$500 is "roughly" the right price. I started out looking for a 1972 chartreuse bike. In 2004 I passed up a 24.5" bike in the right year and color for $500. It was probably the most expensive mistake i have ever made. Instead, i ended up buying some $100 trashed frames and having them repainted and rechromed, at well over $800/frame.
A low market price on a pre-74 bike is $425. A high price on a pre-74 international is about $700. As long as it has the expensive original parts ( saddle ... cranks ... gears ... hubs ... headset) $500 is perfectly reasonable and i recommend that you get it now, no sense waiting, no can always sell it if something better shows up later.
Only about 1 Raleigh International shows up per month on ebay. Factoring in size and year (as the pre-74 bikes are much rarer and had the relaxed geometry that made the bike famous), you might see fewer than 3 bikes in the next 2 years on ebay that meet your requirements.
These bikes are blessed by Grant Peterson (who used to design for Bridgestone - which built the 1980's raleighs) and these bikes are still much sought-after and are apparently rarer than say, a colnago or paramount or MASI, as they were made for only about 6-7 years ~ and the earlier geometries were made for only about 3-4 years.
- Don Gillies Owner of a few raleigh internationals San Diego, CA
looking for a chartreuse bike. I passed up a 24.5" bike in the right year and color for $500. It was the most expensive mistake i have ever made. Instead, i ended up buying 3x frames and having them repainted and rechromed, at well over $800/frame.
A low price on a pre-74 bike is $425. A high price on a pre-74 international is about $700. As long as it has the expensive original parts ( saddle ... cranks ... gears ... hubs ...) $500 is a perfectly reasonable bike and i recommend that you get it now - don't wait as these bikes are still much sought-after and are much rarer than say, a colnago or paramount.
- Don Gillies
Owner of 5 raleigh internationals
San Diego, CA