Bike Spec.

A Raleigh Special Products built with Reynolds double butted Optima tubing.
Shimano Ultegra 9sp shifters.
Shimano 600 groupset.
Modolo 'bars and stem
Turbomatic saddle
Mavic MA40 rims with Swable Lugano 23C tyres.

Alterations:
Pictured are my winter wheels,
Front SR hub, MA40 rim,
Rear Tiagra hub and cassette, Mavic Open Sport rim with 25C Nutrak tyres.
Stronglight Impact compact chainset and cranks 50/34.
Look Arc pedals.
SKS Raceblades.
Cateye Mity 8 computer.
Cateye rear light on seat tube.
Cheap supermarket light on seatpost.
Smart flashing light and Cateye 520 on 'bars.
Modified map trap.
Specialized tool bag.

So far I've done 491km on it and I'm happy with the setup, but the longest ride was on Sunday, 112km so I've yet to see what its like on an all day ride. First impressions are that the frame is much more comfortable than the old Vitus and seems to climb and descend better. I've always ridden Turbo saddles and the Turbomatic is the same size and shape, but more comfortable.

The Bike

On Sunday 31st October 2010 my trusty old Vitus 979 bonded frame suddenly became unbonded in the lanes at the back of Newgale, about 20 miles from home. After 20 minutes of swearing and fettling and swearing I managed to get one gear on each chainring working, guessed that the frame would hold together if I didn't get out of the saddle and slowly made my way home.

On Wednesday 3rd November I visited my local bike shop, Pembrokeshire Bikes in Fishguard, to see if Peter Walker still had his Raleigh for sale. I've been lusting after this most of the year, but couldn't really justify the expense, but now I had no choice so it was out with the chequebook (an old form of money that still works in a few places), bike into the car and a diet of bread and dripping (if you have to ask you won't understand) for the rest of the month.

A new bike needs new goals and ambitions so a plan was hatched; I will ride an Audax Super Randonneur series on it. For those not familiar with audax this is a series of four rides in a year, organised under Audax UK rules, covering 200km, 300km, 400km and 600km. Each of these have to be ridden at an average speed of at least 15km/hour including stops for food, sleep, mechanical mishaps and getting lost. I rode my first event in February 2003, Des Radford's Carmarthenshire Stopper, 100km in an exhausting 7 hours and 55 minutes, but with practice I've got better than that now. I became a randonneur in 2006 by completing the 200km Carmarthenshire Snapper.

So there you have it; this will be a record of triumph or disaster with the idea that the more people know about it, the harder it'll be for me to wimp out.