daka

I've gotten the Raleigh Pro Mk 1 that my brother found at a neighborhood estate sale back into an operational state and thought I would share a few pictures


It has the pretty Anniversary Headbadge



And a similar graphic was originally on the seat tube - unfortunately, not much remains of any of the decals.




I suspect that most of the components are original. The front derailleur is the type that lacks the circlip to retain the mechanism



The rear derailleur is marked "Pat" but has no indication of year. You'd expect a 52 year old Nuovo Record to have cracked idler pulleys but, surprise, both were intact. Maybe they were replaced more recently?



The housing stop on the seat stays is different and more crude than the round section stop on my other Carlton-built bikes. You'd expect an item like this on a dept. store bike.




I believe the saddle to be original as well. It was really, really dry but after about 10 applications of Proofide it is regaining some flexibility. The Reynolds decal is pretty much gone, but the striping on the seat stay caps has held up pretty well - I think it is paint rather than a decal.




The craftsmanship on this bike is the worst of any of my Raleighs. Several of the "tiddly bits" are so far out of position it would be hard to argue that the bike wasn't built after a pub lunch with a pint too many. The ride, on the other hand, is marvelous! Picture yourself on a Super Course that weighs only 23.3 pounds. It's also my first time on a bike with tubulars for over 20 years - the liveliness of the tires was immediately noticed, despite the tires being the cheap 3/$50 ones from Yellow Jersey.

As you can see from the amount of seat post showing, the frame is too big for me. But I was able get the seat low enough to find a comfortable position on the bike, I just can't stand flat-footed on both feet without, ahem, squealing.

If anyone would like to see a picture of a particular detail, let me know

3alarmer 

...if you are interested in doing so, all the decals are available (but in vinyl, not the original waterslides), from H Lloyd in England. I know only because I repainted one of these bikes a couple of years ago.

big chainring 

Some interesting history on the Professional Mark 1.
https://on-the-drops.blogspot.com/20...h-raleigh.html

daka

That's a great article! Peter Kohler puts a lot of effort and expertise into his blog.

ascherer 

You did a nice job cleaning it up, @daka! Still calling dibs if you decide it's too big

sced

From the pics the bike looks fantastic. "Jolly good show!"

daka

As someone who has bought a number of things off of Craigslist, I'm confident in saying that items always look better in the pictures than they do in reality. This bike is no exception. There are numerous little touch-ups that aren't visible until you get up closer.

jeirvine 

Thanks for the link. I had no idea about the links to German pro teams and Masi(!)

tiger1964 

I didn't look as closely as you obviously have, but the one thing that jumps out at me is the attachment of the rear brake-cable stop.

Good to hear it rides nicely.

daka

Here are a couple more examples:

The nubbin to prevent the shift levers slipping down is brazed well off-center



And this housing stop for the rear derailleur is rotated out of the correct orientation such that the cable heads first for the spokes, then back towards the derailleur.

ascherer 

The shifter clamp stop on one of mine is a degree or two off, but that one really wins the two-pint Friday prize!

John E

Sounds like a Peugeot w/ sloppy craftsmanship but a great ride. My same-vintage Peugeot PKN-10 looked sick next to my Bianchi Campione d'Italia, which looks good as well as riding very well.

merziac

Being white, a repaint could much more easily be in the cards and yes I know there are a zillion shades of white, still not that hard to figure out.

Strip it down, ship it off to gugie, Mr. Fattic, Jack @ Franklin frame, Jeffery Bock, Dave Levy @ TiCycles or any one of the builders to have all the wonky brazing fixed then back home for a rattle can or? utility paint job, new stickers and away you go.

Or just leave as is and ride the damn thing.

daka

That's the plan for now - I took it out for a couple hours yesterday and really did enjoy myself. Despite its flaws, the bike has a touch of magic in the way it rides.

63rickert

Consider that you have a racing bike. Racers could care less how lovely the cable stops are. Collector bikes worry about those things.

I have no idea whether what I just said is true. It would be the story I’d tell myself. Beautiful bike. Ride and enjoy.

ascherer 

Mine is set up quite differently but I find when I dig in and push it, the feedback says: "I've got this." Very confident handling at speed and when cornering.