Re: [CR] Never ridden 1974 Raleigh Pro,To ride or not to ride?

(Example: Humor)

Date: Tue, 05 Dec 2000 06:54:33 -0600
From: "Steve Kurt" <kurtsj@mtco.com>
To: allstar <allstar@gateway.net>, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: Re: [CR] Never ridden 1974 Raleigh Pro,To ride or not to ride?


Re: {ClassicRend]Never ridden 1974 Raleigh Pro,To ride or not to ride? allstar wrote:
>
> I have the same dilemma. I have a new out of the box Raleigh Pro with hang
> tags owners manual etc. that has sat for 5 years in my hallway that I see
> everyday that was never been ridden. What do you do with it? I would
> consider selling it and pass the issue to someone else that could admire or
> ride or whatever. What would you do?? Jeff hutchinson
> -----------------------------------------------------
>

well, if it was a 24 1/2" frame, you could sell it to me. :-)

Just this spring, I bought a '74 Raleigh International that had been out of the box, but not ridden. I never even considered not riding it, but I also never thought of an International as a rare bike, or representative of some high level of craftsmanship. Still, its paint job and chromed Nervex lugs are just gorgeous, and I wanted to try to preserve the frame. Luckily, I was able to have Brian Baylis apply a thin clearcoat to keep the paint and decals in good shape.

I've pulled off some of the parts and replaced them with equivalents so that I don't wear out the original parts. For instance, I installed a Brooks Pro that I had bought in '75, some Campy SL pedals I got in '78, some new TA rings, a Sun Tour freewheel (I have a ton of sprockets), and some Bullseye pulleys. The original parts have been set aside, in case I ever do get the urge to bring the bike back to original condition.