This is a 1974-76 Raleigh International in Copper with White decals. It is a 24.5″ /  62cm / Large (center of bottom bracket to top of seat tube) Nervex Professional lugged,  Reynolds 531 butted Steel frame (Main Tubes and Stays) with a Reynolds 531 steel fork that has a chrome crown and fork ends. The stand over height is 33.5″ directly in front of the saddle. 

There are 10 speeds available through the two ring alloy Campagnolo Nuovo Record Strada crank with 170mm alloy crank arms with Campagnolo Pedals and Christophe Toe Clips and the 5 gear Suntour Perfect freewheel. 

The rear derailleur is a Campagnolo Nuovo Record and the front is also a Campagnolo.  Shifting is through Downtube Mounted Campagnolo Friction Shifters.

Both wheels are polished Nisi Sprint Tubular alloy 700c rims drilled for Presta valves laced to quick release large flange Campagnolo Record hubs. Both wheels have Continental sew ups that are rotted and need to be replaced but hold air, which makes it easy to move the bicycle around but should in no way be ridden on.

Braking is handled by Weinmann Vainqueur 999 alloy Centerpull  Brakes. The brake levers are Weinmann alloy levers with lightened handles. The original white Carlton hoods are in good shape.

The Avocet black vinyl saddle saddle is mounted to an alloy seat post that moves in the seat tube. 

Alloy handlebars with their original white handlebar tape are mounted to an alloy GB stem. The stem is not frozen in the steering tube.

There are eyelets for front and rear fenders.

I have not ridden this bicycle due to the condition of the tires but in the stand it turns, stops and shifts through all of the gears and rings as it should.

This is the largest version of the International which was second in the Raleigh line up behind the Professional. The Professional was built for racing and the International had more relaxed geometry with a claimed weight of 22.5 lbs. The serial number on the bottom bracket is covered by a sticker that I didn’t want to remove in case someone might find it historically interesting. The Copper color (or should we say colour?) was available from 1974-76. If one were to believe Raleigh’s catalogs, this could be a ’75 because of the ‘rapid taper’ chainstays. This one retains all of it’s original equipment with the exception of it’s Campagnolo seat post and Brooks Professional saddle. It has a full complement of Campagnolo components: Headset, Shift Levers, Crankset, Pedals, derailleurs, rear dropouts, hubs and skewers. The Weinmann Centerpulls are original equipment for this bicycle. The Suntour freewheel is not, as a Simplex freewheel was the original equipment. This bicycle has been ridden during it’s life and is not museum quality. There are scuffs to the paint and the chrome has cracked on the non drive side fork crown. It’s still a very nice looking bicycle and one that could be ridden without worrying about a stray pebble chipping the pristine paint job. If it was my size, I would keep it and replace the chain, cables, brake pads, tires and eventually the seat post and saddle (both are available on eBay) and then ride it to the envy of my fellow cyclists. Its understated elegance, with the chrome lugs, forks and stays is a truly fine example of how beautiful a quality bicycle used to be. This bicycle retailed for $520 in 1976  which is equivalent to $2563 in today’s dollars.

For less than the price of a generic Bike Shaped Object that anyone might buy online or from a store that sells bicycles in the Toy Department, you could have this vintage bicycle with quality components. The fact that it is still rolling down the road is a testament to how well it was built.

Please examine the photographs and ask any questions you may have about this bicycle or let us know if you need any other photos by emailing us at info@rode-bike.com

 

If any of the terms used in the description are unfamiliar, please check out the Bicycle Jargon page for definitions of common bicycle terms.