Look what I found in my sisters garage!
adukeofkent
Posts: 82
Pretty basic bike but I've never actually ridden a steel bike before!
Perfect for poping down the shops. The bike needed some TLC but now runs ok.
I would like to know the history if anyone has any idea. I know its Raleighs basic model
and it must be form the early eighties.
I have a BMC SLX01 I made myself and a Spec Allez elite so this a great project
oppertunity.
What do you think? Anyone seen any good retro projects
Perfect for poping down the shops. The bike needed some TLC but now runs ok.
I would like to know the history if anyone has any idea. I know its Raleighs basic model
and it must be form the early eighties.
I have a BMC SLX01 I made myself and a Spec Allez elite so this a great project
oppertunity.
What do you think? Anyone seen any good retro projects
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Comments
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I would say it's late 80s or even early 90s.
I bought one new in 1989 when I was 15, which cost me the princely sum of £110 from Halfords. Apart from the graphics it looked identical, so I'm guessing yours is only a year or two earlier / later.
This is the only picture I can find of a 1989 model, although it's been turned into a fixie:
Nice find, hope you enjoy it!Alex0 -
I bought a Raleigh Pursuit for mucking about on when I worked in a Raleigh dealership in the early '90s, slightly later model than yours, same model as 2alexcoo's
It was pretty dire but then again it was soooo cheap even when new.0 -
Great bike Adukeofkent.. Funny how we all enjoy the thought of an older 'historical' bike, that we find tucked away and hidden in a relations shed, garage or attic.
We mostly all have lush carbon fibre, state of the art, multispeed latest chainset feather light race bred modern bikes, but there is something about the heart that when we see a bike like this, we are suddenly 13 years of age again and get the 'christmas present bike' feeling!
I'm sure many of you a similar age to me (44) spent most of thier childhood/ teenage years on an assortment of bikes, from grifter to chopper to Raleigh racer, and when you see a bike like this you remember the days spent in log hot school summer holidays (where gave those hot summers gone??) riding to mates houses, to girlfiends or just hanging about on your bike. We didn't have playstations, mobile phones to speak to our school friends on, or school 4x4 drop offs and pickups.. we just had the bike....
Anyways I'm sure you'll love fettling her up to pristine condition, and will enjoy riding this bike just as much as your other modern bikes. You will feel how much bikes have improved over the recent years I'm sure. My historical bike here http://www.bikeradar.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12682132 is like a 'wet noodle' compared to modern stiff carbon frames... The flex of the bb has to be seen to be believed!
Finally my friend at work said, with my expensive modern bike, why do you want to ride an old bike from the late 80s, early 90s... I looked at him and said it's like driving a historical car, diiferent but different in a really good way!
Enjoy!!0 -
nice looking bike - but I wouldn't get too starry-eyed over riding a 'classic' like the Raleigh Pursuit. It's the equivalent of finding a Ford Mondeo in a garage in 30 years time and claiming it's a classic. I wouldn't want to drive that either....
Fact is, these things were built to a price, sold through toy shops and largely made from gas pipe...and you can pick up a 2010 Raleigh Pursuit for less than £250 - how's that for a bit of nostalgia..?
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Yesterdays Ford Mondeo, is a classic in the distant future... I used to drive a triumph Dolomite... I wouldn't have said that was ever going to be a 'classic car' but people do them up to concours condition, love and cherish them.
A free old bike is something to enjoy, you missed my point entirely in that it's not a reynolds tube ultralite classic top of the range groupset for that era bike, but us simply an average everyday bike from that day. It's the sort of bike that many of us rode, it is exactly this point that makes it interesting, familiar and personal to many of us, and so fun to remember our 'yoof'
I say go for it, make it your project, enjoy it for what it is, or could be with a fettle. If it only remains a bike for the shops only, then so be it, it will be more used still and enjoyed than it was in sisters garage.
In the 80s if I was given a bike like this, I wouldn't have said I don't want it because it's made if old pipes and was bought from toy shops! We have such high levels now of what we considered to be acceptable to us, a bottom of the range bike now costs £250 and even that is often considered to be a starting point only to have lots of money spent on it to upgrade to an acceptable level of kit/ performance. Some would say we have been spoilt by modern consumerism, always wanting better, to spend more money even if we don't have it.
