Another Purple One - Raleigh Optima?

[Tobias Rodriguez]

This has got to stop! I have to make room for another bike

Just bought a clean 105 equipped bike listed as a Raleigh Reynolds Optima. 1994 was mentioned in the listing. You guys probably saw it on eBay, it’s purple. It has the Reynolds Optima seat tube decal and the Raleigh down tube decals, there might be an M Trax decal on the fork blades, not sure yet. No model name on the top tube. I’ve asked the seller and all he could tell me was he bought two bikes from a bloke from Nottingham whose friend worked in the RSP department, this was one of them that he’s letting go. I read that the later 400 and 300 Optima Lite models had RSX group sets and the 200 and 100 models had mixed group sets, all had straight forks. I can’t find any pics info or specs to match this bike. So any ideas on which model this could be?

Thanks

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

That's a nice bike. I seem to be collecting purple bikes another one saved.
A=1990 B=1991and so on.

 

[Lucidone]

H suggests 97 then which also ties up with the Selle Royal(e?) Extreme saddle being fitted to production M-Trax bikes at that time.
In the 1996 catalogue (archived here) the custom Optima frame is shown with a curved fork.

 

[ChromeChainstay]

nice bicycle and Mavic's to boot

 

[Tobias Rodriguez]

Thanks for your comments and info, the Mavic’s did help me decide to buy I will be taking delivery of the bike next week, I asked the seller to hold fire on shipping to give me a chance to make room for it.

Question, keep the bar tape or replace with black or yellow?

Cheers

 

[Lucidone]

Question, keep the bar tape or replace with black or yellow?

Yellow might look nice with a yellow saddle?

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Black tape for me

 

[ChromeChainstay]

if you like long stems, it surely has one.

 

[Tobias Rodriguez]

Yellow might look nice with a yellow saddle?

Yes you’re right, not looking to swap the saddle out though, so I think it has to be black.

 

[Tobias Rodriguez]

Black tape for me

I think black is the colour, cheers.