My goodness. That was a bona fide diatribe. And one chockful of usefull information, thank you Larry!
I concur entirely especially re. the folly of trying to fit real bicycles into paper catalogues. For Raleigh. Or for anything else. Raleigh was, lest we forget, the absolute biggest cycle company on the Planet during the CR timeframe. They were so big, they didn't need to follow the Roman calendar let alone their own catalogues. So what some insist is a "1969" Mark I because it only appeared in the "1969" catalogue is not thinking like he works in Triumph Road, Lenton, Nottinghamshire.
Now, I am not quite comfortable with "crude" being applied to the Mark I. My frame is sitting here in my living room (where all newcomers belong) and it's actually a pretty nicely put together bike. What is laughably crude is the hamfisted seatstay cap treatment: someone with the DT's was hired to paint these "stripes". But do consider that the Mark I cost $220 with an all Campagnolo group except brakes. I am pretty confident that was the best value in an all-Campag bike in 1969-70. The Mark II cost $330. A third more. And it was brown. Who ever heard of a brown racing bike? It's a "cafe bike" with a colour to match. The Mark I looked way better and I'll hold out for a Carlton Team Pro in Lagoon Blue and white anyday. Now that is one sweet looking machine especially with Carlton Team kit to match.
So thanks Larry. That must have felt good. And you get to repeat it all in oh, about, 10 months, around here.
Peter Kohler
Washington DC USA