1989 Raleigh Kelloggs Pro-Tour (Upgraded)

u33db

This was my dads old bike and my first bike build.

He bought in back around 1989 from our local Raleigh dealer...standard spec was a Reynolds 501 24" frame, Weinman brakes, Custom stem, 12 gears etc etc...all coupled to a nice white and cream colour scheme with Kelloggs decals!

Some years later he bought a more expensive Dawes racing bike as his main ride and this was basically relagated to the garage usused untl last year.

Basically what happened was i started cycling and did a local bike 25mile bike race on my Halfrauds Apollo. After a few beers afetrwards it was suggested that next year (i.e this year) i could go much faster on a racing bike so i was given this to see if i'd like one before buying one.

Well, i got home, unloaded it and the gear cables snapped on me!

After checking it over there was a lot of things wrong (rusty chrome etc) and it looked pretty unattractive given that the decals was faded/ripped/missing so i decided to fix it up.

So i stripped it...



...and then bought some new and used parts for it.

I had the frame powdercoated white with black forks and even found some NOS orignal decals!

New spec:

- Prolite Como wheels (frame spread to cope).
- Schwable blizzard sport tyres.
- Shimano 105 groupset.
- Shimano seat tube
- Anatomical drop bars.
- Stainless cables and bolts.
- Selle Royal saddle in white (nod to original).
- Elite bottle holder (nod to original).
- Cateye MSC-CY200 (combined bike computer/heart rate monitor).

And finally it ended up looking like this;



I completed this December last year and only last night took it out for a ride - holy crap, with the riding position and not being used to the gears/brake/bars its scary compared to a mountain bike!

Its fast though so we'll see how quickly i get round that bike course this year...

Comments welcome

mr_sj

Very nice , i know everyone is going for the matt black stealth look at the minute but im a sucker for a nice white bike :-)

RideOnTime

Cool... 8)

redvee

You haven't listed the spec of the saddle cover

Jae3306

Nice! I'm after an old frame from 1989 - my year of birth

Nickolarse74

This is the nuts! Google brought me here after I read a book called "Cycle Chic" or something, which got me thinking about retro'ing my old Kellogg's Pro Tour bike.

Can you please tell me where you got your NOS decals from ? Also, how much should I budget for new wheels, bar wraps, groupset and paint job ?

Thanks !

u33db

Hello,

Thanks for the compliment!

Price wise;

- Groupset: I got a good deal from ebay on the groupset - IIRC this was £180.
- Wheels: ebay again - i think i got these for £80.
- Bar wrap: around a tenner but the handlebars were also new at around £25...thinking about it now i should have used the original bars as they've got that nice Raleigh engraving around where the stem was.

The paint job is actually powdercoat - they basically dip the frame in a corrosive to remove any dirt/paint etc and then bake on coloured powder to give a more durable finish. This cost about £50. The nice thing about powdercoating is you don't need to be too fussy about preparing the surface but the downside is its quite thick so can clog bolt holes unless you plug them with old bolts. To be honest if i did another bike i'd have it sprayed.

Decals were off ebay and seem to be NLA.

I think i bought 2 sets at the time though so i will have a look to see if i still have them...

u33db

I do have a second set;



These are NOS but IIRC the seller didn't have the correct 501 sticker (i forget the exact wording the original had) so he gave me a "501 renovated" version instead which is the same size. Also, the stickers that go around the rear tubes (like underneigth the chain) are both identical in that they say "Reynolds" - i'm not 100% sure as when i got the bike they stickers were off but i think the non chain side should be minus the text. He's also include a Raliegh badge sticker for the front but i managed to reattach my original brass one using number plate pads.

They're the best you'll get though so you're welcome to make an offer?

u33db

Also, on the subject of price, there was other stuff like a new head set and tyres and cables...

Nickolarse74

Thank you so much for replying so quickly and for posting those decal photos. Collecting bike from Mum's tomorrow or Tues. Will bring bike back, get LBS (Finch's Reigate are fab !) to check the frame alignment before I commit to anything. Will also get Finch's to quote for the refit and frame spread as work have a C2W agreement with them.

Once I know whether I'm going ahead or just buying a new road bike, I will let you know about those decals.

.....mmmmmm, just seen some white wheels on Wiggle and a Fred Perry retro cycling jersey on Google images. Seems like I'm bringing to mountain to Mohammed, but a Reynolds 501 recon would suit that jersey perfectly !

Many thanks again for your fast and complete response.
Nick

anyandy

What a fantastic bit of work. Congrats!

Have just picked up the same bike in near working order, it's having a bit of trouble with the downtube friction shifters ghostshifting so needs the cables and housing redone which I'm cracking on with.

The change to make is that I need to replace the seat and tube, but I can't seem to find the measurements for the frame anywhere. I don't feel particularly confident measuring and ordering myself for fear of not getting it right. What size did you find fir the frame?

Thanks for your help,

Andy

Xiselle

I really enjoyed your entry about your Pro-Tour. I can't believe you can get the stickers nowadays.

I bought mine about 23 years ago when I failed my driving test (the second time!). It was in perfect condition until I lent it to a friend for 6 months and she trashed come of the paintwork and decals leaning it against posts, etc.

I rode it until I had a motorbike accident which injured by back and neck, so it was in my shed for about 14 years (although I did keep it lubed etc). I got it out of the shed this year and it rides like a dream. The only problem is that my back and neck still can't handle the riding position. Booh hoo.

Good luck with your upgraded Pro-Tour!

Kal85

Nicely done. Did you powdercoat it yourself?

declan1

That looks amazing! Well done

helen240668

Does any one know where I can get new stickers from as my old girls needs a revamp

By the way great refurb......

Thanks Dean