Raleigh Banana Bike

[scarrabri]

Re: Panaracer Pasela TG Road Touring/Commuting Tyre Puncture

Hi just fitted the Panaracer Pasela TG Road Touring/Commuting Tyre Puncture proof tyres and i am very pleased with them as they are a really good ride and look quite cool with the sidewalls being a different colour,the innertubes have been replaced as well with puncture proof ones so nearly sorted now ,cant help wondering why are the valves so long ?

Looks like the valve length on your inner tubes is for deeper "aero" rims. Doubt they'll cause you any problems though.

Your bike is looking great. You now need an arse-aching saddle to finish it off.

Hi and thank you for your reply i will have to look up aero rims as not sure what they are lol and some of these saddles sure are uncomfortable including the one on my bike which is the original with a gel cover on,
Yes i am quite pleased with my Raleigh Banana budget bike she looks good and is a joy to ride and i cant get over how fast she is and i am a poor peddler any way cant wait to get out on it again,best wishes Brian.

 

[Topnusoptot]

I think, that you commit an error. I can defend the position. Write to me in PM, we will communicate.

 

[GasPipeWarrior]

Re: Panaracer Pasela TG Road Touring/Commuting Tyre Puncture

Hi just fitted the Panaracer Pasela TG Road Touring/Commuting Tyre Puncture proof tyres and i am very pleased with them as they are a really good ride and look quite cool with the sidewalls being a different colour,the innertubes have been replaced as well with puncture proof ones so nearly sorted now ,cant help wondering why are the valves so long ?

Looks like the valve length on your inner tubes is for deeper "aero" rims. Doubt they'll cause you any problems though.

Your bike is looking great. You now need an arse-aching saddle to finish it off.

Hi and thank you for your reply i will have to look up aero rims as not sure what they are lol and some of these saddles sure are uncomfortable including the one on my bike which is the original with a gel cover on,
Yes i am quite pleased with my Raleigh Banana budget bike she looks good and is a joy to ride and i cant get over how fast she is and i am a poor peddler any way cant wait to get out on it again,best wishes Brian.

Aye, you can't knock a Banana. Mine is a gas-pipe Falcon job (via Freecycle) but it's good enough for winter commuting and general trashing.

I tried to find a link to aero rims for my previous post but couldn't find anything suitable, but this page shows the type of deep rim that your chosen inner tubes are designed for.

As for the saddle as long as you're comfortable that is all that matters. There are plenty of cheap-ish saddles available from online retailers and always plenty coming up here so you can always try out something different for not much money. Probably the best investment for your comfort would be padded shorts/undershorts. Gawd knows how I managed to cycle round Inishowen on a mountain bike in 3/4 length tracksuit bottoms......

 

[scarrabri]

Re: Panaracer Pasela TG Road Touring/Commuting Tyre Puncture

Hi just fitted the Panaracer Pasela TG Road Touring/Commuting Tyre Puncture proof tyres and i am very pleased with them as they are a really good ride and look quite cool with the sidewalls being a different colour,the innertubes have been replaced as well with puncture proof ones so nearly sorted now ,cant help wondering why are the valves so long ?

Looks like the valve length on your inner tubes is for deeper "aero" rims. Doubt they'll cause you any problems though.

Your bike is looking great. You now need an arse-aching saddle to finish it off.

Hi and thank you for your reply i will have to look up aero rims as not sure what they are lol and some of these saddles sure are uncomfortable including the one on my bike which is the original with a gel cover on,
Yes i am quite pleased with my Raleigh Banana budget bike she looks good and is a joy to ride and i cant get over how fast she is and i am a poor peddler any way cant wait to get out on it again,best wishes Brian.

Aye, you can't knock a Banana. Mine is a gas-pipe Falcon job (via Freecycle) but it's good enough for winter commuting and general trashing.

I tried to find a link to aero rims for my previous post but couldn't find anything suitable, but this page shows the type of deep rim that your chosen inner tubes are designed for.

As for the saddle as long as you're comfortable that is all that matters. There are plenty of cheap-ish saddles available from online retailers and always plenty coming up here so you can always try out something different for not much money. Probably the best investment for your comfort would be padded shorts/undershorts. Gawd knows how I managed to cycle round Inishowen on a mountain bike in 3/4 length tracksuit bottoms......

Well it looks like i made a bit of a boo boo with my innertubes ,i wonder if they will be safe to use ,now i had better look up padded shorts and do you have a few pics of your bike ? i love looking at other folks bikes and thanks again for all the info,best wishes Brian.

 

[Mr. Sid]

Hi all, the Raleigh Banana came out in '88 and ran a MKII version, (black headset, internal routed cables) in '89.

