Raleigh Corsa

[Singhsan]

Hi All,

I've just picked up a Raleigh Corsa it has exage sport front mech and rear derailleur, looks like exage hubs, basically exage everything. sakae stem. I don't know much about it other than it's 531 Reynolds butted, I don't know if it is main tubes or everything.

Also I thing the rims are clinchers, it feels like the tyres (tires?) are glued on.

Can anyone shed any light on this thing, everything I have read so far points to a Reynolds 501, in Panasonic colours.

I know this should have come with drop bars but for the price I'm not to bothered (especially since I was planning on going for flat bars later).

Can anyone tell me anything about this bike?

Someone commented that the red and white were the Raleigh team colours in the late 80s, is there any truth to this?

Thanks in advance.

 

[bikeworkshop]

The rims are clinchers so the tyres are just stuck on by decomposing material. Sometimes a fair bit of force is needed to break the bead from the rim.
It's quite a nice quality midrange model, they sold a fair few.
A decent, competent bike.

Your 1988 531 corsa, in this catalogue:

https://www.retrobike.co.uk/archive/1988-raleigh-lightweights-catalogue.992/download

 

[Singhsan]

Thanks bikeworkshop,

That catalogue has shines a fair amount of light on the bike.

The main tubes of the frame are 532, guessing the rear triangle is "gas pipe" (or possibly Raleigh 18-23). Forks seam (see what I did there?) like they are gas pipe steel as well.

With this being a mid-range model I guess it not super valuable so I can strip it down and rebuild any vision I want and it's not going to matter?

Would you happen to know why they went from 501 to 531 (or the other way around)?

Is there a benefit to having clinchers, for a bike that is literally going to be used as a local run about?

 

[bikeworkshop]

Clinchers are "normal" tyres into which you fit an inner tube.
They are heavy but easy to service.
This is what you have.

What you don't have are "tubulars"
which are glued on.
They are lighter and smoother rolling, but a pita to repair.

The lost crown fork of this period is usually 531 - im not familiar with the detail though - maybe they made a budget one - but there wouldn't have been a big difference in price for 501 vs 531 blades compared to the cost of manufacture.

Cheaper Forks stuck with a nasty folded metal crown lug for a while yet.

 

[Singhsan]

Clinchers are "normal" tyres into which you fit an inner tube.
They are heavy but easy to service.
This is what you have.

What you don't have are "tubulars"
which are glued on.
They are lighter and smoother rolling, but a pita to repair.

The lost crown fork of this period is usually 531 - im not familiar with the detail though - maybe they made a budget one - but there wouldn't have been a big difference in price for 501 vs 531 blades compared to the cost of manufacture.

Cheaper Forks stuck with a nasty folded metal crown lug for a while yet.

Ohhhh I r dumb!

So basically I have really skinny normal rims, I can deal with these. Not sure what a lost crown fork is so going to have a google-ing sesh!

I wonder why have 501 at all if the cost is negligible and (as I understand it) 531 is better?

Or am I getting that wrong and it's more about the properties of the metal making it suitable for the type of use (making this up but 591 is a better material for touring, 531 is better for racing?)

I appreciate this is going off topic, so feel free to shut this down

 

[bikeworkshop]

A better quality steel is usually more adaptable to applications.
You can save more weight and determine stiffness, the brightness of the ride.
531 came in different profiles for different applications.

The rear stays are probably plain gauge but a decent steel alloy.
It would be interesting to compare the fork with a 531 lost crown model of the same year - there are some on that same page spread.
Flick them to compare the sound, weigh them to compare the profile.

Its quite possible that the fork is 531, but not advertised as such in order to create a differential with the more expensive models - hence the lack of any sticker or catalogue information