Raleigh International 650b conversion?

[Frankwurst]

I aquired a Raliegh International awhile back and figured with winter
soon to arrive I'd build it up in the dead season (as soon as the
Christmas tree is gone from the basement) Anybody ever do one in 650b?
Advice,comments,recomendations and telling me I'm completely out of my
mind are appreciated. I have a nice set of 700c wheels that I could
use but I have an equally nice set of 650b wheels as well and I'm
partial to 650b.
Good, bad or indifferent I'd welcome your comments and suggestions.
Thanks in advance.
Frank Brose

[Greg Achtem]

Three words. J.P. Weigle.

Seriously. Check out his Flickr feed for very fine examples of just what you are thinking.

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b" group.
> To post to this group, send email to 65...@googlegroups.com.
> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to 650b+uns...@googlegroups.com.
> For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/650b?hl=en.
>

[Steve Palincsar]

On Sat, 2012-12-08 at 14:56 -0800, Frankwurst wrote:
> I aquired a Raliegh International awhile back and figured with winter
> soon to arrive I'd build it up in the dead season (as soon as the
> Christmas tree is gone from the basement) Anybody ever do one in 650b?

Peter Weigle has done several Raleigh International 650B "creative
restorations." Here's a link to one, "Miss Rene"
http://www.flickr.com/photos/49353569@N00/5154235899/

[Peter Weigle]

Hi Frank,

The International's crown is a bit narrow and will limit the size of the fender and tire.

The chainstays will allow a 38mm width with ample clearance, but 42's are too tight.

With an International you could set it up with with 650b 38's, with looong reach brakes, but you might also just want to keep it as a 700c bike and run 32mm Pasela's or Grand Bois 30's on it. The ride will be pretty nice.

---

I use Raleigh Competitions for the conversions I do. Their crowns have tons of clearance, and recently I have been reforming the chainstays so they have room for 42mm Hetre's as well.

FWIW, I had never ridden a Competition as a 700c until recently. I will use it for my ride tomorrow. It's set up with 32mm tires and fenders and it's not a bad ride, especially as a winter bike.

When the snow falls and the roads aren't good I plan to whip the Comp apart and do my 650b "treatment" on her.

 Cut the bridges and lower them, re-rake the forks, add canti  bosses, braze-ons for water bottles, shifters and such, then whip her back together with most of the same vintage parts, and as a 650b

.

The ride of the 700c bike will still be in my head, and it will be fun to ride the very same bike, but set up as a 650b creative restoration and compare the two rides, back to back. From my past experience on previous 650b Comp conversions I already know the gravel road experience is greatly enhanced over a 700c bike, and I love the 42mm tires for that reason.

Here is a link to some of my Raleigh 650b conversions. http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=49353569%40N00&q=650b+conversion&m=text

I have several stock comp frames in stock if you'd prefer to start with the one that has more clearance.

Hope some of this helps...

ptr  

---

From: Frankwurst <fkb...@gmail.com>
To: 650b <65...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sat, December 8, 2012 5:56:11 PM
Subject: [650B] Raleigh International 650b conversion?

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b" group.
To post to this group, send email to 65...@googlegroups.com.

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to 650b+unsub...@googlegroups.com.

[Harold Bielstein]

Hello Peter, when you re-rake a fork, does that drop the front end so the top tube is no longer level? Do you modify the chain stays to compensate?

