got my bike today, its a raleigh record 1971, i think thats the year not sure. its in good shape, its rideable, though i had to take the front brake off cause it was broken, so i will replace that. it needs handle bar tape, and a few cables tightened. after i lubed everything and tightened the back brakes, it road very nice, i am happy with it. of course with time i will replace the cords, then wheels, and put new brake pads on the back as well as get brakes for the front. here are some pics, not the best but at least there some right

sorry the pics are sideways. and a question. i read that any road bike brakes will work, is that
true?

Not quite ANY, length of the POST comes into play (front post is longer than rear as it has to go through the headtube) . Reach, how far down the calipers are (your type should be pretty common size), Nutted or recessed (would assume yours as nutted) Should be a rather common size though, find used for $10-20

That's definitely not true. They must have the correct reach as measured from the center of the mounting bolt to the center of the pad. For that bike, you need nutted, not recessed mounting. I think you need a Weinmann 610, but somebody else here will be able to tell you for sure and maybe offer you one.

The bike appears to be in excellent condition from the small sideways pictures. That's a great color.

thanks guys, i dont know why they ended up sideways the pics come out straight when i saved it to my computer, i will get better pics tonight. anyway i ordered some brakes, weinmann i found a pair. so i ordered them.

Don't ride that bike until you have a front brake on it or you could be injured badly. Your front brake provides MOST of the stopping power.
The Weinmann 610 caliper should be fine, though occasionally the reach can be marginal even with 27" wheels. The Weinmann 750 would be better. Either way make sure you have some new pads on it.
You should have the hubs and crank serviced (lubed) as well, or you risk damaging the bearing surfaces.

Based on the decals your bike is a '73 or 74 model.
It's an OK riding bike (it was popular for good reason) but will be markedly better if you get around to replacing the steel rims with alloy rims. (It will stop better too.)
The Allvit rear derailleur is not very well regarded. A Suntour dbl parallelogram derailleur would be a great substitute.

thanks, i had planned to change the rims, never thought of the derailer but will look into that thank you. i lubed every nut and bolt and everything else i could see. next week once the brakes come, ill probably go have the bike serviced after i put on the brakes.

Wheel Axle bearings and Bottom Bracket bearings would be MOST important. Disassemble clean, repack with fresh grease. Headset (steering) not as important but should be done. Pedals...so, so...if they are decent pedals and can rebuild them, do it...eventually, or replace...if they spin OK, keep em.

What is a Suntour double parallelogram derailer? Every Suntour I've ever seen has only one parallelogram. I can't think of any derailer that has more than one.

My bad. I meant their "slant" parallelogram derailleur, with the twin parallel plates.

Hey. I have one of these. great riding bike. The geometry is similar to the SuperCourse and the Competition, thought the alloy is not the same. It's going to get some mods really soon, just cause I like the color.

I concur with everything in this post except the brake caliper length. Most English, and many Japanese, bikes of that era came w/ 610 length brakes in front and 750 in back. This provides faster closure in back and greater leverage in front. The French tended toward more equal brake reach front and rear. Weinmann Vainqueur 999 brakes in both sizes are pretty easy to find -- I need to check my junk box to see if I have an extra spare set.

The best brake pads are salmon-colored KoolStops.

The existing rear derailleur is adequate, but a real cable-breaker (been there ... done that). If that were my bike, I would consider SunTour derailleurs front and rear, as well as SunTour barcons.

thanks guys i will look into the derailers this weekend, probably go to a bike shop for them and look into getting new rims. one question, do you think that this bike will be good for long distances untill i can buy a new one? long distances like 20-30 miles?

That is certainly true of my mid-1970s Raleigh Gran Sport. I think it makes good sense; more cable stretch between rear lever and rear caliper compared with the front; and maximum usable braking torque (before skidding) for rear wheel is less than the front.
And, for those with a wont to run larger tire and perhaps even correspondingly larger fender in the rear than the front, the longer reach brake may be an enabler.
In summary, I see a certain elegance to staggering brake reach front-to-rear, not to mention other parameters.

Your trip distances will depend on the bike's setup and maintanance, travel conditions and most of all your physical ability to ride longer distances.

Raleigh Record (July 1971) was my very first road bike, and I even raced on it in 1975, steel wheels and all!

These bikes are heavy, and have the layed-back frame angles of the Grand Sports, Grand Prix and SuperCourse models.
The Competition model had much steeper angles, at least it did by the time the mid-70's came along.

If working properly, that bike, steel rims and all, is easily good for 20 mile rides or 100 mile rides. If you are up to it, the bike is perfectly capable.

I personally might not spend much on aluminum rims, until you ride the bike with both brakes present and properly adjusted with salmon Kool stops. I think you'll find it stops fine in the dry. In the wet, it won't be as good, but you might as well see how much riding you do in the wet. If you find that you do ride enough to want, need, or be able to justify a fancier bike, then buy a fancier bike. This is a good, solid, nice-looking bike that may serve your needs just fine.

Anyway, used wheelset with decent aluminum rims will cost $80-120. Add $100 and you'd have a $200 bicycle. Which will come with a decent aluminium wheelset plus a lighter frame and more desirable components. You can buy all those upgrades much more cheaply as part of a whole bike, than buying th one by one.

thank you guys, i used to ride all the time down in florida, havent rode in about 8 months. i wont really be riding in the rain at all unless im out and it sneaks up on me. i will try the bike with the brakes, have ordered the pads also. im so excited, i cant wait for the brakes to come in i can hardly stand it. thank you for all the advice. once i get my endurance up a little im looking into joining a club so i can learn from people who have been riding longer and are more knowledgeable than me

+1 The brake length on most mid 70's Raleighs was different in the front than the back, the front bike being shorter than the rear.

i got 610 for the front and 710 for the back. is that good?

That should be correct for this bike.