Raleigh Panasonic Team Replica 12 restoration
24/10/2020
The bike is completely stripped with the exception of the headset and the bottom bracket. I suspect I’ll have to bite the bullet and head back to Grove Street Bikes for that, since I don’t have the right tools. However, on my most recent visit – to resolve a brake pad problem and a crank-arm-wedged Allen-key issue since I don’t have a vice set up in the apartment – I asked if anyone there knew of a reputable place that could strip and respray the frame. The helpful gentleman I spoke to, Dave, suggested a place called Vicious Cycles, located in New Paltz, upstate NY, about 1½ hour’s drive. According to Dave, these guys are specialists with older steel bike frames.
In addition, a Google search of companies local to me that offer bike resprays and actually look like they’ve done this sort of thing before, showed one called curiously Horse Cycles. A couple of emails were sent and finally a phone call, which was answered straight away by a pleasant sounding gentleman named Thomas. We exchanged emails and Ben Falcon, who I believe is the main artist at Horse Cycles, kindly replied with a quite detailed price breakdown. In essence, I’d be looking at very roughly $875 if I wanted everything – all the stripes and the logo (which he can do, which is so cool) – on the frame as part of the paintwork. He can even turn it around in about a month, which is impressive.
Together with researching costs for the respray, I’m looking into trying to track down someone who know something about the actual, original design of this particular bike. I’ve attempted to contact Raleigh by email, Facebook and Twitter, but haven’t heard so much as a squeak. Back in 84-85, the team was managed by a gentleman named Peter Post, but sadly he died in 2011. I even tweeted to Phil Liggott, legendary bike race commentator and the Voice of The Tour de France. During the 80s, when I’d come home from school just in time to catch the Tour de France coverage in Channel 4, it was the voice of Phil Liggott that accompanied me on my vicarious vélo adventure. I have a list of the team riders from 84-85 and we’ll see how far I get.
Henk Lubberding – Twitter, website
Guy Nulens – nothing online
Eddy Planckaert – nothing online
Theo de Rooij – Instagram, Twitter, website, Facebook
Eric Vanderaerden – Instagram
Peter Winnen – website, Facebook
Ludo de Keulenaer – nothing online
Bert Oosterbosch – died in 1989
Phil Anderson – Twitter, Facebook, Instagram
Gert-Jan Theunisse – nothing online
Jos Lammertink – nothing online
Gerard Veldscholten – nothing online
Walter Planckaert – nothing online
Johan Lammerts – nothing online
Steven Rooks – Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, website
Bert Wekema
René Kos
Henk Baars
Jos Alberts
Danny Lippens
Michel Groenendaal
This was the response I got from Raleigh on Facebook Messenger, “Hi Scott, The records for a large proportion of our older bicycles are held by Nottinghamshire County Council and we can’t easily access them. We also get the most obscure requests for long-forgotten vintage bikes which would take forever in a day to find. We simply can’t answer queries about vintage bicycles but we are pleased to recommend several people who can…” and then they included three links to sites (two were different links to the same site) that weren’t any help whatsoever. Moreover, this isn’t even what I asked them.
However, Phil Liggott replied to me and sent a very nice note. He sent me the email address for Phil Anderson, one of the riders on the 84-85 Raleigh Panasonic team and Mr Anderson kindly replied to my email within a few days. He told me of a Raleigh Restoration Group on Facebook, which I have since joined. He also suggested I attempt to seek Jan Legrand, a dutchman who was the head mechanic from the team, if he was still alive. The Facebook group was an instant success and I had no clue Raleigh restoration had such a worldwide following. According to one user, Neil, my frame is among the earliest Replica Team 12s built. I’d love to be able to find some official confirmation that production on these did indeed start in January 1984.
