Howdy folks.
I am mostly a lurker and certainly not that knowledgeable on the nitty gritty of classic road bikes (do have a few though: 1975 Silk Hope, older than that fancy Bertin, 1983 or maybe 84 Fuso). From what I have seen, unless there is something special (ie. completely original and and in fantastic shape, NIB never assembled, etc.) about it a Raleigh Professional is sought after and well regarded but not really worth all that much. I doubt just the frameset in average used condition would go for more than a few hundred dollars. S&S couplers are quite expensive to have installed, $500ish I think. Paint, especially original style, is also expensive. If for some reason it was worth it to you to have the couplers put in your frameset and you had it repainted as original (correct decals etc.) I suspect you would have the most expensive Raleigh Professional around and that it would sell for more than average. It might take longer to sell, and you would certainly lose money, but I bet somebody would think an otherwise original looking RP that breaks in half was pretty cool.
Doug Van Cleve just my opinion in Chandler, AZ
On 5/27/06, Greg Lone <gwlone@yahoo.ca> wrote:
> Hi Duncan and group. S%S Couplers seem like a very well engineered aid to
bike transport, however they seem to be rather at odds with classic bike
philosophy . Your Raleigh is a nice example of a 70,s British entry level
racing frame. I know they are not particularly rare, and from time to time
are available for a relatively low cost. They do have a collectors value
, and a fairly strong following of users. If you modify it in such a manner
you will remove pretty much any "collectors value". You will have a very n
ice bike , probably more suited to your uses. But to answer your question ,
yes most collectors would consider this a "bad thing". If I was in your si
tuation I would restore and use the Raleigh as is, and look for a newer Jap
anese or similar frame to modify. It would be just as good a cycle, maybe
even better. And it wouldn't ruffle the feathers of any collectors.
> Greg Lone
> Langley B.C.
> Canada