Superbe by name

Well, this is a wee bit of a departure for me. A new bike not very vintage, not very light and with no sporting pretensions. In fact, it's only 34 years old which makes it by far the youngest bike I have. It could be the grandson of some of my older machines.

So why a Raleigh Superbe? Basically because they started to intrigue me. I've read quite a few blogs where they are their owners' favourite bikes and they definitely offer a completely different riding experience from classic lightweights. Plus, this one turned up for sale locally at a good price and seemed to be in very nice condition. And that's essentially why it's now sitting in my man cave while I wait for a bloody awful cold to lift so I can set about washing and polishing it.

I would have preferred one from the 1950s or earlier when they were apparently at their peak but the older bikes tend to need a lot of TLC or, if they don't, command quite high prices. Ten years ago you could pick up 1950s roadsters for £30 or £40 as they were just seriously out of fashion. Times change, however, and bikes like the Superbe are starting to appreciate in value almost regardless of their age provided they're in good condition - and this one is a cracker.

I don't think it can have done a lot of miles and it also seems to have been regularly serviced. There's quite a bit of grease protecting and lubricating things and stopping them from seizing up. The seat post, for instance, came out with just a little bit of shoogling, the brakes are nicely centred and the mudguards have close, even spaces all round. I think I detect the hand of an experienced bike mechanic.

There's very little rust and what there is, thankfully, is light and should clean off quite quickly. The paintwork has a few scratches but not many that have gone through the paint. I took a cloth and a little car polish to one or two areas and they came up sparkling. The bike looked good in the pre-sale pics I saw of it but, if anything, it's even better in the flesh.

I'm happy to accept that the older machines may have been higher quality in terms of fittings and fixtures but I'm pleasantly surprised at how well-appointed the 1983 Superbe is. There are a few areas where it could be improved if I could be bothered. It's got a steel seat post, steel North Road bars and non-adjustable Union pedals. An alloy post, GB All-Rounder bars and some old Philite pedals I have in the garage would improve its appearance and shave a few ounces off the not inconsiderable weight.

In a wild moment (obviously, that's a relative term) I even thought about replacing the bars with Lauterwasser bars. It would look great but I think I'd need to change the steel stem as well then for something alloy as the diameters of the various parts don't match very well. But, to be honest, I'm fed up taking apart and cleaning old bikes and ending up with almost complete projects but little that's actually rideable so I'm inclined to leave the Superbe just as it is.

One thing I did do straight away, though, was to replace the B66S woman's saddle with a Brooks Pro and remove the dress guards over the rear wheel. This is a big frame and the woman who rode it at some point in the past must have been quite tall. I'm 5' 10", albeit with short legs for my height, and there's only a couple of inches of seat post showing for me. And don't even ask about stand-over height! On tip-toes I'm just about able to preserve and protect. I was assured by the seller that everything works but I was feeling too poorly because of this cold to take the bike for a ride so it will be interesting to see if that's the case.

Of course, there is an ulterior motive for getting the bike that I haven't shared with you yet. My big interest is photography and I have a project in mind that involves documenting a 20 mile long strip of land between Dundee and Perth known as the Carse of Gowrie. I had been planning to drive around the area, which is on my doorstep more or less, but then I thought I'd see more if I toured this essentially flat plain on a bike.

The upright riding style of the Superbe means I'll be able to see over hedgerows and I'll be able to strap my camera gear and tripod to the beefy rear carrier. I'll also be able to stop wherever I want rather than having to look for a parking spot on the narrow country roads and the chunky 37-590 tyres will be better able to handle rough terrain than a sportier bike. When it comes to a choice between a car and a bike for a project like this it is, in a manner of speaking, horses for courses.