Monday Blues: Purple Raleigh...

Spill a little red into that can of blue paint, and you end up with some shade of purple. I believe this Raleigh to be a Super Course model from around 1985 though, according to Sheldon Brown, they were built in this color/chrome combination as early as 1983. It is that deep, dark purple (almost black) color, with chrome front (fork, head tube) and rear (stays). These may have been the "every-man's" model, meant to capitalize on the Team USA bikes ridden in the Olympic Games of 1984, and by the domestic Levi's - Raleigh Cycling Team. "About" twenty-five of those bikes (red main triangle with black front and rear) were built out of the Canadian workshop of Giuseppe Marinoni in 1984 and 1985. These may not be as collectible as their higher profile Olympic cousins, but still, they are pretty nice steel, lugged, 1980s bikes. As with many of the classic and vintage bikes, I saw this one at the Velo, late last year.

Blue: A color, a mood or emotion, a genre of music. Tune in each Monday for another installment of the Blues, with a cycling twist.