Fast forward 1.5 months and I just finished the resto-mod make over of my junk pile 1971 Raleigh Pro Mk II. Since it had no provenance, nor it's original mink paint, I chose black & gold theme as an homage to the first nice bike I bought as a kid back in 1973--a Raleigh Competition MkII. I'll be riding this bike regularly, so I opted for Cinelli cork tape rather than cloth Velox and a $2 pair of Look clipless pedals. I rode it for a month with toe clips and straps but couldn't quite appreciate the step backward in pedal technology enough to blow even more money on old things like Detto Pietro shoes with nail-on TA cleats. My 59yr-old knees will probably appreciate thank me for that choice.


Mavic GP4 rims laced with Campy Record LF hubs, thanks to Ebay.

Buried beneath the previous owner's gray paint, I found the chrome plating of the fork to be just adequate to salvage.

Tried my hand at pin striping the lugwork and now have great appreciation for those with that particular talent.

Since I'll be riding this regularly, I opted for Koolstop pads, Look pedals and cork tape.