Well, maybe it's the paint scheme that's the appeal. A 753 Team Pro complete bike with Campy SR reduced gruppo just went for $765 on eBay. But it's in the blue and white Raleigh-Panasonic team colors.
Actually I bought a red, black and yellow Team Pro a couple of years ago for less than $400 with mostly Campy NR/SR including a first generation Campy SR RD. But the auction had poor pictures and a poor description and I think a lot of people thought it was one of the low end Raleigh Records (a step below the Grand Prix) that came in the same color scheme. As I recall, I almost got it for less than $200, but one other CR member also guessed it might be a Team Pro. I did not expect it would be a 753 model, but some UK list members, one actually involved in building these frames, identified it as such. The clue was the 26.8 seatpost. 531 Team Pros used a 27.4 post, but the early 753 Team Pros used metric gauge 753 with a 26.8 post. The bike was filthy and the frame will need refinishing due to some surface rust, but I think I'll still have a total cost well under 2 grand with a first generation SR RD to boot.
Actually, I never liked the Team Pro color scheme In The Day, as I thought it was gaudy, prefering the more elegant Pro Mk IV color scheme widely called Mink Blue and Silver although it has been suggested here a while back that was a misreading of the Raleigh catalogs. The Team Pro colors have sort of grown on me, partly after seeing Eric Elman's immaculate Team Pro at a past Larz (or was it Cirque?). But if one ignores the racing history of the Team Pro colors, I still think the blue and silver Pro Mk IV is better looking, as are the blue and white Panasonic colors of the one that just sold on eBay.
Regards,
Jerry Moos
Big Spring, Texas, USA
> From: Silverman <rsilvercat@earthlink.net>
\r?\n> Subject: Re: [CR] RALEIGH TI 753 53CM
\r?\n> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
\r?\n> Date: Tuesday, January 27, 2009, 2:10 PM
\r?\n> HI, can someone please advise me as to where(besides Ebay,
\r?\n> without much luck) I can find a good condition Raleigh TI
\r?\n> 753, the red , black and yellow classics of the late 70s
\r?\n> early 80s. Thanks.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Winston Chang
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Hi, Winston:
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Good luck in your search (these puppies, particularly the
\r?\n> 753 Team, are as hard to find as hen's teeth).
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Another discussion group I belong to (seeing as how I'm
\r?\n> the owner of SB343,Reynolds 531) is TI Raleigh Team Pros.
\r?\n> Here's the link:
\r?\n> http://groups.yahoo.com/
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Occasionally, a member will put one of their bikes up for
\r?\n> sale. You could also join the group and post a
\r?\n> "wanted" message. Finally, if you're patient
\r?\n> and lucky and don't mind biding up to two grand, one
\r?\n> might show up on Ebay.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Bill Silverman
\r?\n> Pasadena, CA, USA