The RRA is an interesting bike - had a few of them over the years. I'm a tad skeptical about the 200 number though. That is less than twice the number of Confente frames for example! But, I've also seen a biased sample of bikes since I was raised on the east coast, the land of Raleigh. It just seems like I've seen more than my share for a bike of which only 200 were made. But then again, I did have a few years where Confente frames seemed to be comming out of the woodwork. (I think they found me).
The RRA had a very lively feel as I recall (planing as Jan would say) but there was a front end quirk that made the handling kinda wierd if my memory is correct. But they were very fun bikes to ride, just as I find Internationals to be (but many pro's are complete dogs from my experience).
I'm almost tempted to bid myself, but it is so unnecessary for me. But I do have this inexplicable Raleigh bug....
Mike Kone in Boulder CO USA
> The presence of a 'CC' on the BB shell indicates it was made by carlton,
\r?\n> i.e. in Worksop, england. The 'CC' is normally made by a punch that
\r?\n> would only be present at the Carlton shop.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> I captured the last 2 RRA full-bike auctions from ebay. The 1st was a
\r?\n> garage queen owned by the wife of a west coast bike distributor, a
\r?\n> friend of someone here in san diego that I know. This guy I know also
\r?\n> has an RRA, with slight top-tube damage. Anyway, the wife-bike sold
\r?\n> for about $1100, and was in mint condition (no decal damage). I can
\r?\n> provide pix if you are interested, they're in my screensaver.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> The other RRA auction was about 1-3 months ago, I remember the price
\r?\n> ended up at $1050-$1150 somewhere, and IT DID NOT MEET RESERVE. That
\r?\n> one too was in mint condition. Both were 22.5" bikes.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> This one is imho a bargain, there is some wear on it, but the rarity
\r?\n> (200 made) and story (from my ride-mate 3 weeks ago : (a) Raleigh used
\r?\n> this model to threaten campagnolo which was becoming squirrelly about
\r?\n> parts supply, and (b) This bike was also given to a team that was
\r?\n> supposed to ride 'stock' manufacturer bikes, so Raleigh was forced to
\r?\n> make and distribute a certain number (200) so the team could qualify
\r?\n> for its race(s).)
\r?\n>
\r?\n> My friend says his RRA is an awesome ride and to get it, you'll have
\r?\n> to pry it from his cold dead fingers ... :-) :-)
\r?\n>
\r?\n> - Don Gillies
\r?\n> San Diego, CA