By the way I can see the 2010 version here cheaper than £259 at £229 http://www.discountbicycles.co.uk/biz/product.php/7499/1/raleigh_pursuit_2010 but see why should this effect how you feel about your FREE bike anyway?? (as you said you knew it was bottom of raleighs range)0 -
+1 markmod, you cannot put a price on nostalgia. Although it isn't....... NOOOO do not do that 0
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Hi plowmar I take it your refering to NapD exclamation of the heratical fettling of my Donnay mate? I did understand his concern about my bastardisation of the classic frame, however as much as I would like to have dedecaled it and rebuilt it up to look like this fantastic example here http://velospace.org/node/20971 I had neither the time, or financial clout to do so. Most of the bits I added were in my bike kit, although I bought the sora shiffters and seatpost.
I would have ended up with just another expensive best bike...
Unfortunately most of the work had been done by Donnay before me... It was obvious this was an old style frame (a great Alan carbonio) that Donnay had rebadged, losing much of the classical loveleness of the example above.
It's not like I changed the drive chain, which was and is still bog standard old shimano 105 or that I made it a fixie with cut off bars is it, just a few modern bits for lightness to help to preserve the frame with a lighter load on it.
I can honestly say I like this old bike just as much as my modern bikes. It might not be worth much, which many (as above) use as thier yardstick of a bikes enjoyment and popularity, but like the Raleigh Persuit above it was free and is different to ride, and always brings a smile to my chops!!!0 -
markmod wrote:Yesterdays Ford Mondeo, is a classic in the distant future... I used to drive a triumph Dolomite... I wouldn't have said that was ever going to be a 'classic car' but people do them up to concours condition, love and cherish them.
A free old bike is something to enjoy, you missed my point entirely in that it's not a reynolds tube ultralite classic top of the range groupset for that era bike, but us simply an average everyday bike from that day. It's the sort of bike that many of us rode, it is exactly this point that makes it interesting, familiar and personal to many of us, and so fun to remember our 'yoof'
sorry, I don't see it like that - a duff car has always been a duff car, and always will be. History doesn't change that. The only Dolomite worth having would have been the Dolomite Sprint, but that's only because some people remember them through rose-tinted glasses. Personally, I remember the Dolomite as being an unreliable bag of BL-derived rusting shite
I used to ride a piece of old gaspipe in my 'yoof' as well, but bollox to riding the same bike now. Sorry if that sounds snobbish - but the fact is that most of these bikes ended up in skips, this is obviously one that didn't, and it is in nice condition - but don't kid yourself you are reliving your youth by riding it, because it probably rides like a nail and life is too short for that.0 -
Except that the Ford Mondeo isn't a duff car. It's widely accepted as being pretty good!When Chuck Norris does division, there are no remainders.0
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kieronymous wrote:Except that the Ford Mondeo isn't a duff car. It's widely accepted as being pretty good!
it is pretty good at what it does, by all accounts (the duff comment was reserved for the Dolomite) - but 30 years on I probably wouldn't want one in my car collection...0 -
Each to thier own softlad... Do whatever you want and to the original poster, I'm sure you will also do what you want with your new find... Even if it's only softlads nail like 'short ride to a skip' (Seems a little harsh... But there you go)
In the words of the late 70's tv comedy... It takes 'different strokes' to make a world.. Everyones entitled to thier own opinion... Oh there I go again getting all nostalgic, looking at the world again with rose tinted glasses!!!0 -
just to be clear - I wouldn't throw that bike in the skip, even though that is where a lot of them probably ended up. If it functions and is ridedable, then ride it or put an ad in the local newsagents for it - it is clearly too good to throw.0
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Blimey !! What size frame is that, was it a training bike for the Harlem Globetrotters ?
Nice and nostalgic though,0 -
Your right... Look at the size of the headtube I hadn't noticed that..0
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To be honest boys I've never actually ridden a steel frame before. Im 28
My first road bike was a specialized allez.
Bag of crap? The price would suggest so, plus I guess my question of what to do with it led to people believing I had a rare find. Im not going crazy saying that Eddie Mercks actually rode this bike on the tour!
