80ies Raleigh MTB question - who knows something?

[Ladis]

Hi There..

I´ve been looking for some Information about old 80ies MTB-frames from Raleigh...
In the early 90ies I found a Raleigh MTB frame in scrap pile and made it to my very first real MTB-bike. It was made of - when I remember right - 501 Reynolds tubing and had a darkish-green-metalic-sparkle color. The frame was rather big, as they where in the 80ies.

I didn´t find any information here in the Raleigh catalogs but are very curios to find out, what frame I had and from what year it was (and maybe try to find one.. )

So, Ralegh-lovers, can you help me with information or even pictures? Thanks in advance...L.

 

[legrandefromage]

Raleigh Amazon came in that colour

Dont know what tubing though

 

[Ladis]

Thanks for the fast reply.....your bike looks newer to me, looking at the cranks and V-brakes...funnily enough my frame had no decals but did have the Raleigh head tube-badge an the seat stays were stamped Raleigh where the meet the seat tube...maybe this information helps a bit. Thanks...L.

 

[legrandefromage]

That's just a random pic it would have had cantilever brakes and dates from about 1992

 

[zetecmk2]

not 501 though, just "chromoly"
the yukon was 501, but raleigh may have shared this frame with other models........anyone?

 

[drcarlos]

The 'Raleigh' embossed on the seatstays would have marked it out as either a 501 series, 531 lightweight or early K2 Off road series (before they changed to shot in stays after a number of breakages). The problem is in the UK there was no dark metallic Green 501 (Discovery white, Yukon orange/yellow, montage was blue or minty green, Mirage was White then Purple, Moonrun black) or 531 series bike, so what you had would have been a euro market bike if it was 501 or 531. Also from memory there wasn't an early K2 in that colour either.

Carl.

 

[Ladis]

Thanks Carl for this detailed information! ....I´m pretty sure that it was 501 frame.....maybe it was repainted at some time, as it had no decals. What do think about the year? My guess would be in the 85 range?!

Is there any chance to have a look at catalogs from early-mid-80ies Raleigh MTBs?....The catalogs here in RB are starting with the year of 1990...

Thanks - Laszlo

 

[drcarlos]

Bit later than 1985, 1988 was the first year of the 501 series with the 'Raleigh' stays and pretty sure that 1992 would have been that last with those stays as the 1993 Off Road catalogue on here shows the shot in seatstays. I think the 501's were replaced at the end of 1991 with the offroad K2's with the K2 Reynolds frames.

Carl.

 

[AmazonBurner]

I have a dark -no longer metallic- green raleigh amazon.
i purchased it in 1996 for £250.
close to the bottom bracket on the downtube there was an upfacing red label which i am sure said Chromoloy (or sim) 501 (or there abouts)
i just had a check and unfortunately i'd sanded it down and repainted that area..
but i'm pretty sure it said chomloy 501 or similar, been staring at it past 18 years.

i have just decided to replace this bike. it has served its purpose well, but the frame is showing too many signs of corrosion, and the whole drive system needs replaced again, so it's time to modernise

but for anyone looking for a bit of info on the raleigh amazon, i would say the one i got in '96 looks a bit "sleeker" than the one's i've been finding pics of on here. it came fitted with alumininium handlebars and "endo's" and a pretty decent drive system. better than shimano's standard replacement parts. had a couple of extra teeth in the big chainring compared to them too so was nice and nippy when i first got it

i didn't like the centre pull cantilever brakes though, they went cheap plastic on the pivot here, though the rest of the bike was quality. and my headset loosened off on a trip and the ring battered the frame a bit, that was always an issue even after replacing it with the frame damage, so keep that firm and you're sorted

i love that bike. can lift it with a pinky, through it over a deer fence, and crashed on it more times than i wish had actually happened. but you know, first thing i'd do is run over and check it over, see it was ok, and it never let me down. i could go faster on my mates full suspension bike down the woods, but i enjoyed riding this thing at its, or my, limit. relaxing and letting my joints do the suspension work. ahh

anyway. there's what i know. if it's the '96 version the amazon sticker is smaller and closer to the handlebars. tis a nice light bike, for it's day. For a good one, i'd say it's worth around £70, if it was "as new"... well it's certainly better quality than that style of bike i've seen them selling in the shops recently, especially frame wise, so maybe it holds it's value

 

[Imadeitmeself]

Amazon Burner, Your '96 Amazon would have had '4130' Cromoly tubing, its the same frame as my '96 Equator, still have the sticker on mine. Had the bike from new, its was lower spec in the components than the amazon, but other than that & obviously the colour/name they were the same 'chassis'