Racing Bicycles
British classic lightweights
We have just added a copy of the 1988 Raleigh Lightweights catalogue to the site.
This catalogue contains the top of the line RRA Moderne, with a frame of Reynolds 653 tubing, the Road Ace Select, the Competition, with Team Banana decals and other models: Corsa, Quadra, Ritmo, Triathlon and a few less lightweight bikes.
World Cycle Decals has decals available for some of these models and is developing others, so click HERE if you are interested or need any.
I have just added details of a 1955 Viking Severn Valley. This was an extremely competent factory racing bicycle, although not Viking’s top model at the time – that was the Viking Tour of Britain model that was introduced following Ian Steel’s victory on a Viking in the first Daily Express Tour of Britain in 1951. The Severn Valley model had an only slightly lower specification than the Tour of Britain – both were made from Reynolds 531 butted tubing – and being at a lower price point was more popular.
Viking discontinued the Severn Valley model in 1956 and then in 1957 they discontinued the Tour of Britain model and reinstated the Severn Valley as the top tier model with Nervex Professional lugs, which is how it remained until the original Viking company ceased trading in 1967.