My Raleigh International Build

Assembling a complete bicycle, part-by-part, is something that I feel all self-proclaimed bike nerds should experience at least once in their life. There is something very special about envisioning each and every piece of a build and then seeing that plan come to fruition and being able to ride the final product for the first time. For my Raleigh International build, the anticipation couldn't have been greater.

I vividly remember when I first spotted the International in Raleigh's 2011 catalog (cover photo as well as pages 24 and 25) shortly after I had started working at the shop. Like many fellow steel-frame-aficionados, I lusted after the bike, but immediately wrote it off due to its premium asking price. Later that year, after receiving a larger than expected income tax refund, I reconsidered the purchase of the frameset, as this seemed like more of a viable option (as opposed to purchasing the very pricey complete build).

The frameset, as I received it back in June of 2011

The plan was to purchase the frameset through my employer, Europa Cycle & Ski, and then slowly build it up over the next year or so, in order to spread the purchase out rather than one large lump sum. Little did I know that almost 3 years would pass before I would complete the build.

A few months after receiving the frameset, I acquired more parts in the form of wheels and a headset from Velocity USA and Cane Creek, respectively.

New Velocity A23 wheelset and Cane Creek 110 headset!

Over the next couple of years some small parts continued trickling in slowly; handlebar, stem, bottle cages, etc. Then, this past February, I stumbled into some excess cash and decided that this was going to be the year that I finished the build.

I placed orders with Brooks England, Continental, and Campagnolo in order to finish off the build and then waited patiently for the items to arrive.

This felt like (Campy) Christmas Morning

Once all of the parts arrived, it was time to finish the assembly- but not before I prepped the frame with J.P. Weigle's "Framesaver".

Several laborious hours later, I had the finished product: a brand new, complete, rideable bicycle. I enlisted my good friend and cycling buddy, Randy Timm, to help me document this memorable experience by photographing the finished build while on its Maiden Voyage. The following are some photos that we took mid-ride:

The International's frame utilizes a steel lugged construction using Reynolds' high-end 853 CroMoly steel tubing. Note: the custom/modified minimalistic Europa Cycle & Ski decal below the 853 decal.

Raleigh USA uses real metal headtube badges on all of their steel-framed bicycles. Their badge pays homage to the original Nottingham, England company.

The "gruppo" is Campagnolo's Athena 11, which is not only my first Campy groupset, but also my first 11-speed group.

The tires are these beautiful, German, handmade "Grand Prix Classics", which combine a great throwback look with Continental's modern "BlackChili Compound".

The cockpit is composed of a Ritchey "Classic" Curve handlebar, wrapped with Brooks England's Leather Bar Tape.

Finishing off the build is a Thomson Elite X2 stem and Elite seatpost, a Brooks Swallow saddle, Velo Orange Moderniste bottle cages, and Shimano A600 SPD pedals.

So far, I've only been out on one glorious ride with this steed, but I hope to get out and enjoy many more miles on it this spring and summer! Thanks to all of the manufacturers of these great products that made this beautiful bicycle possible! Thanks to the great customer service that I received from Jerry at Campagnolo North America, John at Velocity USA, Tyler at Raleigh USA, and Brett at Highway 2! Lastly, thanks to Europa Cycle & Ski for allowing me to support myself through college by working everyday with one of my passions, and of course, access to industry-specific-discounts! 

Be sure to leave any comments or questions in the comments section below. Also, be sure to check out my friend, Randy's, work on his Flickr and his Tumblr.

Until next time!

-Jonathan, PedalBound