What Kind of Raleigh 531 ST do I have? Please help!

[djmapletoft]

Hello!

First time poster here!

Could anyone help me identify what kind of Raleigh I have here?

I got it second hand and have been restoring it. Initially I thought I'd got myself a Raleigh Panasonic 531c but having checked everything out the colour is similar but not identical. The Reynolds tubing sticker also says it's a 531ST. It also has a slightly suspect looking sticker as a badge (surely not the original, right?)

I've checked for the serial number on the bottom bracket but it looks like whoever had it before me painted the whole underside of the bike blue. So far I can only find a single letter - "S"...

The tubing is legit 531 but I can't tell the difference between 531c and 531st... Just wondering if I've got a decent bike here worth restoring further or whether I should sell up and get a regular panasonic!

Cheers!

 

[one-eyed_jim]

Welcome.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/139316030 ... 051786525/

It's a keeper!

It looks to me like quite a special bike. If it's really a Raleigh, I think it's an SBDU custom, dating from the mid-late eighties. The stick-on head badge was often used on lightweight specials, and the lack of rivet holes on the head tube suggests it's original.

Reynolds 531ST usually uses a slightly slimmer seatpost than normal 531 or 531c - 26.8 or 27.0mm vs 27.2 or 27.4mm. The seatstays are certainly 531ST.

To judge by the paint scheme, it's likely a contemporary of the 753 bikes used by the Cranes on their 1986 "Journey to the Centre of the Earth":

https://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/pag ... 34004&v=1R

Raleigh specialists on the forum will be very interested to know the full serial number.

 

[djmapletoft]

Thanks so much for helping with this! Great pictures as well! The only mystery is the direction / colourway of the decal on the seat tube not coming vertically down...

I am in the process of getting it refurbed and will post the full serial when I uncover it. I've been recommended Argos Cycles for the respray.

In a moment of madness I decided to kit it out with a full Shimano 600 Arabesque groupset, so at some point I'm also planning to replace the cranks as it's the only piece I don't have (think at the moment it's a 105).

I'd also always assumed I'd get stick on decals but some framebuilders are saying it's better to get them painted on? Hmm...

 

[xerxes]

Re:

Reynolds 531ST usually uses a slightly slimmer seatpost than normal 531 or 531c - 26.8 or 27.0mm vs 27.2 or 27.4mm. The seatstays are certainly 531ST.

531ST was "531 Super Tourist", there were several variations of the Reynolds 531 tubes/framesets, they were all the same material, steel manganese molybdenum alloy, but with different tube diameters and wall thicknesses. 531 was all good stuff, just different specs for different purposes:

531 standard.
531C - Competition, thinner walled and slightly lighter.
531ST - Super Tourist, slightly thicker walled, a bit heavier and stiffer.
531ATB - Thicker, heavier and stiffer still for MTB/ATB frames.

Custom builders would also mix and match tubes from different framesets to build something tailored to a rider, so would perhaps use ST seat and down tubes to build a stiffer frame for a larger rider, for example.

Your frame isn't a touring frame, but it is a large frame, so the builder may have considered stiffer 531ST better suited than one of the lighter variants.

 

[one-eyed_jim]

It would be a good idea to repost this in the road section, or ask one of the moderators to move this thread. You'll get more knowledgeable responses there. Alternatively, send a PM to originalshinkicker:

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=21263

He'll be able to confirm that it actually is a Raleigh, and (assuming it is) give you a more precise date from the serial number.

Your frame isn't a touring frame, but it is a large frame, so the builder may have considered stiffer 531ST better suited than one of the lighter variants.

My feeling is that this may have been built as a light expedition tourer, much like the Cranes' 753 bikes that combined some of the features of a road and touring bike. It's not a load hauler, but would be perfect for fast, lightly laden touring with a pair of small rear panniers and a bivvy bag.