Around the year 2000, I was fortunate enough to be able to buy a 1974 Raleigh International that was essentially still in the box. All original stuff, including the little cardboard merchandising info that hangs from the bike. The seller had assembled the bike, but I'm not sure if he rode it at all or not. The tubulars had never been glued, but perhaps he had thrown on some different wheels.

I've made some minor tweaks to avoid wearing out the consumable stuff. i.e. :
- laced on some MA-2 rims and installed clinchers. The original AVA rims and tubulars are stashed away, and the tubulars still hold air.
- put on some silver MKS pedals,
- removed the Maillard freewheel and installed a SunTour Perfect 5 speed,
- installed a Brooks Pro saddle (which happened to be the same date code as the Pro that the bike came with)
- put modern KoolStop pads into the shoes of the front brakes. The rear pads are still original, and surprisingly, work fine!
- installed modern rear brake cable and housing. I've used Weinmann centerpulls with plain cable and housing before, and it's a pain.
- I've got a TA handlebar cage on the bike, and don't think I'll ever mount a clamp-on cage on the downtube. That's just too hard on the paint.
- I've got a frame-fit Silca pump on the bike. Again, I was worried about the umbrella clip messing up the seat tube (especially since it might be mounted over the 531 decal). The original pump and clip are in storage.

The bike gets ridden, frequently while I wear leather shoes with slotted cleats and an old Raleigh jersey. Of course, I never stopped riding with slotted cleats and old jerseys, so for me, it's more of an old habit than some effort to recreate the past in great detail.

Here's a photo from a year ago, taken by a buddy..... (he took a break from flogging me to death. )





Steve in Peoria