It was, after all, Raleigh’s third string as far as adult-size small-wheelers went. Email Keith at Raleigh Twenty or R20 series was launched in 1968 without much fuss. I guess I could not afford to buy her back at todays prices sadly.[FREE: If anyone wants a 1976 Raleigh 20 with AW hub gear for a refurbishment project, as at 26 April 2021 Keith Barnes has one in Heywood, Lancashire, England. Was the story I was told in my youth true? I sold it to a guy who said he only wanted the Super Record gear for £150.00 so I had great value out of her and loved every minute of my ownership. I rode the bike extensively for the next ten years or so doing perhaps 8,000 or more miles a year. The old guy had worked at Ilkeston and what he told me seemed plausible. A burly old chap asked me if he could take a look at my bike, turned it over to read the frame number and then told me the following: The bike was built at Ilkeston for Gerald O' Donovan hence the OD and in 1974 hence the 174. You can see why I was impressed… I joined the RAF in February the next year and found out there were some criteriums at our training base (RAF Swinderby) and I rode across to watch.

The rims were gold anodised Mavics which were 28 spoked (direct spoked) and it had silk Clements fitted.

The rear drop outs were not vertical which meant the wheel could not be removed unless the tyre was deflated! The Campag chainset was 53/42 onto a Regina 6 speed block and Regina Golden Oro chain, the block had quite a broad range 13 to 24 teeth. The bars were Cinelli and the saddle a Brooks B17 (with larger than normal copper rivets), the brakes were very shallow and the rear clearance was minimal with very short stays. The running gear was almost all Campag Super Record (not on sale at that time) apart from the hubs that were Zeus (SFQR). The frame was Reynolds 531 in team colours with fully chromed sloping forks, half chromed rear stays and fancy lugs.

I was seventeen years old and it was my first decent bike, I paid £130.00 for it and a black Lutz tracksuit! Tony had known me for a few years and didn’t usually sell secondhand bikes, he knew my size and it was a perfect fit.

I bought OD174 from H O Smiths in Copley Road, Doncaster (from Tony the owner) in 1975 and fell in love with it immediately. I wish I still had the bike I’m about to describe to you and regret selling it back in the late 80s when I was strapped for cash…

Raleigh catalog 1972