Peter Kohler wrote:
>
> Gosh, I thought everyone on the CR List (well at least those of you who
> don't gag at the thought of riding a mere Raleigh) loved the Pro, talk about
> an icon of the '70s bike boom! I couldn't even imagine spending $500 on a
> bike back then and these were the bikes usually hung on the wall so the
> riff-raff wouldn't smudge the paint.
The beginning of '76 I was looking for my first adult bike at the age of 32. I had visited all the shops in LA and sent for all the literature I could (still have the letters/brochures from B. Baylis and R. Sachs) and had studied the "bible" (Bikecology 1975© mailorder catalog); Masi frame and fork $350, Ron Cooper frame and fork $250, Bob Jackson frame and fork $200, and had my heart set on a Ron Cooper. Spec'ing full Campagnolo out of the catalog was going to be around $850 and even with all Japanese parts was around $700.
One night driving down Huntington Blvd. in San Marino I saw that a local bike shop had painted on their window, "Full Campagnolo Raleigh Pro $507!" I was there the next day with my tax refund money!
Chuck Schmidt South Pasadena, Southern California, Southwestern USA http://www.velo-retro.com (new retro t-shirts on site)
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