Blown away: 2000 Titanium Team Raleigh RSP550 handmade in UK

[was8v]

Just got my grubby mitts on this, a year 2000 RSP 550 Proline titanium, and I am blown away by the quality and awesomeness!

UK sourced (Timet) Titanium stuck together with the plasma-arc by UK welders. To think Raleigh were knocking stuff like this out, then gave up! How did it ever happen....why didn't we buy it back then?! These are amongst the last frames made by the Raleigh Special Products division before they were disbanded.

Check out those welds - "Mickey The Welder" doesn't have quite the same ring to it as "Frank The Welder" (Yeti) but can he ever weld!

This bike was painted blue and yellow originally (like this one), as the frames are made from rolled tube rather than drawn, and the paint covered the seams which are visible in its naked form.

I plan to leave it naked, and apply some decals I knocked up:

Not sure wether to get the wire wool out and give it a brushed finish first / perhaps get it bead blasted....I kind of like the raw finish around the welds though.

Thanks to bikemeister2000 (ex-Raleigh) on here for info.

 

[AdamAsh]

Love it..

A real piece of history

 

[coomber]

So good. Was that the one on ebay that sold last week? Great price.

 

[saltyman]

get it built!

 

[was8v]

Yeah, got this on ebay, an impulse buy!

I am thinking either find some of the original Rond Quake forks (very light, under 1.5kg) and paint the lowers matt black, or put my Reba Race forks (1.7kg can be knocked down to 80mm) from my Yeti and use it as an excuse to buy some new forks for the Yeti, or perhaps even get some exotic carbon rigid, although I doubt I'd ride it much rigid.

I have XT on X317 disc wheels and a deore hollowtech chainset which I will polish up the arms on, I have an M950 xtr rear mech somewhere too.

Easton carbon post / flite ti, some specialized flat bars......Got some DX thumbies too, so it will be 8 speed rear.

I just need to get brakes, headset, forks, stem, front mech and chain I think! Watch this space!


EDIT: Just remembered I was given a Raleigh BSO that will donate its headbadge to this! Just got to get onto Gil for the vinyl decals now.

Couple more threads with raleigh ti info: http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=81613 & http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=130189

 

[jujupunk]

this looks ace... would love to see a Ti raleigh build, get building then ride

Whats the threaded hole above the BB, is the for the front mech :?

 

[BobCatMax]

paging bikemeister!

 

[was8v]

this looks ace... would love to see a Ti raleigh build, get building then ride

Whats the threaded hole above the BB, is the for the front mech :?

I think the hole is to secure an e-type front mech, popular on FS bikes around "the turn of the century".

I'm assured a normal band mech will fit OK.

 

[Awkward Kid]

Woof! I like the look of this

 

[eRveHa]

Great to build up. You can do everything with such a nice clean titanium frame.

Richard

www.ervehafietsen. nl