Naturally, it’s hard to take on a 545 mile bicycle trip without something to ride, so I thought I’d take a minute to familiarize you with the bike I’ll be riding.  Below are some pictures of my 12-speed 1983 Raleigh Competition lugged-steel frame, made in Japan for Raleigh Cycle Company of America, and bought off Craigslist for $240.  The Competition was Raleigh’s entry-level racing bike, made more for the competitive market than the recreational rider.  Shows what they know…

Other than the newer saddle and seat post it came with and the chain and pedals I put on, it’s stock (including the tires, by the look of them).  The rigid steel tubing won’t be very fun going over potholes on Highway 101 at 25 miles per hour, but it should handle the 545 mile trip better than I will.

That little pack slung under the saddle is a quickie burrito; I cut an 18″x18″ square of an old felt blanket, wrapped a spare tube, patch kit, tire leves, pen, and paper inside, and lashed it under my saddle with an old leather strap.  I’m intending to add a set of 4mm, 5mm, and 6mm allen wrenches and a couple of other small tools to make it a general-purpose road tool kit, along with a rear rack to make it a little more commute-friendly.

There’s still some more work to do before I’m finished.  The tires are holding quite well now, but I think I’m going to want some newer ones before the ride starts.  The derailleurs should really be cleaned out, and it wouldn’t hurt the brakes to give them a once-over, too.  I really want to change the handlebars – the standard Raleigh drop bars are quite uncomfortable for my large hands.  Before I I do that, I’m playing with different bar wrapping.

Right now, the left side of the bars are meticulously wrapped with cotton twine, with the top half coated in amber shellac.  The raw twine is quite comfortable to grasp, the shellaced twine less so (but still comfortable) but it doesn’t provide any cushioning, and I suspect the un-shellaced parts are going to get dirty from use rather quickly.  The right side of the bar was another experiment: I wrapped a used inner tube around the bar, then wrapped the twine over it.  Unfortunately, the twine couldn’t wrap uniformly around the tube, leaving ugly gaps, and the tube is too compressed to offer any cushioning.  Next, I’m going to try wrapping another layer of twine over the left side to see how that plays out, while I shop around for a more comfortable set of drops.

In the meantime, she’s working quite well as a daily commuter.