Whee!

For the last two years I have been looking to score a deal on a nice old Carlton Raleigh... one that I could restore and convert into a 'Country Bike' (thats what European touring type bikes seem to be called these days)

So, the other day I took a quick look at Craigslist and saw this posting for an old raleigh 10 speed for $49. The owner said in the ad that he thought it was a valuable bike. The picture was too fuzzy to tell what model it was, but it looked like my size. "What could it be?" I thought... "Competition? Super Course? International???" (I would have died and gone to heaven if it was an International)

I called the owner. He said the bike was still there, but I was the fourth caller already. I told him I wanted to buy it, sight-unseen, and I wanted to pick it up right away before someone else did. He told me he wouldn't be home until after 9:30pm.
At 9:45 I arrived at the house and found a beat up old 1974 24.5" Gran Sport. Not quite what I was hoping for, but still, the Reynolds 531 frame, Stronglight (Model 93?) crank and Brooks B17 saddle made it worth the price of admission.

Overall, it's pretty rusty, but nothing serious. The chrome on the rear triangle is in decent shape, but the chrome on the fork is pretty bad and I may have to paint over the fork. Covering up the chrome on the fork will detract a little from the classy looks of the bike, I know, but the fork is just in really rough shape.
After stripping and re-painting it is going to look awesome!