This is the best reference for building wheels thag I've found. It's "the Bicycle Wheel" by Jobst Brandt. These are the pages that I use for establishing the pattern. The book is long and gets into a lot of theory, but when I just need to remember where to start, this is it.
The annual 3 speed tour (3speedtour.com) was held over the weekend. All bikes have a Sturmey Archer 3 speed hub, some with a few extra cogs for the hills. This a shady rest stop where many of the 90 riders stopped for a break. It was a good opportunity to snap pictures.
This is a 1974 Raleigh International 23" frame made from Reynolds 531 butted steel. Good steel tubes can be drawn out with very thin walls. All steel material weighs about the same. Better steel works using very little of it.The frame, without fork or any components weighs in at 4.57 lbs. Low end frames can be over 10lbs, a light carbon fiber frame can be 2.5 lbs.
This one is all wrong, but oh so right! It's a 1978 Raleigh Competition GS, built up as a townie touring bike. I had some Dura Ace components and procured a few more. I converted a DA 7400 rear derailleur with an XTR long cage and found a DA triple front mech. 38mm 650b wheels make a cushy ride and Suntour Power Shifters make for gears from 23 to 99 inches that shift silently. If I could stop riding it, I'd pull it apart and give it a much needed paint job
Before/after
I bought this Raleigh International on ebay. It was a bit of a wreck, which makes the question regardinv whetber it needs repainting a bit easier. I just pulled the masking tape off the lugs. A bit more touching up and Wow!