tip thread converter (to let you mix shafts and tips from different maker).  On the right is the speargun tip converter in place of the Raleigh boss bolt.


 



Turned out the M6 worked out better than an M5.  I alread had an M6 cold-forming tap, which uses a 7/32 tap bit, slightly larger than an M5 guide hole.  So I opened up the guide hole on the VO bracket, threaded it to M6, and it's rock solid on the speargun thread.
I already had a handlebar mount made up from a long M5 and champagne cork, so here it is assembled with a brake pad acorn nut over the spear tip, and the fixed Cygo light mount




Let there be light - and no hulking ersatz boss on the fork.


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## Dale Alan

Looking good. Like you,I sweat the small details .Great idea on the light adapter.


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## bulldog1935

It's also a really nice position for a light.  It stays out of your friends' faces, lets you see just as far as a lamp at handlebar level, but shows so much more road texture.
Years ago worked out how to attach an M6-tapped Gino mount to Nitto rack stays using an extra Nitto rod bolt and a bellville washer (it's what I bought the M6 tap for), and have two bikes set up this way (I've also tapped a bunch of folk's Ginos for them to duplicate this).



here's my slideshow showing how to do it:
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/...album/5836650790499214897/5836650793550867186
It only works on a Nitto M-18 or Nitto Mark's rack (won't work on M-12) - has to have the rod lugs and fittings.



 

On my Moser, with only a Nitto F-15 handlebar rack, I attached a Cygo helmet mount with M4s through the plastic U-box on the rando bag



obviously I'm sold on Cygo lights


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## WVBicycles

I was just looking at ordering  new front light how do you like the CYGOlite brand. I was using NiteRider before but I am considering CYGOlite .


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## bulldog1935

WVBicycles said:


> I was just looking at ordering  new front light how do you like the CYGOlite brand. I was using NiteRider before but I am considering CYGOlite .



We have a Cygo Hot Shot tail light on every bike here, and we each have one Cygo Explion 750 that we move between bikes.
They charge with USB and I use my PowerAdd 24Ah and 10Ah power packs to charge them. (take the power to the bike and charge head- and tail-light at the same time)
They will run over 4 hours on High and for a weekend on medium.  The Explion also offers a spare battery you can charge and bring along.  They are excellent lights, and for me at least, make dyno systems obsolete.
If I wanted to tour for a week with them, my 24Ah PowerAdd will cover it
http://shop.cygolite.com/category.sc?categoryId=70
https://www.ipoweradd.com/collections/power-bank (also run cell phones, tablets and laptops)




ps, the Cygo headlights are also the greatest flashlight you ever wanted around

pss - just got a UPS tracking notice - my hubs are coming tomorrow


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## bulldog1935

I can't believe it - almost done - my hubs are here (wheels should be ready Saturday)



they glide in the 8mm slots, and the washer has a shoulder that exactly matches the RD hanger




So in the meantime, I got my chainguard in final position.



aligned it so I have just a business card thickness clearance with the crank arm all the way around



the threaded arm that attaches the front has a nut on each side of the clamp, so tightening one and loosening the other lets you align it like a piston.
also, the two pivot points in my Z-bracket affect vertical alignment, and it it took a few gyrations of the system to dial it out toward maximum FD travel.


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## Eric Amlie

Not much clearance between the crank arm & chain guard. It will be interesting to see if you get enough flex under hard pedaling that they hit.


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## bulldog1935

I've actually been bench testing that on the turbo trainer, it's possible, but doesn't seem to be a problem - as long as it skips and doesn't grab the guard on the way up, which I can't produce.  I will probably also need that tight clearance to complete my shift to the big ring.


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## bulldog1935

Just came from Action cycles with my wheels - rear installed, heading to chain...

Look what Tad and Nick sent me yesterday




ok, this is too cool - everything works in the toughest shift position - climbing the half-step on the second-largest rear cog - it's all gravy from here and the chain guard doesn't need any further adjustment.




12:12p update - Everything is done now except the front wheel.


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## bulldog1935

I have a bike


 


 


already added my Bluemels alloy shorty fenders this afternoon, until I can catch up with Lou and get my white celluloid fenders


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## petritl

Are you taking it out tomorrow?


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## bulldog1935

petritl said:


> Are you taking it out tomorrow?



riding at 6am from Stevo's house in Castle Hills, and don't want to smoke test it in the dark.
If my Cyclo shifter screw backed out in the dark I'd probably slit my wrist. 




