YIPEEE!!!!
After much internal debate, I did decide to bid on the Raleigh Team Pro. I won her by $.01, really, my bid was just 1 cent higher then the 2nd highest bidder. I want to thank the 22(!) list members that wrote offering advice and in a number of cases offering help in securing info that would give me confidence in bidding. In the end (late the night before the auctions close) the seller came through with a bunch of info and detailed pictures.
I just got off the phone with the seller. He is a mountain bike guy, seems nice, sincere and young; therefore the lack of knowledge.
Here's some of what he passed on to me:
This is a one owner bike! His uncle purchased her new, rarely road her, just admired her on the stand in his home all these many years. The seller is his nephew who inherited it upon his uncle's recent death. There is evidently a large stash of NOS parts which were not photographed for the auction, most are still boxed along with numerous NOS tubular tires and many accessory items too. He's bringing it to be packaged professionally by a local bike shop (2 boxes for the bike, he's sending the extra's separately in 3rd box) that apparently has an appreciation for fine vintage bicycles and assured me it will be packaged very, very, very well. My fingers are crossed.
Dale, I'll send pictures of her when she arrives, I think it's time a nice original Raleigh Team Pro was added to your site. She is almost certainly a 1975 as that is what the rear derailleur and crankarms are stamped and also it is nearly identical the one pictured in the 1975 Raleigh brochure.
Thanks again to all that offered ideas, help and encouragement along with an objective (more than mine anyhow) view of the risks, pro's and con's,
Eric Elman
Somers, CT
> Advice please.
>
> I want to bid on the Raleigh Team Pro at the link below. It is my size
and
> an early one with the yellow headtube. I've sent a list of questions to
the
> seller and he only responed to a few of them and has not followed through
on
> the remainder. The questions are simple ones lkle checking the date code
on
> the cranks, etc. His lack of answers, poor knowledge of the year of the
> bike (he thinks its and 1984 when it is actually a late 1974/early 1975)
and
> his no feedback and ebay name change have me concerned over bidding.
> Actually, if this was a more common bike I would avoid bidding ..... but,
> this bike, in this condition, in my size has never appeared before on ebay
> and I'd hate to loose the opportunity to grab her while I can.
>
> So, to bid or not to bid.
>
> Please advise your thoughts - they will be helpful to me as I am torn.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Eric Elman
> Somers, CT where school is closed and snow is on the ground.
>
>
http://ebay.com/
> &rd=1>