mine would have to be the Raleigh Team bike!



In addition to being the best in the catalog, it had a few other factors that makes it interesting for me....
1. It used Reynolds 753 heat treated tubing, which was the best commercially available tubing at the time, although initially limited to this specific bike. This was because the same company that owned Raleigh also owned Reynolds. Arguments could be made that early titanium bikes were better, but few were good enough to be raced professionally.
2. The Team bikes, especially the 753 models, were made by a little specialty shop in Raleigh known as the Specialist Bicycles Development Unit, or SBDU. They even had little stickers on the chainstays indicating this.....


There were even little details that were fairly unique and fun, such as the drilled dropout faces....





3. The bike was race successfully, both here in the USA and in Europe. I've seen it raced, and lived in the town that was the HQ for one of the best teams of its time (and frequented the bike shop that was owned by the team's manager, Mike Fatka). A photo from the 1982 Iron Horse Classic race in Durango, CO.


The bike has also been the subject of magazine articles, such as this Design Classics article by Hilary Stone, published in Cycling Plus magazine.




so, all in all, a great bike with a great history!

Steve in Peoria

Trek TX 900, top of the line for Trek in 77
Tim

have two (although there may have been an aero model higher these are the real top of the line)

84 Team miyata




85 Team miyata

Miyata 1000 1982

My daughter's RTP with Reynolds 753 steel and the rare pearl paint and fastback stays.

And by "rehab" you mean "wash it and put pedals on it and ride the micturation out of it", right?

(Yeah, yeah, I know... brake pads, cables, and tires... but still... that's about as clean as used bikes come. Score!)

--Shannon

I'll spare folks the pictures of the 1970-ish Eriol frame that I picked up a bit over a year ago. Hasn't been properly built up yet (never seen another Eriol, so despite it's ordinary-ness, it must be top-of-the-line by default).

Since Raleigh's are all that really matters anyway... , I'll post two, though neither came to me as original, and I didn't feel obligated to force them back into pretending they were.

"Shadowfax" - 1970 Professional Mk I



"Crayola", 1977 Team Professional (yes, I've adjusted the handlebars)


Oddly enough, these are two of the only 3 bicycles I own that still are fitted with tubular wheels/tires.

'Zackly.

Yes I'm sure the original fork is rightly missed. I'm curious about the fork on that bike as I'm considering (eventually) replacing the original on my Puch Royal Force and yours looks pretty well matched for carbon on steel. Any further details on it?

This is my "flagship" TOTL bike- the Trek 720. Obscenely expensive. The pinnacle of the grand touring bikes. Class A tubing, Class A manufacturing (the early ones had a booklet with the builder's name and signature), Class A technology and components for its day. I've spent the past 4-5 years putting some of the very best components on this bike- in the spirit of it's "no holds barred" awesomeness.

IMG_0616 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr


IMG_2377 by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

Lovely ride. I literally just ordered some TRP RRLs yesterday (in black though). How do you like their feel?

I realize that a number of brands I have made only one road model. That was it. I guess one could add Super Record.
in a few, Super Record headset and Superleggeri pedals.

I absolutely LOVE the RRLs!

When they first came out I think I saw something about RRLs 'were designed by asking a Millennial to draw what they thought "vintage" brake levers looked like.'

For the first couple years I thought they looked hideous- then at some point they looked intriguing. Then I got a set and damn if they aren't the most comfortable and best levers ever. I love the way they splay outward- where your fingers actually are. The body is a good width- and I also like that you can rest your palms on the top.

Command Shifter + RRL Lever by Dave The Golden Boy, on Flickr

Professionals were off-the-rack in standard sizes and finish whereas the Super Mistrals were bespoke.

Hmmmm.... let me see if I have other pics of it. I sold the bike and don't remember. I found that Paramount not to be as fast as the PDG Series one I have so I sold it to another rider.

Here's the initial post on that bike when I got it.

Finally, a 1987 Schwinn Paramount.

I've used them on a couple of bikes too and love them. I always liked how they look, love how they feel, and the QR for the brakes is a nice touch. Oh, and yeah, they work really well.

According to the Kilgariff site the super mistral was the top of the line until 1967 when the Professional was released.

Top dawg mountain bike in Raleigh USA’s 1990 catalog was the Technium Peak:



As it sits today with all Shimano Deore XT M735 components.



Easton E9 bonded to an aluminum headlug and a cromoly rear triangle.

I drooled over these as a kid at Pedersen’s Ski & Cycle in the mall. Only took me 30 years to get my hands on one…

Here's my Stumpjumper Team! Top of the line according to the 1989 Specialized Catalog.

So it's not exactly period correct as it has a newer generation Deore XT groupset and other components, however the Turbo saddle and Nitto bullmoose bars are definitely an homage to 80s era MTB.

These are our Wilier Ramato’s we are taking to Eroica this year, I guess they qualify for top of the line ?

So, so sweet.

I want one.

With drop bars and Rene Herse tires and black Berthoud bags. And my Campy Record OR Tandem cantis, just because.

Or blinged out with every tweaky anodized part I can get my greedy dorky hands on.

Or both.

Definitely both. Moderation is for monks.

That's legit one of the best looking MTBs I've seen... stylin'.

--Shannon

Why thank you. I've gone all red.... I really like the anodized blue, and for me, straight blade forks that taper down to a pencil point are where its at!

My Pro-tours are right up there but if I have to choose one it will be my Zunow. A relatively early bike in his run but very nice.



So is this Geoffrey Butler.

Finished.

I've got my 1971 Peugeot PX-10 with original components and wheels,


My 1969 Colnago Super with full Campagnolo NR components and early Unicanitor saddle,


And my current project - a 1972 Legnano Olimpiade Specialissima