Raul Mesa Columbian road bike.

A couple of days ago a chap walked into

the Bookshop and asked if I buy bikes..

sometimes, I answered, what have you got?

Dunno, he replied, they are on the back of

the car, come and have a look.

Both bikes were covered in years of dust 

and grime, so difficult to assess.

 However I sort of liked the look of one of the bikes.

 and I could just make out the name Raul Mesa 

on the down tube which I had never heard of, 

and as I love a bit of bike detective work I 

couldn't resist.

Raul Mesa early in his career steering the Freskola team

motorcycle.

It turns out the Raul Mesa is the name of one of Columbia's

greatest Directeur sportif, who, after a brief career in the 
saddle found his gift for leading cycling teams 
and guided both the Cafe De Colombia and later the 
Manzana Postobón teams

to considerable success during the 1980's-90's.

Mesa with the Postobon squad.

It also turns out Raul has his own bike shop, and built bikes

under his own name and maybe at some point for the

RDM team.

All the information I have here is from the incredible

Alps and Andes Colombian cycling blog.

Here is the Raul Mesa after several hours of cleaning and

re-greasing.

A very nicely built frameset,with a almost full 

Shimano 600 RD-6207 EX group set, which dates the frame 

from around 1984-'86ish.

I am not sure what it is made of, but with the Columbus 
drop outs, and weight, probably Columbus SL.

Quite an unusual fork crown, not a profile I have seen before.

The seat stay caps also have a subtle difference of their own.

All in all a very nice machine,with a good back story

 and equipped with one of the nicest 600 group sets 

Shimano ever made in my opinion.

I will take it out for a couple of rides 

then pass it on and get back to my current vintage
English TT obsession. 

 Raul Mesa still active in Colombian cycling.