On Dec 8, 2012, at 6:20 PM, Peter Weigle <jpwe...@sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> Hi Frank,
> The International's crown is a bit narrow and will limit the size of the fender and tire.
> The chainstays will allow a 38mm width with ample clearance, but 42's are too tight.
>
> With an International you could set it up with with 650b 38's, with looong reach brakes, but you might also just want to keep it as a 700c bike and run 32mm Pasela's or Grand Bois 30's on it. The ride will be pretty nice.
> ---
> I use Raleigh Competitions for the conversions I do. Their crowns have tons of clearance, and recently I have been reforming the chainstays so they have room for 42mm Hetre's as well.
>
> FWIW, I had never ridden a Competition as a 700c until recently. I will use it for my ride tomorrow. It's set up with 32mm tires and fenders and it's not a bad ride, especially as a winter bike.
>
> When the snow falls and the roads aren't good I plan to whip the Comp apart and do my 650b "treatment" on her.
> Cut the bridges and lower them, re-rake the forks, add canti bosses, braze-ons for water bottles, shifters and such, then whip her back together with most of the same vintage parts, and as a 650b
> .
> The ride of the 700c bike will still be in my head, and it will be fun to ride the very same bike, but set up as a 650b creative restoration and compare the two rides, back to back. From my past experience on previous 650b Comp conversions I already know the gravel road experience is greatly enhanced over a 700c bike, and I love the 42mm tires for that reason.
>
> Here is a link to some of my Raleigh 650b conversions. http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=49353569%40N00&q=650b+conversion&m=text
>
> I have several stock comp frames in stock if you'd prefer to start with the one that has more clearance.
>
> Hope some of this helps...
>
> ptr
>

> From: Frankwurst <fkb...@gmail.com>
> To: 650b <65...@googlegroups.com>
> Sent: Sat, December 8, 2012 5:56:11 PM
> Subject: [650B] Raleigh International 650b conversion?
>
> I aquired a Raliegh International awhile back and figured with winter
> soon to arrive I'd build it up in the dead season (as soon as the
> Christmas tree is gone from the basement) Anybody ever do one in 650b?
> Advice,comments,recomendations and telling me I'm completely out of my
> mind are appreciated. I have a nice set of 700c wheels that I could
> use but I have an equally nice set of 650b wheels as well and I'm
> partial to 650b.
> Good, bad or indifferent I'd welcome your comments and suggestions.
> Thanks in advance.
> Frank Brose
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b" group.
> To post to this group, send email to 65...@googlegroups.com.

> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to 650b+uns...@googlegroups.com.

> For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/650b?hl=en.
>
>

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b" group.
> To post to this group, send email to 65...@googlegroups.com.

> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to 650b+uns...@googlegroups.com.

> For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/650b?hl=en.

Hal Bielstein
hkbie...@rap.midco.net

[Andrew Noronha]

Also, which bridges are you cutting and lowering? Do you have to add canti brake posts, or will regular long reach brakes do?

[JL]

Peter,

I have admired your creative restorations for a while.  Thanks for being so candid when talking about them.  I too am a fan of the Carlton built/ Capella lugged Competitions.  There is something beautiful in the utility of those bikes with their thick black paint juxtaposed against the elegance of their original Huret Jubilee Derailleur sets.  I am setting my current (third) Competition up with 700c wheels as a winter project.  As you suggested, 700x32mm tires fit well, even under full fenders.  The only change I needed to make was to source a Weinmann 750 rear brake to match the front. The 610 was just too short to work with the 700c wheels.  I would suggest this quick change to anyone wanted to get a classic frame like this back on the road. 

Could you speak a little bit about the frame geometry of this model year - if you know it?  You mentioned re-raking the fork.  What is the stock rake on the fork? 

Thanks
JL

[erik]

Hello, I just finished a conversion on a 1971 Raleigh International. Not sure what year your bike is but the geometry, fork length and bend radius + bridge heights seem to change from year to year. I used center pull Weinmann brakes with 75mm reach, the front was barely long enough and the rear was not long enough. I milled the slot on the center mounting bolt to make them fit. The rear bridges are both completely in the wrong spots so I used a slotted fender L bracket for the seat stays and on the chain stays there is no hole in the bridge so I drilled mine and use a bolt and spring so I could get the rear wheel out of the Campy horizontal drop outs and have the fender line look ok. On the rear the tire clearance is not enough for Hetres/42mm tires without reforming the chainstays, 38mm tires should fit fine as is. On the front the tire fits fine but the 52mm VO fender is a little wide for the crown, it is easy to bend it into fitting though. The fork is really long so a spacer is needed under the crown to lower the fender down toward the tire. The geometry is great on my bike, the bb height is ~270mm and the long chainstays and 60+mm of rake on the fork make it ride like an old French bike. I am very happy with the transformed bike.

