Hi again folks,
Here is my "old faithful" - A 1987 Raleigh Team Panasonic.
Not entirely sure whether she is a Team Corsa, Cadet or Replica; what I do know is that the frame was built at Worksop, May 1987, and is built with Reynolds 531c tubing.
Most of the components originally came from a red Raleigh Criterium, which was my first "proper" racing bike, back in 1986. Sadly a few years later, the rear derailleur malfunctioned on this machine, and committed suicide by throwing itself into the rear spokes... The force pulled the mounting lug out of shape rendering the entire frame useless (or so I thought at the time).
I had to cope without a bike for a few months, until I spotted this Team Panasonic frame hanging in my local bike shop for £125. A deal was struck, and after the frame arrived at home, I transferred most of the Criterium components to it.
Over the years, I have (naturally) swapped and changed parts; for example, the rear block is 7-speed, with Shimano SIS derailleur. Handlebars were changed after the rather nice engraved ones from the Criterium actually snapped during a time trial. The front brake calipers are plain alloy; the black ones developed a crack, so had to be scrapped.
I am in the process of restoring her to roadworthy condition; I would also like to improve her appearance (she is suffering from 'shed rash' - rust is beginning to show through the paint on the top tube). Some amber-wall 700x25 tyres, pearl-white bar tape and a pair of brake hoods (if I can find some) will be a good start.
Sorry for rambling on... If anyone can shed any light as to the exact model I have, or indeed, if you have any questions, please go ahead!
Thanks for looking,
Don
Here is my "old faithful" - A 1987 Raleigh Team Panasonic.
Not entirely sure whether she is a Team Corsa, Cadet or Replica; what I do know is that the frame was built at Worksop, May 1987, and is built with Reynolds 531c tubing.
Most of the components originally came from a red Raleigh Criterium, which was my first "proper" racing bike, back in 1986. Sadly a few years later, the rear derailleur malfunctioned on this machine, and committed suicide by throwing itself into the rear spokes... The force pulled the mounting lug out of shape rendering the entire frame useless (or so I thought at the time).
I had to cope without a bike for a few months, until I spotted this Team Panasonic frame hanging in my local bike shop for £125. A deal was struck, and after the frame arrived at home, I transferred most of the Criterium components to it.
Over the years, I have (naturally) swapped and changed parts; for example, the rear block is 7-speed, with Shimano SIS derailleur. Handlebars were changed after the rather nice engraved ones from the Criterium actually snapped during a time trial. The front brake calipers are plain alloy; the black ones developed a crack, so had to be scrapped.
I am in the process of restoring her to roadworthy condition; I would also like to improve her appearance (she is suffering from 'shed rash' - rust is beginning to show through the paint on the top tube). Some amber-wall 700x25 tyres, pearl-white bar tape and a pair of brake hoods (if I can find some) will be a good start.
Sorry for rambling on... If anyone can shed any light as to the exact model I have, or indeed, if you have any questions, please go ahead!
Thanks for looking,
Don
