sosidge.com

That’s part number RM-016 to be precise.

A very comfy yet rapid handlebar?

First impressions are very good. The bar is more compact than the web images usually suggest, the straight ends are hardly any bigger than my hand (I am 6ft), the total depth of the whole bar is about 170mm (around 100mm centre-to-centre from the clamp to the front), the widest point is about 515mm centre-to-centre, and the greatest drop is about 55mm c2c.

It also has that lovely Japanese detailing which makes you know you have a quality item. I see the same kind of detailing in their RC stuff and it creates a real aura of engineering excellence. I thought I’d pick out this neat little “Heat Treated” sticker as an example. Tidy.

"Heat Treated" and hopefully city-proof too

Next job is to fit them. Fingers crossed they feel as good on the bike as they do off it. At my current rate of progress I should have them sorted by September 2009!

Finally, some quick props to Hubjub who managed to send these very quickly and very well packaged, at what seems to be a very reasonable price too.

Picked up for the bargain price of £25 from the local free ads paper…

Now I’m no expert on bikes but this one seemed in pretty good condition, seems pretty solid when ridden, and a bit of adjustment to the brakes and tyre pressures resulted in a fairly free running machine that almost brings my 15+ stone bulk to a standstill! The derailleurs (always the bane of my life) seem a shade worn and don’t always click into the gear you want, but I can live with that.

I’ve never had a racer before, only ever BMX and mountain bikes so I am finding it a bit hard getting to grips with the drop bars and position of the brakes. However I do have some plans to rectify this which I will post if they come to fruition. I’m also finding that the 23c tyres can’t cope with the broken tarmac of the local roads too well, so might try and fit something a little larger.

My main aim is to make this a fitness/commute bike, not planning to set any speed records. So far all I have done to it is to fit some new pedals (MKS MT-Lite - chosen because they are double sided and wide enough for my big feet). Still have the originals but unfortunately the clips had been cut off and they weren’t much use to me.

At a guess this bike is late-80s/early-90s vintage. Quality seems to be “good bike from Argos” rather than “Tour de France” but it has survived 20-odd years already which is more than I would expect of a lot of modern bikes! Sticker on it is from Chesterfield Cycle Shop.

Rear mech is a fairly early Shimano SIS item, 6-speed.

Front chainrings etc, Sakae and Shimano, not indexed. Needed a little adjustment on the high point probably due to cable stretch over the years.

Reynolds 501 tubing. Is that good? I don’t know. Steel though for a comfy ride and not especially heavy either.

“Made in England”. Not Taiwan.

Weinmann is the name on the brakes.

Sakae on the stem, Raleigh crest on the bars (25.4 mm not 26mm if you were wondering).

Proof if needed that this is indeed a Raleigh Record Sprint. But from looking around on the internet quite a few different bikes have worn the Record badge. This is not necessarily the most desirable of them.