Plan to spend some time on it next week, ride it to Frankenbike at Alamo Beer Co. on Saturday, and of course bring it out with the group on Sunday.

anyway, what I'm proudest about this bike, is piecing the whole thing together without altering the frame in any way


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## bulldog1935

opted out of Lou's fenders - all the steel was rusted, and I'm not putting any rust on this bike. didn't say that exactly to him, but he understood.
Ordered the NOS from ebay.fr

had a great ride - we knocked out 30 mi including the group ride - I rode the International - Tad's always first and I was 3rd.  We continued on to Castle Hills at beer thirty and I won the 9-ball tournament.

In my smoke test rides yesterday, I had to raise the saddle an inch.  I'm going to replace my sweet toe-clip pedals with my spare thin-spiked Blackspire, because I can drop the saddle back and move my knees forward.  Also discovered the BB on this bike is high, which also agrees with that change - my double kickstand is on 4 points, so I'm also going to go back to a single kickstand.


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## WVBicycles

job well done Bulldog that's one sweet looking ride .


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## bulldog1935

thanks

I'll post again when I have it final form in a few weeks - show the white fenders.


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## WVBicycles

theres one of these up for sale next week at the Copake Auction I may try to pick it up after seeing your build
http://copakeauction.hibid.com/lot/30823345/raleigh-lenton-grand-prix-bicycle/?q=Raleigh&ref=catalog


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## bulldog1935

WVBicycles said:


> theres one of these up for sale next week at the Copake Auction I may try to pick it up after seeing your build
> http://copakeauction.hibid.com/lot/30823345/raleigh-lenton-grand-prix-bicycle/?q=Raleigh&ref=catalog



that's a beauty, '58 or '59 - the Weinmann brakes are not original - it would have had GB brakes, but everything else is correct on the bike.
The only thing "correct:" on my bike is the stem and saddle, to keep all in perspective.
Again, it's a beauty to find one in that condition.
The thing that's curious about '57 is it seems to be the last year they blued frames before painting them, essentially making them rustproof. I found a good photoset of another '57 online, also silver, and also turned platinum gray from the bluing.

The bike you found with no rust is exceptional.


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## dnc1

An unrestored, original '59 marque III model was recently featured in the V-CC club news.
All original, other than the saddle.
Nice job on yours, looking good, lovely detailed work.


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## WVBicycles

Copake is a screwy auction they have a Raleigh International they estimate to sell for $100 to $150 which I see going for under a grand the Lenton Grand prix could sell for what they predict if not more due to its condition. I am on the fence on the bike but I could be a buyer if the biding starts off low and slow.


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## bulldog1935

My buddy Lou's bike is a 1960 and it has a Cyclo shifted FD, with double braze-on shifters.


 



His also has 5 rear cogs instead of 4 like the auction bike.


 


 


 
Also, his frame was definitely not blued under the paint - everywhere his paint is chipped, there's a touch of rust.


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## bulldog1935

first ride today - everything worked great, though the brakes are marginal


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## sam

wow looks fast just setting still.


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## bulldog1935

sam said:


> wow looks fast just setting still.



I think the Simplex chainguard gives it the Winged Mercury look


 
the bike is fast, handles great, comfortable, and a great climber - I'm going to have to come up with a plan to improve the brakes.
Sam, hoping to be at Frankenbike early Sat morning - will probably leave by the noon race.


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## bulldog1935

sam said:


> wow looks fast just setting still.



ps Sam, we changed our plan.  
We will there late morning, and stay after noon.  
If you're planning to show up with show and tell, pm me, and I'll give you my cell phone number
Ron


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## bulldog1935

Eric Amlie said:


> Not much clearance between the crank arm & chain guard. It will be interesting to see if you get enough flex under hard pedaling that they hit.



Eric, you'll like this.  I apparently didn't have my chain guard tight for the first ride (there was a slight rattling sound rolling off garage steps, etc.)
The guard came loose in the first mile and was was making skipping contact with the crank arm.
I had a complete compliment of tools, filled out piecemeal from McMaster.
I was able to reattach and align the chainguard at a park bench and complete the ride with full function of my half steps.  I was also able to identify critical FD adjustment for making the shift and avoiding chain rub in the wide cogs.
Back home and back on the workstand, dialed everything in at that position, and got torque on the chain guard bolts this time.
No strange sounds on tire shocks now.
Will get the bike out again today, and  riding in to Frankenbike tomorrow.




VeloRetro - Chuck's musette bags are great for holding your loose tools, and wrapping them so they don't rattle on your ride.

_edit_
back after a 30 mi ride - I'm in for 50 now.  
Everything worked perfectly, - I'm getting more used to the brakes, their fade, and blind shifting.  Even used the granny ring today crossing the creek and climbing to a park to eat my banana.  
Also, my core muscles and tush are all happy with the position and saddle - I think I was more relaxed today.


