bmaxwell

this thread has gotten to be too much fun....

douchebagonwhlz

great photos. other than the OP. The blue Professional is such a classy bike. Saw one all original in LBS a couple months ago.
My 10$ raleigh in the basement with campy parts didn't get near this much attention!

USAZorro

bump. Any more info?

cudak888 

I got a $5 Raleigh Professional - but I'm not about to show it to anyone

-Kurt

USAZorro

$3.50 anyone?

cudak888 

No, but I did get a Paramount for free.

(Seriously.)

-Kurt

bmaxwell

and here we are again.... still waiting.....

cudak888 

For the "free Paramount" pics? Here they are:

Before:




Also the only bike I know of that was subjected to some gorilla who succeeded in wrecking both Campagnolo shifter levers:


After:


And if someone doesn't like me hijacking this Raleigh thread with a Schwinn, please send me a Raleigh Professional in care of my name to rectify this problem - PM me for my address.

Maybe the OP would like to donate his so it can be photographed once and for all?

-Kurt

cb400bill

Nice Schwinn.

Here is another pic of my friend's Professional.

nlerner

I don't have a Raleigh Pro that looks just like the OP's. Paid $1.50 for it.

Neal

YoKev

I just had to come in here and see why in the heck this thread is on page 5. Last I left it, it was on page 1.

Pictures or ban!

mickey85

Ahh, nothing like a bunch of smart-aleks so early in the morning. Finally rode it to school (it was a long weekend) and used the school's digi-cam for the important stuff...Serial # (now that I have etched through the gunk = E900376. I doubt it's a grand prix, because I doubt that anyone in their right mind would get this much name brand stuff on a bargain bin bike - Cinelli handlebars and stem, Campy headset, BB, crank, chainrings, QR hubs, pedals, seat post, and gearset. Mavic rims. Can't get the camera close enough to read the Campy logos on EVERYTHING, but here it is:

mickey85

And last but not least - RUST! There's rust in patches on certain parts of the bike (especially around the cable clamps), but here's the worst (you can also, kinda, see the shape of the holes in the BB). FYI, there are 3 identical ovals in the BB, if you can't see the rear one.

mickey85

Oh yeah...forgot the most important marking...

cudak888 

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Props to the OP for coming through with the photos, and, congratulations on bagging yourself a Raleigh Professional Mark V (with a very uncommon Super Record FD).

Interesting that it happens to be a respray, though except for the screwed-on (as opposed to riveted) headbadge, and special 531 decal, there would be no indication of it.

-Kurt

mickey85

Thanks. Now that we've got photos, are there any other parts that you'd like to see? And what makes it a Mk. 5? Also, how can you tell it's a pro, as opposed to something else? Also, what does the serial number mean? May, 1979, 376th one built?

Also, it doesn't have any markings on it (raleigh or professional) did this "edition" have those, or was it unmarked, like this one? I'm assuming that they just didn't add it back when they repainted it.

And as far as not having a digital camera - $70K in student loans, a $55K mortgage and a $3K car payment on a 2nd year teacher's salary pretty much taps me out. One of the reasons I started commuting on bike.

cudak888 

The Mark V has the seat stays that are brazed to the sides of the seat lug - it also is known for the flat-crown fork. The Mark IV and those preceding it had fastback stays (with exception to the early, white Pro's, which had the same treatment as yours), and a sloping-crown fork.

Everything looks as I would expect it to be on a Pro - that's what I base it on. No other Raleigh model looked similar. Serial is beyond me, unfortunately.

All of them had the "Raleigh" downtube logo with the "Professional" top tube script. I dare say they were simply not added during the respray, or they flaked off in the meantime.

-Kurt

mickey85

Thanks!

USAZorro

It's a 1980. Serial number is WE00 - not WE90? If WE9, it would be a '79. Yes, it's a MK V - we can tell by the lugs, the color and the fork - which is not the 1-piece I asked about, but I can understand there being confusion there. Until you've seen the two together...

Nice bike. Take care of that rust around the BB ASAP. Bike is otherwise quite nice - and for $10.00, you should send thank you cards to the seller for the next 10 years.

mickey85

I can't read the W, but it is E900376 - guessing that there's a W before it, though through the rust, it looks kinda like a D...

About the rust, until I can find someone to repaint it on my budget, are there places that I can buy spray bombs in a very similar color? (I'd tape it off, so it would just be the bottom of the BB that got shot.

And the forks - I changed it a ways down - it isn't a 1 piece - sorry you didnt' see that edit.

cudak888 

Curious - what would you suggest? Oxalic acid?

I wouldn't touch-up anything here save for putting a clearcoat over neutralized rusted areas, and even then, I'd do so as sparingly as possible.

-Kurt

nlerner

Excellent find! And thanks for posting those pics. That "respray" Reynolds sticker is a new one for me; I wonder if that means it was done at the Raleigh factory?

Here's a link to that 1979 Pro catalog pic:

https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalog...ro_superbe.jpg

Now get that rust off the BB with a wire brush and prime it!

Neal

cudak888 

OUCH!

-Kurt

mickey85

The seller was a Methodist Women's thrift shop. I gave them $10 in donation, so it honestly cost me $20.

cudak888 

So the truth comes out!

-Kurt