Woutervanwijk

Last couple of years I bought, renovated and sold a dozen of bikes. You can see them here https://www.flickr.com/photos/dutchbiker/sets/. Currently my stable consist of some predominately bikes build by Amsterdam frame builders (Aandewiel, Presto (build by Jan leGrand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TI-Raleigh), and Germi)

So last week I ran into an advert on a Dutch classified site. The pictures were very blurry, so I asked for more pics.
The bike happened to be a 753 cyclocross 56ct with framenumber KN 1-78. https://www.flickr.com/photos/dutchbi...7641117350084/
Could you please give your opinions on these two matters?

1. Should I give the frame a re-spray
2. or should I only restore some of the decals
3. can somebody address these initials (KN)?

jyl

Don't respray or mess with the decals! You'll devalue the bike.

Figure out who "KN" was. Presumably a pro in 1978. I didn't think TI Raleigh had a cyclocross team. Maybe some TI Raleigh riders also did cyclocross in the winter?

repechage

Yes, do not respray it, do clean it up.
Probably a search through Cycling news magazine from 1978-79 Cyclocross season coverage might lead you to information on the team members, team and rider.

And ditch those pedals.

vjp

I have a feeling that "KN" could be the first two letters of Dutch Pro, Gerrie Knetemann. If it is, wow, did you score, he was a freaking machine, including 1978 World Champion on the road!

Do not re-spray or replace the decals, just clean, lube, adjust.

Try to get in touch with him, he is still around and living in Holland.

vqstaphbeard

One more for original paint!!! That is an awesome bike!

Michael Angelo 

Fantastic find, clean, and keep it safe.

Woutervanwijk

Thans guys for your feedback! Would be really cool if somebody for instance of the guys from this newsgroup can confirm this https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/...TEAM_PROS/info. Knetemann also crossed my mind but KN should be GK most likely.
The former owner told me that some of the professionals could order on demand cyclocross frames at The SBDU department. This frame has the same details as other 753 Raleigh pro frames like drilled dropouts, drop shaped seatpost lugs etc. The only difference is the top tube cable routing and the cantilever preperation on the front forks for that I am aware.
I will replace those ugly paddles with Campagnolo SR as welll as the modern spooky Carbon cantilvers with mafac criterium brakes.

Elev12k

Wouter sourced the bike not far from where Gerrie lived. Sadly Gerrie is not around anymore. He died from an heart attack on our local mtb route in 2004.

Woutervanwijk

Yes Mel. Former owner is a 39 year old Dutch cyclocross amateur. He got this bike with a similar other as a birthday gift when he turned 16 years old. His father a former world Champion, I still dont know his surname, bought these bikes at a bikeshop Kroon en Liefting.

Elev12k

Kroone Liefting. One of my favourite bikeshops nearby. I know many BF members on the other side of the pond ride frames that at some point belonged to KL inventory. They used to buy retired team equipment and a lot stuff still circulates in my area. It is not very rare I encounter an old Panasonic PR-6000 teambike on the cycle path. Sometimes in top shape going very fast, sometimes as beater for a school kid

noglider 

@jyl just told me that the two letter initials in a Raleigh Team serial number are the initials of the rider. Or maybe he said the builder. I don't remember, but it's one of those.

Elev12k

Rider. 1st letter of first name, 1st letter of family name. We only can't find a matching rider in 1978 in de Wielersite database

vjp

The previous owner's father is a "former world champion"? Then it would most likely be Knetemann. Logically you would assume that it is the first and last initial but there is no Raleigh Team rider with those initials so logically it could be the first two initials of the last name which would fit which is KNetemann. The previous owner is the son of a former world champion, which is Knetemann. What other evidence do you need?

Daveyates

Dit is Marnix Knetemann (30). Ja inderdaad, de zoon van wielrenner Gerrie Knetemann. Zelf heeft Marnix niets met fietsen. Zijn passie gaat uit naar het fokken van paarden en pony’s. En natuurlijk naar het vleesveebedrijf dat hij samen met zijn oom runt in Wijde Wormer (N.-H.). De hele productie doen ze zelf: van embryo tot entrecote

I found this statement online.
It says his son Marnix has nothing to do with cycling and his passion is breeding horses.

Woutervanwijk

This guy's first name is Dennis. He thought it perhaps be the bike of Ad Wijnands https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ad_Wijnands. But that also seems a bit strange to me.

Woutervanwijk

Just mailed him for his last name

Daveyates

Good luck finding the name.
That bike is really nice and congrats on getting it.

jonsan

I am wondering if this was built to be a training bike or used as a spare pit bike. It has brazeons for water bottles which I have never seen on a competition bike of that vintage. It also has a regular seatstay bridge that can accept a caliper brake.
In any case, it is quite a rare find and all it needs is a cleanup and wax job and ditch the downtube shifters for bar ends. The paint/decals look great as is. Nice score.

Woutervanwijk

Thanks Jonsan. Well noticed. The seatstay bridge an the front fork are prepared for brake calipers indeed. Perhaps its a regular track bike with later braze on modifications on the front fork for cantilevers. This one is a nice benchmark https://www.speedbicycles.ch/showBike.php?enr=412

Javelin

sweet

Woutervanwijk

also dropped the question about the intitials at a teammate Gerben Karstens (same initials as Gerrie Knetemann...), at Koon & Liefting and in this newsgroup https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/...TEAM_PROS/info

Woutervanwijk

Today I had some email contact with the very friendly Gerben Karstens (same initials as another Raleigh teammate) He did not know anything about these specific initials and advised me to ask Jan Le Grand (head of the frame-building at Raleigh's SBDU Ilkeston facility) or with the Raleigh factory.
Just received a call from the bikeshop Kroone en Liefting. As Melvin allready told they bought all the teambikes from the teams of Jan Raas (Ti Raleigh, Raleigh Panasonic and even the Eddy Merckx Panasonic).One of the older employees of this bikeshop was so kind to call me back and able to clarify with some very detailed information about the histroy of this particular frame.
He confirmed KN was the bike from Knetemann. To be more specific, Gerrie Knetemann did use to ride on a crosser during training rides as well at some cross competitions. Some of the team members used to have cross bikes. Nice detail are the Rainbow decals on the seat-tube. Knetemann became world champion in August 27thn 1978. This is the fist frame build for him from that year. Perhaps later on that year they made the adjustments to the front fork to make this particular bike suitable for cyclocross.
Born in 78 this a really, really cool. This made my day!

repechage

After looking at the Team Raleigh CX bike on speed bicycles.ch I think this bike is a road bike modified for cantilevers. There were a few around locally in the 70's that by looking at some European Cycling newspapers felt that in the Netherlands that a few criterium bikes ran with cantilevers for the lightweight and stopping power. I never saw those images, but the idea appealed to me.

vjp

You're welcome.

Woutervanwijk

thx vjp. It also crossed my mind but seemd a little bit too good to be true to me.