But its free and the chance to experience a different type of ride. 'For type see basic'
Oh and the size...I'm 6 ft 32 inch leg and it fits like a glove. It looks bigger than it does due to frames being made a lot bigger in the old days but I guess you guys knew that already0 -
Just don't judge all steel frames by that one. Please.0
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Point taken Mr Cat
Its quite good for strength training being heavier.
Whats your dream machine then, steel wise? I did go through a phase of wanting to restore an old Eddie Merckx but I would be in the same position of having lovley bike i didnty want to get wet or dirty.0 -
I say just ride it for what it is... If it rides like a bag of shitey then at least it will be fine for leaving outside the shops or pub.
I know it's not a classic but simply an old bike... Still my thoughts stand, you didn't find it and think straight away 'well I'll put this straight in skip' did you? We all love something for free and human nature is inquisitive... I wonder what it might ride like you asked?
Also, why do we buy bikes to ride and then to keep them for best, not wanting to get them wet or dirty? We could be run over by a bus tomorrow
and not had the best of anything we have put by for
best?0 -
I like it! Just get the hoods cleaned - they are meant to be white
Faster than a tent.......0 -
.adukeofkent wrote:Point taken Mr Cat
Its quite good for strength training being heavier.
Whats your dream machine then, steel wise? I did go through a phase of wanting to restore an old Eddie Merckx but I would be in the same position of having lovley bike i didnty want to get wet or dirty.
That's Ms.Cat to you. :P
I don't really have a dream bike, steel or otherwise. I have just built up a 631 Bob Jackson that is probably further fown this page however.0 -
Certainly before the late 80's, when I started riding "seriously" (whatever that means). My coach had a tatty, older Eddy Merckx frame, and a spangly new Concorde, both with concealed cables; and I remember a lot of the exotics (Colnago, etc) in his shop sporting them too. Quite the fashion then.dennisn wrote:When did brake cables first get hidden?0 -
Bear with me on this one: I think that bike is vintage 1985 / 1986.
As I recall at that time, I aspired to be a Pursuit owner, but had to settle for the lesser Equipe (pictured). Look at the similar chainsets and gear levers.
Two years later in 1987, Biopace had appeared, and I upgraded to a Raleigh Quadra, which (whilst sharing the concealed brake cables) was light years ahead in technology and served me well over the 20,000 miles it covered before the head tube weld cracked. It was repaired for free under the 15 year frame warranty, and even when I sold the bike in 2004, I rode it one last time and I thought "What the hell am I doing selling this? It's lovely!!"
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I remember one very dull afternoon in around 1991 when we had a delivery of about 25 NOS Equipes from Raleigh that I had to unpack, straighten bars, inflate tyres, fit reflectors.... mind numbing. I think at least half were 25" frames too. :I0
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Double post removed.0
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Certainly, adjusting the brakes was difficult. Mainly because they were absolutely shite. Man, was I pleased with Quadra when it arrived!! Best £350 I ever spent.....0
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I bought a Raleigh Routier to 10 speed to replace my Peugeot five speed in around 1985. I sold it a few years ago for 120 quid! It was heavy and not very fast but it was practical I did a lot of miles on it. I remember when I first rode it's replacement (Edinburgh Country tourer) I couldn't believe how much better it was.
It had one of those odometers you bolted to the front axle and a pin on the spoke advanced it :-) It had Pifco lights that were big, heavy and utterly useless. Every time I went over a bump they turned off.
Back in the day I wanted a Puch Mistral.http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!0 -
When did Raleigh stop using steel wheels? I remember it was a full time job using chrome cleaner to keep the wheels from looking rusty & horrid!http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!0 -
The Routier looks very much like the Touriste I had in the early 90's, was it 531?
When I was selling Raleigh bikes in the early 90s the lower end bikes had steel rims, you didn't get alloy rims unless you spent over £250 or so.
Who remembers the old leather faced Raleigh Raincheck brake blocks, boy what a racket!!0 -
To determine the age of that beauty have a look at the serial number. The 1st number (after the letter/s) will tell you the year it was made. I guess it will be an 9,0 or a 1. Indicating a late 80's or early 90's model.
The brake levers are non standard I think.
Proper old tools these, I had a few Raleighs in the 80/90's, loved every one! Huret 'eco-s' rear mechs were lightweight engineering marvels!!0
