Classic & Vintage - help me identify my bike! pic included

so today i picked up an older road bike and i am hoping you guys can help me identify it. Its got "Grand Prix" written all over it as well as "Deluxe RS 1000" . From the research i did i am guessing its 70s-80s-maybe90s Raleigh road bike but i could be completely off. sorry for the crappy pic but i wasnt planning on making this post tonight and took it with my cell phone camera


http://img199.imageshack.us/img199/3545/dsc00161rvt.jpg (http://img199.imageshack.us/i/dsc00161rvt.jpg/)

Cottered crank = more likely late 70's, early 80's era (correct me if I'm wrong fellas)

Looks like steel rims. Font and Paint scheme is not shouting "Raleigh" to me.

Whatever is on the headbadge is repeated on the seattube it seems...in the white diamond. What's it say?

Initial reaction is only spend on it what you need to get it road worthy and have fun! It's not a bike worth "pimpin' out".

Late 70's Korean-made bike. That's just a guess, but that's what I have.

Late 70's Korean-made bike. That's just a guess, but that's what I have.

I'm curious what makes it seem Korean? Something you see or just your previous sales knowledge?

The brake calipers and levers. I think I saw them on Korean bikes. Also, the crank. In other words, it's my previous sales and mechanical experience.

That's no Raleigh. Since there's no brand name on it, it screams cheap. Check out the brake levers, headset,BB, crankset trouser guard, the rim reflection could only mean steel .. . . and zip ties? It looks like a Kmart Blue-light special . . and I'm not kidding.

On the positive side, it's likely ridable:)

That's no Raleigh. Since there's no brand name on it, it screams cheap. Check out the brake levers, headset,BB, crankset trouser guard, the rim reflection could only mean steel .. . . and zip ties? It looks like a Kmart Blue-light special . . and I'm not kidding.

On the positive side, it's likely ridable:)
+1 1970,s department store special.

thanks guys! i thought since it says grand prix it might be a raleigh. Either way the bike feels really good to ride and i got a for a very good price. i just got starting to get into biking and my current bike (the red one in the picture) is complete garbage and has these massive tires that make biking a very hard activity. this one seems much easier to ride and the gears are a LOT smoother

Again...definitely not a Raleigh.

Sheldon's Grand Prix page (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/grand-prix.html).

99.98% of all bicycle manufactures put brand name on the downtube, and model name on the toptube. This is definitely the case on every Raleigh I've ever seen.

thanks guys! i thought since it says grand prix it might be a raleigh. Either way the bike feels really good to ride and i got a for a very good price. i just got starting to get into biking and my current bike (the red one in the picture) is complete garbage and has these massive tires that make biking a very hard activity. this one seems much easier to ride and the gears are a LOT smoother
Perfect way to get started! Get a comfortable bike that fits, at a very good (low) price. And then, if you really get into it, you can always upgrade later!

Well done!

thanks guys! i thought since it says grand prix it might be a raleigh. Either way the bike feels really good to ride and i got a for a very good price. i just got starting to get into biking and my current bike (the red one in the picture) is complete garbage and has these massive tires that make biking a very hard activity. this one seems much easier to ride and the gears are a LOT smootherThe new bike is more intended for the road, but if you plan to ride only on pavement and level packed trails, you could easily improve the red bike by putting on 1.5" slick (smooth tread) tires. They're lighter, so they accelerate a little faster, which makes them feel much faster, and their pressure can be a little higher, which makes them roll a tiny bit faster and without the knobby tread they run a lot more quietly. Those fat, knobby, 2" tires are intended for rough, bumpy trails. Also, the picture may be deceiving, but is the chain a bit rusty? Whether or not you swap tires, tuning up the red bike, getting the hubs greased and the chain cleaned and oiled etc., may also help a lot.

Can you see a country of manufacture anywhere on the bike? I'd love to know if my guess is right.

Garthr and work101 are right, that it's a department store bike. I hope you didn't pay much for it, as it sold for about $70 in about 1978.

cooker is right that slick narrow tires on a mountain bike will make it a new bike. You can pump them up to 80 psi or more, actually, regardless of what the pressure rating on the sidewall is.

+1 Slicks on a mountain bike can change the personality/ride dramatically. I am continually amazed watching people ride on the streets in the neighborhood with wide knobbies.

I put 1.25 inch wide slicks on this mountain bike for my wife. I think the bike turned out pretty nice. It started as a higher end Trek steel rigid frame MTB. I have less than $50 in it as it sits.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3229/2959020027_e798fa87a5_b.jpg

I put narrow slicks on my mountain bike, since I pretty much only ride on roads. I liked them so much I bought a pair for my wife's Trek 820. She's not a strong cyclist, so I told her, "Here, try these. Not sure if you'll notice the difference." She rode about 40 feet and said loudly, "I notice the difference!" She's not going back to knobbies, either!

I definetly have to get some new tires as the ones on the bike right now are old and cracking and a few people told me that they need to be replaced, i listened because i am no expert by any means. I recently started riding this bike into work which is 10x better then taking public transit and I am planning on keeping this bike for the rest of the season and then maybe buying something newer/better in the winter time. hopefully i can get a good deal at that time. i like the idea of a mountain bike with slicks, it looks comfortable.... i guess i would need new wheels and tires if i wanted to do that or just tires?