This project started out as a completely trashed mid-1970s Raleigh Grand Prix ten-speed, built in Holland, that I got from a guy who found it at a police auction (first photo is "before", others are "after"). The chainstays and seatstays were bent, and my brute-force realignment efforts worked out perfectly. I stripped the paint and put on several coats of black, followed by clear coat and a lot of rubbing out for a very nice finish. Old Raleighs had non-standard bottom bracket threading that proved to be too expensive to adapt, so I kept the original steel cottered crank and 40-tooth chainring (coupled with a 15-tooth freewheel. The 700C wheels are from a Specialized Langster, and required new long-reach calipers in place of the old Weinmann center-pulls. I cropped the original drop bars and flipped them. The bike is very comfortable and a blast to ride.

Cheers,

Cary Cotterman
Redlands, CA