RRA Strikes Again...
 

Another RRA auction This time frame only. Wonder where this one will end up.

Saw that, nice looking. I know nothing about them...

I have not seen one of those in decades. I could be totally wrong, but wasn't the RRA model some kind of mid season introduction model ? I am pretty sure that it was not a model that was sold for a full year.

There was one for sale in Richmond, VA. seypat posted it in our ebay/craigslist thread.

I contacted the seller and agreed on a price for it, he was asking $250. I said I would need to ship it and he knocked 50 bucks off the price. I told him I would call him back when I had someone to go pick it up. seypat agreed to help, but couldn't contact seller again. Now this frame shows up, same size... curious.

Probably the classic case of seller getting another offer. Unfortunate for me because I had no intention of reselling it, I liked the way it looked and it was a good price. Good news is, I still have my money and space for a new bike

Or maybe he saw a whole RRA sell for over $3000 on eBay not long ago.

Note this frame is on the west coast, no where near Richmond, VA

I know, that's why I'm only suspicious it's the same one. would have been a quick turn around.

I was surprised when seypat showed the RRA in richmond and saw it was only 250, just a note though, it was not completely original, the shifters were bar-ends and the wheelset was different from what I could tell on the pics, still wouldn't have changed the value much for the recent ebay crowd though. Also, the seller in Richmond has many bikes for sale and is a flipper

If the seller gave his word, he should have stuck with it, or, at the very least, explained himself to you, and given you the first right of refusal on the higher price.
- But that would have been what a decent person would do.

I really don't care if that's just a dressed-up Record, that scheme is so purty. If anyone sees a 62, I'm your guy.

Coincidentally, a friend here has just finished his restoration of a 1948 RRA. He bought it as a frame set from someone in the UK and then did a bare-metal restoration.

Last week he gave me a CD containing a Powerpoint record of that restoration as he wants me to translate the text into English. It is a marvel to behold. The only thing he didn't do himself was the actual re-chroming of the components, although he did all the prep for it (anyone who has done any re-chroming will know what a lot of work is involved when the parts are pitted with rust).

Anyway, here are a couple of photos of the bare-metal frame, the rust holes he found when he had the frame bead-blasted, which he brass-brazed up, and the finished machine, for reference, should anyone be wondering what an RRA looks like.

He sourced all the period-correct parts himself. He would dearly like to find a 48T RRA chainwheel to replace the 46T one presently on the bike.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5125/...105ca25450.jpg
RRA Frame by Dawes-man, on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5041/...72b3ceb22d.jpg
RRA rust holes by Dawes-man, on Flickr

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5245/...2a9d5e632f.jpg
RRR 2 by Dawes-man, on Flickr

They didn't build Records with 531 :)

The RRA name (or Raleigh Record Ace) got recycled a number of times, sometimes hi-end frames such as the '50s RRAs (and the 73s), and sometimes low end such as the late '70s IIRC, which really more in the Record class of gas pipe frames. The early '80s variants seem to be pretty nice though. You really need to look at the specs closely to do a proper evaluation.

Regardless, I would put my '73 RRA up against any Professional of that vintage in terms of ride quality, etc. Yes, the $3500 the one supposedly fetched a month ago on epay is an anomaly, but it is still a quality bike. The $220 or whatever for the one in VA would have been a steal also.

We'll find out if thats true in another week or so.....

I wish you the best if you put the one you have up. They are really good bikes and I wasn't saying they weren't valuable.

Beautiful restoration!

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5245/...9d5e632f_b.jpg

Showing my ignorance again! That's twice in a week...

The only RRA I was aware of was 1940s/50s model. Sorry!

Sheldon brown, as always, has the info everyone needs on a 1973 RRA. I've been watching this auction since it was listed but it's out of my budget already.
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/rra.html

I don't agree with that. If the buyer and seller "agree on a price for it" why did no money change hands? Until someone pays you for the item, it's still yours to do with what you see fit. This ain't church fellas, it's a marketplace.

I'm 100% with you. Top notch resto!

sold for $355...I guess it was the parts that made the other one go for ~3K more!

Another sold recently, I was watching this closely, its my size. I almost bought it, but I was confused by the serial number, and being a respray, it could have been something else painted to look like an RRA. Wonder if someone here bought it???

Serial is right. The respray was hideous, or more correctly the markings were FUBAR in my eyes. It did not have the right drive train, right wheels, pretty much not the right anything. So if one were buying it to be an RRA, all they were getting was a frame that needed refinishing. A classic case where a "refurb" causes a bike to lose its appeal.