After trying some £1000+ racing bikes, and then buying (and subsequently returning) a Schwinn Fastback Elite (fell apart too many times to mention) I have finally bought a new bike.
1980 Raleigh Magnum in glorious bronze and gold, ebayed for £12!
Not quite the same kind of machine I was originally thinking of, but it dawned on me that a)I hate racing or riding hard anyway, b)I could never bring myself to ride an £1000 bike on the road and c)I want something I can customise without destroying resale value, I decided to get an old roadie.
Can anyone tell me about this bike? I'd never heard of a Raleigh Magnum (well I had, but the one I knew about was a BMX not a road bike). I don't know where they slot in the Raleigh range (presumably near the bottom) and I'm assuming the frame is not Reynolds 531 - can someone confirm this?
Has a lugged steel frame, Weinmann brakes, 10sp Positron gears and a Milremo saddle. Wheels are 27" branded Raleigh. The cranks are cotterless and the mudguards are plastic, which surprises me for a bike of this age (although, I don't know a lot about old bikes)
Rear dropouts are horizontal, so it's a perfect candidate for a single-speed conversion. Plans are to get some ally 700c wheels and polish the hell out of them, fettle the brakes to fit, convert to single-speed (not ready for a full fixie yet). Frame to be painted sky blue with cream mudguards, red tyres and red grip tape, and ally parts polished up a bit. Hopefully I can score a cheap-ish Brooks saddle on ebay.
Will post updates when I get around to it
1980 Raleigh Magnum in glorious bronze and gold, ebayed for £12!
Not quite the same kind of machine I was originally thinking of, but it dawned on me that a)I hate racing or riding hard anyway, b)I could never bring myself to ride an £1000 bike on the road and c)I want something I can customise without destroying resale value, I decided to get an old roadie.
Can anyone tell me about this bike? I'd never heard of a Raleigh Magnum (well I had, but the one I knew about was a BMX not a road bike). I don't know where they slot in the Raleigh range (presumably near the bottom) and I'm assuming the frame is not Reynolds 531 - can someone confirm this?
Has a lugged steel frame, Weinmann brakes, 10sp Positron gears and a Milremo saddle. Wheels are 27" branded Raleigh. The cranks are cotterless and the mudguards are plastic, which surprises me for a bike of this age (although, I don't know a lot about old bikes)
Rear dropouts are horizontal, so it's a perfect candidate for a single-speed conversion. Plans are to get some ally 700c wheels and polish the hell out of them, fettle the brakes to fit, convert to single-speed (not ready for a full fixie yet). Frame to be painted sky blue with cream mudguards, red tyres and red grip tape, and ally parts polished up a bit. Hopefully I can score a cheap-ish Brooks saddle on ebay.
Will post updates when I get around to it
