Glory Days

In 1980, a Raleigh bike bike finally became the toast of the Tour De France. It had taken Raleigh nearly one hundred years to achieve such a road racing crown, the day Joop Zoetemelk crossed the line in as winner of the yellow jersey. Ever since, the Ti Team Raleigh bikes have become something legendary and revered in Britain, by professional riders, club riders and schoolboys alike. If a frame was made in the SBDU Ilkeston workshop, it was specially handmade and would have been built to custom order. But Raleigh were not slow to cash in on their Tour De France victory, and built many various models of road bikes in the red, black and yellow of the Team colours through the 1980’s.

The Rapide

The Rapide is a reminder of how a model of bike can be constantly modified by a big manufacturer. Later 1980’s versions are of basic quality and are of little interest compared to the early models. But in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, the Rapide was a good mid-range bike, built with Reynolds 531 main tubes and dressed in Campagnolo 980 gears. Even better was the contemporaneous Rapide Team bike. Painted in the same SBDU team colours as the Zoetemelk’s bike, this was a more affordable alternative to those Ilkeston frames, an ideal bike for amateurs and club cyclists wanting a Raleigh in those celebrated colours.

For Sale On Ebay!

1981 Ti Raleigh Rapide in the famous team colours, in used but good condition for its age. 53cm frame size from centre to top, 56.5cm top tube, centre to centre. Reynolds 531 frame, Vitus rear dropouts, 10 speed. Weighs around 20lb. I believe it is all original.