Raleigh Randonneur 531

[bluenick62]

Anyone got one of these they fancy selling? 22 to a 23.5 inch frame would work for me.

 

[lae]

I an '84 Randonneur frame but I don't fancy selling it I'm afraid! They are quite expensive (somebody told me that they were Raleigh's most expensive bike) and also reasonably rare - if you're looking for a classic touring bike it would be easier and probably cheaper to look for a Raleigh Royal or Dawes Galaxy or similar.

 

[bluenick62]

yeah, I know. I've got a post '91 randonneur already which i just had resprayed at Argos in Bristol.

but anyway, i'm gonna see if i can get another one to renovate cos I love it. And then i can flog my Carlton Corsair.

i particularly want the randonneur cos of the cantilever brakes....

 

[lae]

You've already got one? Come on, variety is the spice of life and all that!

Post some pics up too, mine is just a frame at the moment so it'd be nice to see how they come out.

 

[bluenick62]

got an idea....

don't put yourself through all the hassle of setting it up - sell it to me!

(i'll take a photo tomorrow)

 

[terryhfs]

I an '84 Randonneur frame

I didn't think the model existed until the 86/87 model year.

 

[lae]

It's been resprayed so I can't be certain, but here's what I know for sure:
It's definitely a Raleigh
It was definitely built in Worksop in 1984
It has cantilever mounts

The seller told me he's sure it's a Randonneur because it was the only Raleigh for sale in 1984 with cantilever mounts, which, as far as I can tell, is true. He could be wrong, or the canti mounts and canti cable stop could've been added later.

Either way I'm not particularly bothered. It's a 531ST frame with fast touring geometry in my ideal size, with canti and rack mounts. I'm not building it up as an all-original-spec Randonneur anyway, so if it turns out to be something else then I won't be disappointed.

 

[Dora]

The Randonneur doesn't appear in the 84 Raleigh catalogue. Their top of the range tourer in 84 was the Classic 15 in 531ST which has caliper brakes. I believe the Randonneur evolved from this a little later. I guess if yours was built in 84 it could have been for the 85 lineup.

 

[roadking]

It's been resprayed so I can't be certain, but here's what I know for sure:
It's definitely a Raleigh
It was definitely built in Worksop in 1984
It has cantilever mounts

The seller told me he's sure it's a Randonneur because it was the only Raleigh for sale in 1984 with cantilever mounts, which, as far as I can tell, is true. He could be wrong, or the canti mounts and canti cable stop could've been added later.

Either way I'm not particularly bothered. It's a 531ST frame with fast touring geometry in my ideal size, with canti and rack mounts. I'm not building it up as an all-original-spec Randonneur anyway, so if it turns out to be something else then I won't be disappointed.

Bro.
Definitely not built in Woksop in 1984, Worksop factory closed in 1980. Raleigh continued using the"W"prefix on frame numbers though...Randonneur second half of 1980s at the earliest.
Roadking.

 

[alanf1968]

I had a mid nineties Randonneur which I foolishly and regrettably sold, definately late eighties bike built in the Raleigh lightweight division at Nottingham, but they used WS frame numbers, despite the WS being originally intended to signify a frame built in the Carlton site near Worksop. Dawes had for many years had the top touring bikes in the Galaxy and Suoer Galaxy, Raleigh had the Clubman and Record Ace which were great day ride/light touring bikes, they developed several competitive tourers, the Granada, Royal etc, but finally brought out the Randonneur, not to compete with Dawes, but to exceed them in the ultimate touring bike category and gain absolute credibility as a touring bike manufacturer, there were no compromises, Brooks Saddle, 2 spare spokes on the chainstay, Blackburn carriers front and rear, braze ons for everything, you would still struggle to beat the spec today