Ted,
I owned two Raleigh Pro Mark IVs and two Peugeot PX-10s in the 1970s. For a while I owned one of each simultaneously. And when I owned both, I liked the PX-10's ride FAR more than the Raleigh's, hands down.
Although the Raleigh looked nicer and had better components, I always preferred the superior fit (longer TT length per seat tube height, steeper and much more "nimble" front end, superior downhill stability and tracking, plus the greater all-day comfort) of my PX, which was set up as a touring bike with front and rear Blackburn racks and 27" clincher wheels. (My Raleigh Pro was, at the time, set up as my "racing" bike with sew-ups and with tighter gearing, back when I had knees.)
It was easy to ignore a less-well-finished frame and paint job while on my PX, given the superb and far superior ride it offered, even with the touring/racing gear handicap. It wasn't even close.
You don't need any Italian "classics"--or any English ones, either-- to get a great ride. (Of course, your mileage and your visceral reactions to a particular bike will vary, IMHO.)
Jon Spangler who likes bikes that are built to ride well and excite the rider, not just look pretty on a wall or to a collector, and who would LOVE to find an older (Nervex?) 52 CM c-t-t PX-10 w/ a 54-5 CM TT in Alameda, CA USA
On Jan 22, 2010, at 6:06 AM, Td Trambley wrote:
>
> Message: 7
> Date: Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:58:40 -0800
> From: Ted Trambley <tedtrambley@gmail.com>
> Subject: [CR] Do the English Like Their Raleighs
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Message-ID: <DC4EAF44-7502-4BFF-8362-B462EA8FD9D8@gmail.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
> I just finished reading The Story of The Raleigh Cycle that I
> picked up from a CR member. This was a book published in Great
> Britain in '75 describing Raleigh's rise to be the number one
> bicycle company in the world. They couldn't have succeeded if all
> they manufactured were cheap, inferior bicycles.
>
> My first racing bike was a "69 Carlton Raleigh Pro that I wish
> still owned. I own a '51 Raleigh Clubman, '51 Humber Clubman
> (Raleigh), and a '69 Raleigh Sprite SA 5speed. They were good,
> affordable entry level bikes when new and I'm sure they're owners
> were proud of these bikes at one time. According to the book,
> when Raleigh first took interest in Reg Harris and his young racing
> career, he was presented with a new Humber racer. The book didn't
> tell that the Raleigh he was riding late in his career was actually
> built by Masi. We all have to start somewhere and if all racers
> began their racing careers on a Claude Butler, Hetchens, or Ron
> Cooper, then those companies would also have looked for ways to
> manufacture bicycles quickly and economically to meet the demand.
>
> CR members have been commenting on how nice their PX10s ride and
> how they have been overlooked. They were great and affordable
> machines in the early '70s. They certainly didn't compare to the
> fine Italian bicycles. Just look at the lack of workmanship in the
> Nervex lugs and the quality of the paint on all Peugeots. They
> were entry level bikes but still performed well.
>
> I like my '70 PX10 almost as well as my vintage Italian bikes but
> my Raleighs are also beautiful bikes. It's like comparing an
> Austin Healey to a Ferrari, or an apple to an orange.
>
> Ted Trambley
> Martinez,CA USA
>
>
Jon Spangler Writer/editor Linda Hudson Writing
PLEASE NOTE NEW CONTACT INFO
TEL 510-864-2144
CEL 510-846-5356
JonSwriter@att.net
http://www.linkedin.com/
http://www.twitter.com/