Happytrailsrj

This bike was my late wife's. It has not been used in 15 years & appears to be in very good condition. About 10 years ago I replaced the original sewup tires & Normandy Luxe competition rims, (which I still have), with Sunrim SW 6000 rims & Serfas tires which have never been used. Other features are:
Reynold 531 fork
Carlton Race proof frame
Huret gears mounted on frame
Clip pedals with straps
Weiman 610/ Vanquer 999 brakes
Brooks Champion narrow seat (B-17)
Rear open rack
Water bottle holder
I want to get some info re what this bike might be worth selling to a private party. Hopefully I can sell it to someone who will enjoy owning it as much as she did. Thx for your consideration.

orcas island 

That is a nice looking Competition. The Capella lugs are most often associated with a 1973 build date. The frame looks more like a 21” or thereabouts; it looks a bit small for a 23”?
Can you post a few photos of the other side of the bike?

lostarchitect 

Yes, date and size are incorrect. That is almost certainly a '73, and the size is 21-1/2"

Great that you still have the original rims! Those should go with it.

Value depends a lot on where you are, and Covid seems to have driven prices up in many areas too. I'm pretty sure I could get $500 for it in NYC.

Happytrailsrj

I do not know how to check size. I just took a few px of new & old wheels/rims. I'll send when I can figure out how. The new tire reads 23" on the side. When I bought these I took bike to a shop & they recommended these as replacements for the sewups.

Happytrailsrj

Old sew up tire marking

Old sew up rims

hub of new rim

tire marking of new tires. Below FPS it reads 23"

Happytrailsrj

Here are more px that were requested. Thx for your interest & comments. BTW, I live near Chicago.

rustystrings61 

Some notes -

- The 23" on the Serfas tires is a mistake on their part - I believe they are trying to communicate that these are 700C x 28, i.e., 700C size (bead seat is 622 mm actually) tires that are 23 mm wide, which is a common size for speedy riding.

- I agree that this is a 1973 specimen, as during that year, and to my knowledge ONLY during that year, Raleigh used up a large quantity of what were probably old-stock Carlton Capella lugs. These appear on the three different models that normally would have been fitted with Nervex Professional lugs, the Competition (aka Competition Mk. II, which is what this one technically is), the International (one step up) and the Super Course (two steps down). After 1973, Competitions and Internationals reverted to the Nervex Professional lugs. My belief is the demands on the bike industry in that peak year of the great Bike Boom were such that Raleigh couldn't get their usual Nervexes and raided their stockpiles instead.

- Which brings up another point. The front head lugs have been clipped to make room for the headbadge. In this case, that's GOOD. Many Raleighs with these lugs have little brazing holidays around the tip points, and their absence makes for a neater appearance.

- This is a very nice, clean, pretty example! It's good that both wheelsets are present, and they should both go with the bike for completeness, etc.

- You've seen this one that is for sale on this forum, right? I don't think he's really out of line, but I don't know what the market for vintage bikes in OKC is like. I would think that being near Chicago, you would have sufficient vintage interest to get $500-600 out of the complete package, as you're in Eugene Sloane's old stomping grounds.

- If this was my bike and I was selling it, I would remove the rear rack and possibly sell that separately; I would also consider removing the water bottle cage and including it, detached, along with the bike with both wheelsets. The rack is against the spirit of this bike as sold, which was as a racing machine for the young up and comer.

Apart from that, this appears to be (with both wheelsets included!) a complete, stock, original '73 with pretty good graphics and paint and shiny parts. It even has the original Brooks saddle, I think - some of these went out the door with the B5N saddle, but I am sure the pressures of 1973 were in full effect, as companies scoured the world for parts and raced to push bikes out the factory doors. This one looks pretty, it looks more like a 7-year-old bike than a 47-year-old bike.

lostarchitect 

Bike size is typically measured from the center of the bottom bracket (where the crankset bolt is), all the way up to the top of the seat tube. I am pretty sure that the bike size here is 21-1/2".

You are looking at the tire width, which is probably meant to be 23mm.

xiaoman1 

Agree, something about these that always throws one off when trying to "eye' the size, they always look appear than they actually are.
Best, Ben

repechage

20.5 or 21.5", these bikes ride big as the top tubes are long.
Demand for these are quite variable at $300. they sell, but the market above $450 is thin.