1984 Raleigh Corsa

[howlindawg]

So for this build I wanted a usable, durable bike that I can use on family spins and runs where I don't want to get all suited up.

I need to be honest with myself and admit that my days of pushing 53x39 with close ratio 6 speed clusters are behind me.

So the brief is to retain the basic aesthetic of a lugged steel frame but use modern up to date components for performance and reliability. To retain the aesthetic I'll be using period correct seat post, saddle, quill stem, quill pedals and narrow tyres. Component choice is Campag Veloce 10 speed which isn't too OTT modern looking.

I'm still waiting for a few final parts to arrive but I've enough to be getting on with for now, the sun is shining and I've a few days off work so more pics later!

 

[3wheeler7]

Re:

Hi Martin

The frame size was 21½".
When I got it the paintwork was not too good but a bit better than yours, with a bit of elbow grease it came up well. Bought some new top tube Corsa decals from H Lloyd but there are 2 sizes and he sent the slightly larger ones - he would have swapped them but I ended up using them anyway. The rest of the original decals were fine.
I touched up some small chips using just a plain white paint - it just takes your eye off the chips and you had to look pretty close to notice them. I did experiment trying to get a match for the original Oyster paint and the nearest I got was Honda Pearl White but as a touch up it stood out more in the sunlight than the plain white. Would probably have looked mint if it had a total respray in that colour though.

Raleigh only made the Oyster Corsa for one year then they changed the colour scheme to the Panasonic Team colours in 1984. The Rapide 12 also was made in Oyster - I had one of those too but it was a bit tatty.
If you pull up a picture of the Corsa Team Panasonic on Google, yours could be like an inverted version of that if you added some red and yellow bands between the blue and white main colours.
Just a thought if you don't want to do a total respray.

Regards
Tony

 

[howlindawg]

The postie arrived with a nice box of bits from wiggle so I was able to get properly stuck into this build over the weekend. Very straight forward other than fitting the new 26mm compact bars into the original stem.

Here we are after this mornings shake down ride. The saddle needs to come up about 15mm and the levers need to be angled outwards a degree or two but otherwise I'm happy to report no squeaks, rattles, creaks or groans. The frame is as smooth and responsive as I remember and the modern groupset is flawless.

Spec Sheet

Frame: Raleigh Corsa DB Reynolds 501 throughout.
Fork: Reynolds 501

Headset: Mavic 310
Stem: SR Custom 100mm
Handlebar: Deda Elementi Piega 40cm
Bar Tape: Deda Mistral perforated
Bar Ends: Deda

Brake Levers/Brifters: Campag Veloce 10
Brake Calipers: FSA Reparto Corse
Brake Cables: Campagnolo

Shifters:
Front Derailleur: Campag Veloce 10 + Cervus 28.6mm braze-on clamp
Rear Derailleur: Campag Veloce 10
Shift Levers: Campag Veloce 10
Derailleur Cables: Campagnolo
Cassette: Campag Veloce 10 12-27t
Chain: FSA
Cranks: Campag Veloce 10 172.5mm
Chainrings: 50-34t
Bottom Bracket: Campagnolo Power Torque
Pedals: Alloy Quill + Toe clips + Tomassini straps

Wheels: Fulcrum Racing Corsa
Tyres: Schwalbe Ultremo ZX 700c x 23
Tubes: Schwalbe

Saddle: San Marco Rolls
Seatpost: Campagnolo Aero

Bottle Cage: BBB

Weight: TBC!

The brakeset are probably rebadged big-book parts but the black and white finish matched the frame and they're decently effective. Edit: It appears that they're rebranded FSA.

A bit of time with the polishing mop brought up the seat pin and stem a treat. I wasn't trying to get them to a mirror finish, just trying to remove the worst of 36 years worth of hard use and the occasional mishap. I've no idea what level of Campag seatpin this is as I bought it used circa 1990 from a team mate who had outgrown it. Campag need to bring back the engraving on their modern groupsets!

Old-man gears 50-34 front x 12-27 rear.

Deda bars and tape. There's limited modern options that will work with the original quill stem. These have a nice comfy reach and make the drops usable for me. I may yet reinstate the original Sakae bars or a pair of Cinelli Giro D'Italia… time will tell.

I've always loved the crown on these forks!

That tatty bottom bracket area tidied up surprisingly well.

Still to do...

• Swap out the headset for Campag Record
  New paint and decals
  De-sticker the rims so they're more in keeping with the look of the bike

 

[howlindawg]

I've discovered a flaw in the "test build" strategy. :roll:

I'm enjoying riding it so much that I'm not going to want to tear it back down for the repaint! :facepalm:

 

[howlindawg]

With the social distancing regulations and a 2km from home restriction in place for exercising I feel like I should have built a criterium bike!
I've a short circuit identified locally for a daily spin so I've been using the Corsa exclusively for laps around that.

Quite literally a sign of the times!

I've decided that the frame will get a full respray once the restrictions ease and have been pondering refinishing options.

Under consideration was

• Candy Tangerine with black decals
  Tommasini fishnet effect (inverse of the image below)
  Go OTT with black/grey/silver ghost flames along the headstock and top tube :twisted:

But I've decided to be conservative, keep it classy and restore it to the original pearl white.

Steve at Lloyds came through with the decals and a few other bits and bobs have started to arrive for the second phase and the 'proper' build but basically all the mechanical Veloce parts are working flawlessly so no need for any new parts there.

The main problem now is that the LBS have got back to me to say they no longer have the Mavic spanners to remove the 310 headset so I'll have to get creative with a strap wrench if I've any hope of removing it without destroying the finish. :?