Here is my bike, there are a few other pictures on there also.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/34165300@N05/8258695754/in/photostream

There are a few others to see as well.
http://www.flickr.com/groups/renaissanced-bicycles/pool/49353569@N00/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bthelewis/5777276108/in/set-72157624531049100
http://www.flickr.com/photos/stronglight/1312873707/
http://www.cyclofiend.com/cc/2007/cc327-davidstinnett0607.html
https://www.google.com/search?q=raleigh+international+650b+conversion&hl=en&safe=off&client=safari&tbo=d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=FnDFUKWpIOG6igLdqoGADQ&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=768&bih=900#

Good luck with your conversion.
Erik Reese
Portland Or

[Peter Weigle]

A few of you asked questions about the Raleigh 650b conversions and I'll try and answer some of them.

Hal, re-raking the forks the bit needed doesn't drop the front end enough that anyone would notice.  

--

Andrew, both bridges are in the wrong place, so both are carefully removed, and new ones added in the right location. I wouldn'd be happy with l-brackets or zip ties holding the fenders on,, that would kill it for me.

When I stand back from one of my completed conversions I want them to look look like the classic rando bikes I've seen in so many pictures over the years, kind of like this example, http://www.flickr.com/photos/49353569@N00/8260616611/in/photostream

I also want them to ride well hence the tweaking of the forks. 

--

Super long sidepulls might be ok for some, but would be way out of place for me.

 Lowering the bridges, adding braze on mounts for brakes and all the other fittings transforms these frames and I wouldn't be interested in them if they didn't look right or ride well when finished.

--

JL asked about the frame geometry of these bikes

In the early 70's the oil embargo was on and the "bike boom" was in full swing. Quality control varied...

. Despite what the Raleigh catalog spec sheet might say, I have found there is a lot of variation from one frame to the next, even in the same size and build year. Forks also varied so there was no standard, (even if Raleigh thought there was).

 Most early 70's Comps were built with Capella lugs, but they also used Nervex from time to time as well. Maybe they ran out of Capella's, who knows? 

Before I begin a conversion I look the frame over and  measure the angles. I make a judgement call about the amount of fork rake that particular frame should have to compliment it's head angle, and adjust as necessary.

  (Most of the frames measured fall within the geometry range of what a typical rando style bike might have. If they are beyond that I wouldn't convert that particular frame.)

Hope some of this helps.,

ptr

 

---

From: JL <subf...@gmail.com>
To: 65...@googlegroups.com
Cc: Frankwurst <fkb...@gmail.com>
Sent: Sat, December 8, 2012 10:45:07 PM
Subject: Re: [650B] Raleigh International 650b conversion?

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b" group.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/650b/-/0e6EfCL7jKEJ.

To post to this group, send email to 65...@googlegroups.com.

To unsubscribe from this group, send email to 650b+uns...@googlegroups.com.

[David Banzer]

Do Supercourse's work as well for conversions or are Comp's better?
Thanks!
David

[Peter Weigle]

David,

I wouldn't know.

Easiest way to start is try and fit a set of 650b wheels in the frame.

Check for tire clearance, check bb height etc.

Then see if you can slide the appropriate size fender between the fork blades and on and on, and you'll be able to answer the question yourself;~)

ptr

---

From: Peter Weigle <jpwe...@sbcglobal.net>
To: JL <subf...@gmail.com>; 65...@googlegroups.com
Cc: Frankwurst <fkb...@gmail.com>
Sent: Mon, December 10, 2012 11:27:11 AM

[David Banzer]

Will do.
There's a few Supercourse's in my size (25-1/2" ones) available, just seeing if anyone's converted these at all.
Decent prices for them so I might just pick one up and check for 650b clearances. If not a 700c build would work for me as well.
Looks like I have a winter project.
Thanks for all the info.
David

[Frankwurst]

Thanks for the replys and thanks to Peter and Erik for the pics and
elaborating on the issue at hand. At least now I have a starting point
if I decide to do a conversion. I'll put some thought into it but I'm
inclined to stick with 700c now. If I din't alredy have a bike with
Hetres I might think different but I've gotten to a point where I
really like 650b in any size. Decisions,decisions. Thanks again
Frank

> conversions.http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=49353569%40N00&q=650b+conversion&m=text

>
> I have several stock comp frames in stock if you'd prefer to start with the one
> that has more clearance.
>
> Hope some of this helps...
>
> ptr
>
> ________________________________

