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Thursday, January 24, 2013

Other People's Mountain Tour Bikes

Welcome back the Urban Adventure League's most copied feature, Other People's Bikes. I'm your host, Rip Taylor.

This installment comes to us from manic Monday over on delicious Division Street in the Southeast Portland. After a tasty burrito* I stopped into a local resale shop. Upon locking up I noticed this beaut:

Yep, it's another Raleigh USA "Mountain Tour" mountain bike! This particular one is the Seneca, which sat squarely in the middle of the range. Now if you've been around here long enough you know that Nicholas over at Gypsy By Trade has been pining for a pink--er, "salmon" colored version of the Seneca he's spotted in Albuquerque.**
What Nick is pining for.
This particular specimen is earlier than the salmon one (the salmon one is 1987 I think). It's in good shape, too. (I'm getting the feeling that people bought these bikes and never rode 'em.) Nice upgrades too: a porteur rack of some sort (VO? Soma? Nitto?) and a Brooks saddle. The owner kept the original bullmoose bars, but the wheels are newer, built to Rhyno-Lite rims.

Anyways, after I left the resale shop the owner happened to be unlocking his Seneca. Turns out I ran into him last week while I was riding on SE Lincoln. He passed me and pointed out he also had a Mountain Tour, and sure enough he does! It's a 1985 model. He said he bought the bike in Minneapolis for only $40. (Sigh.)*** He's also used it to tour, putting the "tour" into Mountain Tour. Unfortunately I didn't catch his name, because I'm awkward like that. I'm sure I'll run into him again.

*I can be bribed by burritos. (They have to be veggie burritos, though.)
**Just get the damn bike already.
***I can comfort myself with the fact I bought the Raleigh Wayfarer for $30 and got the Rudge Sports for free. Of course, I put a bit of work into them...

7 comments:

  1. I like the bull moose bars - I think that's their name. Some of the older Bridgestones came with them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Happy to shamelessly copy you, or should I say, "franchise" your idea? All I need is a mailing address to send your franchising royalties. Send to bigdummydaddy gmail.

    Based on this and previous posts, it seems as though there is something emergent about old mountain bikes and front cargo systems up there in Portland.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andy D- You ain't looked hard enough for my mailing address, as it's already a few places on this site where you can find it. Pretty obvious places.

      Anyway,yes on the front cargo load mtbs in Portland. We are so forward thinking.

      Delete
    2. Guilty as charged. I'll look harder.

      There's got to be a joke in there somewhere. An adaptation of an old word play phrase, something about a frontal load on me instead of a frontal lobotomy. Thanks, I'm here all week...

      Delete
    3. No worries. But I'll be quizzing you on my address the next time. You've been warned.

      Delete
  3. I'd be happy to Sell my Raleigh Mountain Tour (Seneca/Gray). Too bad you aren't in Utah. I just got a new Trek and am looking to part with my Mountain Tour.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You're welcome! Though I don't know if the "you" you refer to is me, or Nicholas/Gypsy. Nick is in New Mexico, and probably could use an excuse to ride to Utah. Myself: not so much.

      Delete

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