Hi,
Newbie here. Not quite sure where to post this, possibly clydsedale as I'm 6' and 215 lbs. Or of course the intro section. But I thought I'd start here as I have what I believe to be a '74 Raleigh Professional.
I acquired the bike from a deceased uncle in the early 90's.
Lately I've been thinking about starting to ride a bike. Would love to drop a few pounds, a co-worker who started riding this spring has gotten be turned on to the idea. Last night I dug out the Raleigh, I didn't have a clue about what it was, except that my uncle at one point raced bicycles.
After spending all night researching the bike, here's what I have come up with. I determined it to be roughly a '74 by the A serial number and CC cutout on the bottom of the frame. It has a Colnago stem with Cinelli bars. The stem is suspended by Cambrio Rino bearings. The seat tube is a Campagnolo, with a Brooks seat. Brakes are both Campagnolo with Brev Inter markings. It has downtube mounted Campagnolo shifters. The front derailer is a Campagnolo. Rear derailer is a Suntour BL with 6 gears that are also Suntour. Front two sprockets are Campagnolo with Campagnolo pedal arms and pedals. Front hub is a Shimano. Rear hub is a Campagnolo Super (small hub not the big 5 star sheriff one). 36 spokes. Wheels are Mavic G40's and tires are 700x25. My uncle had a serious accident in '74 in a bicycle race. He cracked his skull open and was in a coma for a long time. I'm guessing this is the bike he wrecked as it has been repainted solid red, with a little CyclArt logo painted on it. But I see no frame damage.
Went over the bike today. I have a shop full of tools(I build cars), but I'm going to have to buy some more. Need to get some really thin wrenches to take apart some of this stuff.
Definitely need to service all the bearings after so many years. I found the rear has a broken axle. It broke right at the end of the threads. Also need tires, and to re-tighten the spokes on the real wheel.
Anyways, how do you seasoned bicyclists feel this bicycle would be for the road? One way to my place of work is 18 miles, all flat empty highway.I know I'm not ready to jump on and do 36 miles right away. But eventually I'd like to be able to. Any tire recommondations? Can old campy axles be found easily? I know the full hubsets are kind of pricey. The cups are races look fine on mine, all I'd need is an axle. Will the Mavic's hold up to my weight?
Whew, sorry for the long-winded first post. Really glad to have found this forum. Incredible place full of information.