Raleigh Competition 531,Enid Frame Number, Purple

[daveweim]

Hi All,

I'm new to this forum so go easy on me and I hope I've posted in the right place

My interest in older bikes has been revived due to my other half being from Nottingham and deciding to buy an old school Raleigh bike a few weeks ago (I used to have a Harry Hall 531 in my youth, which I now wished I kept). I've now bought a Raleigh Competition with Reynolds 531 tubing with an 'E' frame number, which I understand from the seller means that it was built in Enid, USA, and not Nottingham. I've not picked the bike up yet nor seen it so I've taken a punt on it if I'm honest. It is painted in a lovely purple colour, which neither I or the seller are sure is original although it has the original Reynolds Decals on it.

I was wondering if anyone knows about such bikes as I'm interested to know their history, whether they are held in the same regard as the bikes built in Nottingham etc. I will hopefully return it to its original state and use it so I'm not bothered whether I've got a good deal or not.

Many thanks

 

[Nob]

Harry Hall should have been a keeper......................

 

[kingbling]

Purple was a Raleigh colour as I used to have a Odyssey in metallic purple.

 

[daveweim]

Re:

Nice to know they did bikes in purple so hopefully it will be the original paint scheme.

Alas at the age of 16 I didnt realise how good the Harry Hall was!

 

[Jamiedyer]

I don't think many of us knew as much as we thought we did at 16

Look forward to seeing it when it arrives and hopefully you'll have many happy miles on it when it does.
Welcome aboard

Jamie

 

[daveweim]

Re:

Thank you

My O/H has recently bought an old Raleigh Merlin that I've been tasked with bringing back to life so I am having to learn how to service cup and cone bearings and remove freewheel cassettes etc. All good fun though. The Competition may turn out to be a bit small for me but my O/H now has designs on it saying purple is a female colour, sigh...

 

[The History Man]

When I am an old woman I shall wear purple
With a red hat that doesn't go, and doesn't suit me,
And I shall spend my pension
on brandy and summer gloves
And satin sandals,
and say we've no money for butter.
I shall sit down on the pavement when I am tired,
And gobble up samples in shops and press alarm bells,
And run my stick along the public railings,
And make up for the sobriety of my youth.
I shall go out in my slippers in the rain
And pick the flowers in other people's gardens,
And learn to spit.
You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat,
And eat three pounds of sausages at a go,
Or only bread and pickle for a week,
And hoard pens and pencils and beer mats
and things in boxes.
But now we must have clothes that keep us dry,
And pay our rent and not swear in the street,
And set a good example for the children.
We will have friends to dinner and read the papers.
But maybe I ought to practise a little now?
So people who know me
are not too shocked and surprised,
When suddenly I am old
and start to wear purple!

Jenny Joseph


Welcome.

 

[daveweim]

Ah, she has a point then!

 

[daveweim]

This is the bike - to be collected in the next week or so

 

[Jamiedyer]

Ohh! She is out of luck as that's definitely a mans purple that is
Looks very nice.

Jamie