> From: Frankwurst <fkbr...@gmail.com>

> To: 650b <65...@googlegroups.com>
> Sent: Sat, December 8, 2012 5:56:11 PM
> Subject: [650B] Raleigh International 650b conversion?
>
> I aquired a Raliegh International awhile back and figured with winter
> soon to arrive I'd build it up in the dead season (as soon as the
> Christmas tree is gone from the basement) Anybody ever do one in 650b?
> Advice,comments,recomendations and telling me I'm completely out of my
> mind are appreciated. I have a nice set of 700c wheels that I could
> use but I have an equally nice set of 650b wheels as well and I'm
> partial to 650b.
> Good, bad or indifferent  I'd welcome your comments and suggestions.
> Thanks in advance.
> Frank Brose
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b"
> group.
> To post to this group, send email to 65...@googlegroups.com.

> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to 650b+uns...@googlegroups.com.

[Andrew Noronha]

Peter, thanks a lot for your reply. Now if I could only convince you to mod a frame for me so I can build a 650b conversion, that would be perfect :-)

 I will continue hunting for a frame for now that can convert into a 650b with fenders and stuff, I just love reading this list for all the information I gain.

[bingomck]

Interesting topic! Once upon a time I had the same thought. Even went out and bought an International on ebay. They are beautiful frames, even in the not so good paint condition mine is in.

If anyone is interested in trying, I have a 57 c-c International I'd be willing to let go cheap. Especially if you'll pick it up in the Bay Area! Email off list... Thanks.

[Aung Zaw Lyn]

I did a Raleigh Super Course MKII conversion last winter.  The brake bridge is too high, even for Tektro R559 long reach brakes.  Modifications to my frame as follows (to accommodate 650b x 42mm tires):

• Align frame and respace to 130mm.
• Add Campagnolo derailleur hanger to drive side dropout
• Water bottle bosses on downtube
  
• Canti posts front and rear
  
• Dimple chainstays to accommodate 650x42b tire
  
• Add fender mount to chainstay
  

I've been riding it since last March as my daily commuter with front rando bag.  Love the ride!  Work was done by Brian Chapman, formerly at Circle A Cycles, now at Chapman Cycles.  I ran out of funds so I could not go through with a full frame repaint.  Photos available if you'd like.  Brian posted something very brief in his blog here: http://www.circleacycles.com/brian/2013/04/08/the-big-makeover/  (see bottom of page).

I am now in the process of fiddling with a Raleigh International - managed to pick up a frame recently for another winter project.

Good luck with your project.

- Zaw.

- 

[Steve Palincsar]

On 12/13/2013 03:20 PM, Aung Zaw Lyn wrote:

I did a Raleigh Super Course MKII conversion last winter.  The brake bridge is too high, even for Tektro R559 long reach brakes.  Modifications to my frame as follows (to accommodate 650b x 42mm tires):

• 
  
• Align frame and respace to 130mm.
• Add Campagnolo derailleur hanger to drive side dropout
• Water bottle bosses on downtube
  
• Canti posts front and rear
  
• Dimple chainstays to accommodate 650x42b tire
  
• Add fender mount to chainstay
  

So what brakes are you using, or did you move the brake bridge?

[Aung Zaw Lyn]

Canti posts were installed and I'm using Tektro brakes - CR720 with Yokozuna pads.

[Mark Guglielmana]

Post resurrection time! 

This thread cost me several thousands of dollars, but I got something great out of it-2 reconstructed Raleighs, one an International, the other a Competition. Nothing was done to the International frame, just rebuilt it with new components.  

Damn Greg all the hell, he started me on the J.P. Weigle trail, and now I've got this. Oh well, at least I love it to death.

 

[Mark Guglielmana]

Steve, I moved up to Portland recently. A bike shop up here claimed that someone purchased Miss Rene from someone in SF and now is roaming the bike friendly streets of Portlandia. I'd love to hunt down and stalk the guy so I can see it in all of its magnificent glory. 

[Steve Palincsar]

Terrific!

[Chris Sanford]

It's true.. I have seen the JP "Rene" bike in Kenton, which is in North Portland for the out-of-towners.  Beautiful bike, but subtle.  I suspect that most people have no idea what it is.

