Raleigh Stratos Barnfind

[Stewart H]

Edit moved from MTB section.
Hello folks, I just acquired this old Raleigh Stratos, once the moss had been cleaned off a virtually unridden bike was revealed, according to Sheldon Browns links its a 1981 Raleigh Stratos built in Nottingham. its complete and original apart from the rack, pump and spanner, the seat tube measures 22.5 inches. and the seat tube 25 inches.
Standover is approximately 34 inches.
The Raleigh tyres are faded but not visibly perished and hold air pressure, the rims are true and the bike rides really nicely everything works though the brake blocks are probably fossilised by now
A few small chips and some fading on the paintwork, slight sticker peeling, light surface rust on some fastenings, the front rim and the seat tube, though solvol has made the rim look much better, looking at the brochure images this is stock apart from the seat which is a Dunlop item.
It still has the original plastic mudguards and Bottle dynamo and lights, which still work !
What is this bicycle worth ? I plan a light resto on it but as its way too tall for me it has to go.
I will post it in the FS+W section and possibly on Ebay once I have a ballpark figure.
Moderators I hope you do not see this post as an advertisement, please let me know if this contravenes the section rules.

 

[DrewSavage]

Re:

http://veterancycleclublibrary.org.uk/n ... brary).pdf

Assuming the spec is similar to the 1983 catalogue, and the fact that it's a Nottingham-built bike rather than a Worksop one, I'd say that's from the upper end of Raleigh's mass-market range, with a fairly heavy high-tensile steel frame - which makes it a reasonably low-end bike.

Personally as a buyer I always look for a more lightweight frame with Reynolds tubing, but actually in terms of how much things go for on eBay, certainly in the Manchester area, there's not much difference between what the purists would refer to as a Bicycle-Shaped Object (hi-ten gas-pipe steel frame, 'suicide levers' on the handlebars for the brakes) and a proper lightweight racer with a frame made from double-butted tubing. Prices for both tend to start at around £40.

With the right auction ending time and a good description (rather than just 'bike' or 'gents racing bike', which is what most of my bargain finds have been advertised as), I reckon it might fetch £50-£75.

Hopefully there will be someone out there who rode a Raleigh Stratos back in the day and would love to have another one. At the end of the day, things are worth whatever you can get someone to pay for them...

 

[tomroberts_1]

Hi I've seen a Raleigh Stratos for sale in my local area going for around £40. What's your opinion on yours so far? Is it nice to ride? Cheers.

 

[Tim2014]

Hi I've seen a Raleigh Stratos for sale in my local area going for around £40. What's your opinion on yours so far? Is it nice to ride? Cheers.

I bought a Stratos in the early 1980s. It was very good to ride - good gear range and smooth gear change mechanism. I suggest that with a bike of this age you have the bearings checked and greased/lubricated or replaced if necessary.

 

[hamster]

Poster last online in 2018, thread from 2015.