Originally Posted by
Bad Lag
As this is yet another Raleigh Competition thread on yet another distinct bike, let me as this generic question -
Are these bikes worthy of serious restoration? Is the frame worth spending the time and money to strip, repaint, maybe rechrome the fork and stay ends?
Is this model worthy of the restoration so many willingly spend on Raleigh Professionals and Internationals?
I do not ask the question in terms of economic return on investment. I'm not sure what the context is but it isn't a question about flipping the bike or other financial gain.
They're decent - if shoddy - 531 frames that were made in enough numbers that they are relatively accessible and frequently find their way into the hands of someone looking for a project bicycle.
If you ask me, they are not worthy of factory-accurate restorations, as
tons of decent originals still exist. However, if the owner finds that their particular example rides to their liking (as @
sykerocker pointed out, these things came with Flavor of the Week geometry), it's a great platform to restomod. Slightly more worthy than a Super Course, and somewhat on par with the Gran Sport/Grand Sport/Grand Sports for just generally running into one.
-Kurt