Chris - PDX

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "650b" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to 650b+uns...@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to 65...@googlegroups.com.

Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/650b.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Theo Elliot Roffe]

Miss Rene's owner is a friend of mine. The bike is beautiful and subtle. I know all of these emails have been intended to underscore just that point, but, with phrases like "hunt down and stalk" getting thrown around, I'd just like to take a moment to point out that the owner does appreciate his privacy. 

Let's appreciate Miss Rene from a respectful distance and not say any more about where a person might find the bike or owner.

Mark, your Raleigh conversions look great. I particularly like the Competition. How are the RH cranks as a triple? I have them as a (very) compact double and they work well.

Theo Roffe

Portland, OR

[mitch....@gmail.com]

How does Peter get such a good fender-line on these Raleigh conversions with horizontal drops?

Here is his most well-known conversion (Miss Rene posted above by Steve) with the rear axel on the forward end of the drops, but looks like you'd still need to let air out of the tire to remove the wheel. Maybe not; it looks close. Having to let air out would not be a deal breaker for me; just curious.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/49353569@N00/5154235899/

I can't tell what those tires are in the photo (this is a pre-Babyshoe Pass era photo).

--Mitch

[ilter]

It seems to me that Peter W. deployed a subtle trick :)  In that photo, fender slightly deviates from the nice fender line about 2 inches above the chainstay, and tip of the fender seems sufficiently far away from the tire that the wheel would come off w/o deflating the tire.  With the chainstay, big chainring, etc. in the foreground, the fender tip is nicely hidden, and it is very hard to notice the deviation in fender line.

ilter

[Tim Gavin]

I did a 650b conversion of my older Rivendell with forward facing horizontal drops (Campy 1010), and I installed SKS P45 fenders.  In order to remove the rear wheel without deflating the tire, I used a spring on the bolt at the chainstay mount. 

I put a small p-clamp around the chainstay, used a long bolt through the chainstay and the fender, and put a ~2" spring on the bolt between the two (with some washers and nuts to hold it roughly in place).

Since the bolt is held in tension only by the spring, the p-clamp wiggles a mm or two side-to-side.  Not enough to throw the fender out of whack; the fender is held in place where it touches the chainstays.

I got the idea for this solution from this forum.  It seemed like an simple fix.  I've also considered putting a spacer in place of the spring (like a cork or rubber stopper, carved to fit, and slotted so it slips over the bolt).  That would hold the fender and p-clamp more securely, but I'd have to manually remove the cork before removing the wheel.  The spring solution is very low hassle.  I rummaged in the loose springs drawers at my local hardware store to find one with the correct size and tension.

Tim

On Sunday, August 17, 2014 10:40:07 AM UTC-5, mitch....@gmail.com wrote:

[Peter Adler]

For those who aren't inclined to rummage around in the bins at a hardware store (with the big chain hardware stores driving all the mom-pop places to extinction, the supply of unusual parts has gotten a lot slimmer), Velo Orange sells a prefabbed version of this type of thing as the "Spring Thing", for $6.

http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/accessories/fenders/spring-thing.html

One of the problematic issues with the Carlton/Raleigh road frames is that the chainstay bridges usually don't have holes for fender mounting. You either have to drill it yourself, or cobble something together with a P-clamp (ecch). I have a 1971 Raleigh International that I've been trying to fit with a set of Honjo Le Paon clones, and I've yet to work out a satisfactorily stable mounting solution to the front end of the rear fender. I recently picked up a 1972 Super Course as a conversion candidate - same problem.

There's a small steel clip called a Bak-Fit which was used on townie bikes like the Raleigh Sport. It clipped around the chainstay bridge and clipped over the end of the rear fender. The problem is, modern high-zoot fenders are longer than '60s townie fenders; if you clipped the end of the fender in the Bak-Fit, the other end of the arc would be rotated nearly to the road surface.

Peter Adler

Berkeley, CA/USA

where we hope that we'll need fenders again some year

[Mark Guglielmana]

Thread bump!