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## sam

bulldog1935 said:


> ps Sam, we changed our plan.
> We will there late morning, and stay after noon.
> If you're planning to show up with show and tell, pm me, and I'll give you my cell phone number
> Ron



 Bulldog I'll be at FB tomorrow.


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## sam

Lot of interest today


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## bulldog1935

hit my first 100 mi today on the group ride.  Wheels are going back to the shop next week for tensioning.
I didn't realize Lou was such a strong rider.  Chasing him on his Torpado the entire second half - he won and I came in 2nd.  
Tad taxed himself today on his '34 Rollfast.  Still, he came in ahead of half of the pack.


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## bulldog1935

got my white fenders - and I've ridden 120 mi - the wheels are going back to the shop for spoke tensioning.


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## sam

I like the full mudguards(we shouldn't call them fenders on an English bike)  and white goes good with the gray paint.


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## bulldog1935

I'll never be quite that Anglophile - just like it will never be "Rally" for me.
My '74 International is built so French, I have to put Union Jacks on it to mask its frogginess.



and my Lenton shares the same drivetrain

Even in fly fishing, the Best of Both Worlds includes an American cane rod with that Brit reel.


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## WVBicycles

those white fenders look killer on that GP Bulldog the bikes looks awesome


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## bulldog1935

my correct pump is in Customs, which will let me get rid of that top band clamp -  should finally have finished photos in a week or so. 
The wheels, btw, are solid, and should roll the rest of my life.
I've also learned how to adjust the brakes, and they're better than adequate.


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## XBPete

Nice build and details, the result of your efforts is outstanding!

Really enjoyed the build, thanks for sharing.


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## bulldog1935

thanks, the bike is everything I wanted, and very fast.  (really fun for blowing away the carbon crowd in group rides)

Something else that's really nice about this bike is there is not a single wasted gear - I can use every possible gear combination, and each one is different.

_edited because new page needs a photo_


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## bulldog1935

much-needed mud flap on that short front fender.
this is actually sold as a rear mudflap, but it's perfect


 



 

ps - my "correct" pump is in today's mail (at least advertised to be correct).  So if the seller measured it correctly, packed it correctly, and it survived the last 3 weeks across the Pond, in Customs, and across the US from NY by truck, I'll be a happy camper - two damn many ifs, though.


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## bulldog1935




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## TR6SC

sam said:


> I like the full mudguards(we shouldn't call them fenders on an English bike)  and white goes good with the gray paint.



The Brits spell it G R E Y


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## bulldog1935

It's OK, I accomplished my goal - a great bike that's a tribute to the original.
Everyone who had a hand in it is proud of it, and takes photos to show their friends.


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## bulldog1935

OK, I'm going to throw one finished photo set up here - wanted to get the other side, but it started to rain. 
My last touches, yesterday, new chain (retired the several-thousand mile chain I re-used temporarily) and a Soma light mount, which doesn't vibrate like the VO steel spring, raises the light, and makes the headlight position much more functional. 


 


 


 


 


  chased into the garage for this one


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## bulldog1935

here are the bars Tad gave me


 

 


 



and the result


 


 



I saved the other cockpit intact, so this is a new Nitto face-plate steel stem and GB Arret levers


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## WVBicycles

Man this Lenton is so nice your build has so much class and style job well done sir.


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## bulldog1935

Guess purchases have a way of working out.  Bought a NOS Coloral bag support last year on ebay - in the original packaging.  Turned out it wouldn't work where I wanted it, so I just kind of "had it around."
Handling the thing, I also thought it looked hideous and clunky, was something I'd never put on a bike, so I had a good bout of buyer's remorse over it, and hid it out of sight on the top garage shelf.

My '57 Lenton project has about 1000 mi on it now, and I carry enough tools, it had a Brooks Milbrook saddle bag from the start (found a good google buy, which I can't find now, $99).
The bag correctly looks the part, it's the same shape as the boxy leather bags that came with Lentons, though it's made from fairly rigid and light microfiber with leather structure and straps.


 


 
So yes, I lined seat-stay females in the Coloral clamps with fairly thick vinyl.

After tightening the bolt and nut enough to grab the seat stays, there was about an inch of bolt protruding on the drive side.  So used a wet towel on the bike, and a dremel cut-off to shorten the extra bolt length, dressed with a dremel stone, and added a plastic protector thingy volunteered by a garage shelf wire.



The Coloral support looks like it belongs there, does exactly what I need, actually looks great, and gets great comments.

So after a year, finally happy with my purchase.


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