The 531c version was called a 'Competition' & was also produced for 2 years, '88 & '89.

£150 is around the ceiling price for a 'standard' one, depending on condition obviously, the 531c ones usually go between £200-400 depending on condition, though they are hard to find these days.

I deal in Raleigh top end bikes from this era, I have sold 3 'Competitions' in the last 12 months, they're getting very much sought after now.

I still have my original '88 one, though I'd never sell it at any price, it's far too sentimental.
I DID actually sell it in 1991 but immediately regretted it and spent the next 6 years trying to find it, which I managed in 1997 & to my absolute glee it was still the same, untouched, everything the way I left it.

At the beginning of this year I fully kitted her out in full Campagnolo C Record Delta groupset & she's had a fair share of admirers at sportives I've ridden her in.

They're beautiful bikes, timeless classics, enjoy it Brian,good luck & best wishes

Sid

 

[scarrabri]

Hi all, the Raleigh Banana came out in '88 and ran a MKII version, (black headset, internal routed cables) in '89.

The 531c version was called a 'Competition' & was also produced for 2 years, '88 & '89.

£150 is around the ceiling price for a 'standard' one, depending on condition obviously, the 531c ones usually go between £200-400 depending on condition, though they are hard to find these days.

I deal in Raleigh top end bikes from this era, I have sold 3 'Competitions' in the last 12 months, they're getting very much sought after now.

I still have my original '88 one, though I'd never sell it at any price, it's far too sentimental.
I DID actually sell it in 1991 but immediately regretted it and spent the next 6 years trying to find it, which I managed in 1997 & to my absolute glee it was still the same, untouched, everything the way I left it.

At the beginning of this year I fully kitted her out in full Campagnolo C Record Delta groupset & she's had a fair share of admirers at sportives I've ridden her in.

They're beautiful bikes, timeless classics, enjoy it Brian,good luck & best wishes

Sid

Hi Sid what a wonderful write up ,
I can only imagine what its like to ride a top end Raleigh bike like you have ,and luck really must have been with you to get your bike back and untouched ,wonderful and i am so pleased for you ,its strange really i know mine is bottom of the pile but i sure dont look at it that way ,i bought mine from a Farm in stafford ,the guy had hundreads of bikes there and i tryed a few other makes ,but once i set eyes on the Raleigh Banana bike and rode it ,well was i taken by it and what a joy it is to ride ,just got back from bathpool and Harecastle tunnel wonderful ride and loads of folk seem to know this bike and are eager to ask questions about her ,increadable ,oh and i will enjoy her Sid ,my very best wishes Brian.

 

[Mr. Sid]

Glad to help Brian, they were a very iconic bike at the time, still are, probably more so today to be honest.

In fact, they're holding their price very well.

My first Banana in '88 was the standard model, I still have my receipt for it, was £149.99, my 'Competiton' one later that year was £469.99, which was a hell of a lot of money at the time for a bike!!

I think I know the place where you got your bike from, is it Green Valley Cycles?

Yes, they get a lot of attention from bike enthusiasts, there's even a Facebook page for them!!

I also still have the full Raleigh Banana cycling outfit, jersey, shorts, gloves the lot which I wear whenever on a sportive ride!!

Nice to hear from you

Sid

 

[scarrabri]

Hi Sid ,yes it was Green Valley cycles lol i have never seen so many bikes in one place ,hanging on the walls and three high ,i actualy bought a coyota or something similar to that name first , as i ordered it off the net but like i said when i got there ,there was no compition lol ,i cant beleave you have Raleigh Banana cycling outfit, jersey, shorts, gloves ,awesome ,but £469 for a bike back then ,lol that must have been some bike ,
I do have a question ,do people still race these old Raleigh Banana bikes ,even my basic one ,and the other question is where do you stop with updating them ,i ask this question because i was thinking of updating the brakes although the ones that are on are not too bad,any way best wishes my friend Brian.

 

[bananaman]

good job on the bike! i own a gas pipe one for pottering around on along with a dave marsh and a raleigh kelloggs. Have a look at my 531 special though in my gallery! its ambrosio and mavic rims on campagnolo hubs its a bloody rocket! vittoria tubs run at 135 psi! glad to see another team banana saved from the heap!

 

[scarrabri]

good job on the bike! i own a gas pipe one for pottering around on along with a dave marsh and a raleigh kelloggs. Have a look at my 531 special though in my gallery! its ambrosio and mavic rims on campagnolo hubs its a bloody rocket! vittoria tubs run at 135 psi! glad to see another team banana saved from the heap!

Wow really impressed ,touch of class in your gallery ,i wished i had not looked now lol as i can feel a spending spree coming on ,wonderful my friend,and thanks for the comments ,best wishes Brian.