Raleigh racing frame ID

[NicoRaleigh]

Hi,

Since I raced in the 1970's as teenager I always wanted a Raleigh. Now living in France I found an original Raleigh 531 double butted bike, bought from the original owner. Unlike the UK version it has a yellow head tube, not black. From the registration number on the BB I know it was built in Worksop in June 1976.

So looking at the catalogues it appears to be a Raleigh International frame with the double brazed cable guides on the top tube and the brazed rear brake guide behind the saddle. What the catalogue shows is a red head tube but mine has a yellow head tube and 'Team Raleigh' transfers. The biggest confusion are the lugs. They are unlike any other lugs I have seen on any Raleigh of the period.

It also has forks that were on the Professional and not the International with Campagnolo dropouts, but the rear dropouts are Suntour. I know nothing was replaced as I bought it from the original owner. Maybe they were lugs with angles used only on small size frames - this seems to be a 20 1/2" .

Any thoughts on lugs or actual model.

Thanks

 

[vcballbat]

Early Raleigh Team Livery bikes have a yellow head tube and larger font without black outline. Your frame is Raleigh Record from what I can see, it should have Record on the down tube and Team Raleigh on the top tube. Can you post some pictures of the full frame and dropouts..

 

[NicoRaleigh]

Hi, that is exactly it. I have not seen any documentation on this model. Where does it fit in the range of frames?

I have just done a quick search for Raleigh Record, and the frames badged 'Record' with yellow head tubes vary. None have the same lugs. Some have no brazed brake cable 'clips' , some don't have the rear brake fitting, none had the same forks.

I am aware that when frames were built, sometimes they used what was about at the time, and if they ran out of the right lugs, they would use what was to hand.

Do you think this was an export model, as this one was bought new in France?

Getting this cleaned up and restored it this summers project - and as everything is original I won't be changing anything - just cleaning.

 

[vcballbat]

Your Record shares the same frame as the 1976 US market Raleigh Competition. Glad to hear that you are keeping the original paint and decals..

 

[NicoRaleigh]

Thank you. You are right, it is exactly that frame but with a different paint job. Probably an export version. Only difference is the rear stays are not half chromed.

 

[vcballbat]

In the 76 Raleigh USA catalogue the Competition was third in the lineup of road bikes. The Team Professional showing would have been built by the Specialist Bicycle Development Unit at Ilkeston Derby. Looks like the American market Raleigh's were supplied with European equipment, maybe with so many cheap Japanese car and motorcycle imports they wanted their Raleigh's to be a bit more exclusive...

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/catalogs/1976/index.html

 

[NicoRaleigh]

HI, I was just looking through some posts on Facebook and this bike came up for sale in South Africa. It is a 1963 Viking. As it happens my brother had a chrome Viking made with Reynolds double butted tubing. Looking closely the head tube lugs are the same as the Raleigh, the rear loop for the break cable is the same the only difference is single cable stops on the top tube and different forks. I wonder if it was made in the same factory? At the weekend I stripped the Raleigh so that I can work on restoring the paint on the frame.

 

[vcballbat]

Cable stops & guides were similar on many frames from the 60's & 70's, the Viking looks mid 60's and wouldn't have been built by Raleigh. The Raleigh should polish up nicely, just go very gently over the decals to preserve them..