Greg's three words sent me off on a wonderful journey that ended with a 650b reconstructed Raleigh Competition from Peter Weigle as my favorite steed in my stable. I built up an International frame as a 700c upright bar bike. 2 years later, riding both I find I much prefer the reraked, 650b, 42mm Hetre'd Competition ride. Someone at the bikeforums.net C&V site asked about redoing his International with 650b and 42mm tires. My International was already stripped down for some spring cleaning, so it was easy to mount the 650b wheelset to take some pictures for clarification. What I found was interesting.

It appears my forks have plenty of room for 42's + fenders, and I have 3mm clearance at the chainstays. 

Another fellow reported much shorter chain stays than I have and would have essentially zero clearance.

So now I'm thinking of reconstructing the International, and using brazed on MAFAC Raids, but keeping the upright bars for a different ride. 

Thoughts? I've enjoyed the patina, beausage, etc. of the older frame, but I'm fine with repainting.

[Nick Favicchio]

Alright - How might one whose in the market be able to tell which internationals might work and which will be tight. Yours clearly has tons of room in the back and front. Those chain stays look to have room without any crimping (tho some might not hurt).

[Daniel]

Funny this comes up, I'm about to convert a '71 International. I have the Hetres in the mail now and wheels on hand. I have a framebuilder that's going to add cantiposts, bottle brazeons, front rack hourglass mounts and spread the rear, so I might not be able to get all of the "in progress" shots, but will share. Mine's been powdercoated, so there's no patina.

Daniel

On Mon, Jun 1, 2015 at 11:11 AM, Nick Favicchio <nickfa...@gmail.com> wrote:

Alright - How might one whose in the market be able to tell which internationals might work and which will be tight.  Yours clearly has tons of room in the back and front.  Those chain stays look to have room without any crimping (tho some might not hurt).

[Steve Palincsar]

On 06/01/2015 02:41 PM, Daniel wrote:
> Funny this comes up, I'm about to convert a '71 International. I have
> the Hetres in the mail now and wheels on hand. I have a framebuilder
> that's going to add cantiposts, bottle brazeons, front rack hourglass
> mounts and spread the rear, so I might not be able to get all of the
> "in progress" shots, but will share. Mine's been powdercoated, so
> there's no patina.

Don't forget the moving of the brake bridge.

[Mark Guglielmana]

The right and true answer is "test fit". If you don't have the parts and would like to just ballpark the possibility, find where you want the axle to be on the horizontal dropouts. I typically adjust to about halfway, I'm sure there are those that have strong opinions one way or another. Measure 317mm forward along the chain stay. This is the distance from the axle to the fattest part of 42mm Hetres (seems to be the fattie tire of choice). Measure the chainstay clearance at that point. 48mm clearance, for example, would give you 3mm clearance on each side for a properly dished and centered wheel. 

I'd still double check with an actual wheel and tire, however.

[Mark Guglielmana]

Like Steve writes. You don't have to do this, but it looks a lot better than having a big spacer

Here's a big spacer (my first build with fenders in mind)

I moved the brake bridge on this one (third time)

If you bend it in a curve first, it looks nicer (4th time's a charm?)

There's a guy I know, he's all about the details. (notice how small the tubing is compared to mine-#5?)

[olof...@gmail.com]

Just take care.
I have Pari Moto 38mm nominal on my Raleigh International. Started out as 34 mm, swelled quickly and is now rather 39 mm. Space at the chainstays is so close that it is scary. Doesn´t touch yet though. Peter Weigle also says that International are too close for 42´s.

Olof Stroh
Uppsala Sweden

[Mark Guglielmana]

Well, there are Internationals and there are Internationals. I met a guy online the other day that has zero clearance for 42's on his unless he dimples the chain stays. Mine has 3mm clearance on both sides without dimples. Nominal frame size is the same, I have 46cm stays, his are 43.5. 

So saying Internationals are too close for 42's might really mean that most Internationals won't fit 42's. 

Here's some cross-site info, including pics to prove that there's at least one International out there that could probably take a 650b x 42 conversion.

[Nick Favicchio]

Clearly, LOTS of variation exist in the early 70's Raleighs. B/c I'm looking at the fork crown of the ages (look at all that room!!) and clearance for 42mm tires without any crimping mid rear drop. That's crazy room.

Sweet sweet bike. Hecka jelly. Have fun!