[doallyoucan2004]

Hey, I have a similar model bike that was my father's and am in the process of restoring it! The cotter pins are just really stuck! Those are the things that hold the crank arm on. If you've already removed those then you've already won half the war. Try some WD-40 around where the crank arms meet the main shaft and then try backing it off with a few taps with a hammer padding the crank arm with a towel or wood so you don't dent of damage it. I'll post some of my project pics soon.

[doallyoucan2004]

YES! Definitely do not skimp on the lube! When I first half-assed this bike restore job I used normal heavy duty mechanical/auto grease on all the bearing.
WHAT A MISTAKE!
During this last rebuild I went to the LBS (local bike shop) and got a high quality bicycle grease and what a world of difference it made!

[Arby]

I sold these bikes when they were new (early 70's), and owned one myself. My recollection is that the Grand Prix was top of the line Raleigh and a wonderful all around bike, balancing reasonably light weight (for the time) with good strength- would be a "road touring" bike today. I'd clean it up, lube where necessary and replace tubes/tires- then enjoy it. I've found Turtle wax to be useful for cleaning and polishing after the initial wipe down with a damp rag.

[retromike3]

I ran around on a old Raleigh Grand Prix for years. I set it up as a cross bike with Sturmey Archer hub brakes and since it was set up with 27 inch wheels originally It worked really well with my 30c tri cross tires. As long as I didn't care how fast I went It was not a problem(I had really low gears on it)

the problem was that it was not the highest quality set up and it had a really weird bottom bracket threading. It was made by the Gazelle company for Raleigh during the first bike boom (around 75). It was never the top of the line. You can't put it in the same league as a Raleigh Pro. Its like comparing a Ford GT40 and a Pinto. Their both cars and their both Fords But, that's it.

If your looking to set it up as a commuter or a around town bike its a good way to go but, its not a super bike by any means.

mike

[hdgoblin]

I have been riding my GP (white/black) for 36 years. Bought from Frank Kirby Cycles in St Benedicts, Norwich, UK in 1975. Changed the original rear tyre last week as it looked a little threadbare. Original brake blocks still in but compared to modern brakes pretty ineffective. Sadly, the bike was stored in a damp shed for several years and the paintwork and chrome has suffered.

Must comment on the bottom bracket info given above. I recently replaced the original steel cottered twin crankset with an aluminium cotterless triple (need the lower gearing nowadays) and used a standard modern £6 bottom bracket replacement to fit.

I replaced the original Simplex derailleur (still have it somewhere) with a SunTour VX in the early 1980s ready for wider ratios. An excellent changer.

As I recall, Frank mentioned at the time that these bikes were actually made for the US market but he got mine because regular UK models were in short supply.