Yesterday I rode my 1957 or '58 (*) RRA Moderne for the 1st time. Kind of a rush taking a bike out that hasn't been ridden in years, after putting so much work into it. Just in time for http://abcetour.com Took it to my HPV club meeting for Show-N-Tell. Even the weird bike nuts appreciated it.
Handling? Yes! Comfort? Not so much. Runs straight as an arrow, "no hands" and corners like it's on rails. Not surprising, it may be the straightest production frame I've ever checked for alignment.
But my B-66 coddled nether regions aren't finding much to like about the B-15, even though it's nicely broken in. I don't even want to think about the original B-17N. And the bars are 3" lower, and inch further forward and 10cm narrower than the modified Nittos on my Jack Taylor. Looks like I'll have to sacrifice originality - build a custom stem and polish a set of alloy bars till they look like chrome. (They'll stay that shiny if I follow up the polish with a coat of NuFinish. Last night everyone assumed the alloy Rigida rims were chromed steel)
As near as I can estimate, it hadn't been ridden in abt. 20 years.
No photos yet. But you can imagine what P.C. Kohler's
http://tinyurl.com/
(*)I always though mine was a '58 because it looks just like the one in the '58 catalog on Retro Raleighs. But I haven't been able to find any reference to a serial number resembling the 7062 RA on mine. P.C.'s 3766 AD fits for a '58.
At 9/9/2007 11:00 PM -0400, P.C. Kohler wrote:
>So yep, take your '58 RRA out, find a suitable rival like a Litespeed
>and just enjoy riding a classic Raleigh at full flight. You probably
>will and he will say "wow, it's 'just' a three speed" Sure it is.
Not with these legs. I'm geared 22-44 on the FM for gear inches of 36-46-54-61.
However my older son loves to go "Kestrel hunting" on his early '60s Condor. He just did the hilly 110 mile Jesse James "Century" and said he was 3 hours into the ride before he saw another steel bike. Not even many aluminum ones, mostly carbon with some Ti.
Mark Stonich;
BikeSmith Design & Fabrication
5349 Elliot Ave S. - Minneapolis. MN 55417
Ph. (612) 824-2372 http://bikesmithdesign.com
http://mnhpva.org