Identify this frame - next Resto

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David9694
Posts: 908
Joined: 10 Feb 2018, 8:42am

Identify this frame - next Resto

Post by David9694 »

It’s a Raleigh, has the seat tube stamps, proably early 1990s. It has a Reynolds 531 “restored” sticker. Maybe it can’t therefore be identified from the colour scheme, but I did find something similar looking on page 7 of one of the old brochures :

http://veterancycleclublibrary.org.uk/n ... %20Library).pdf

It has a distinct silver decal near the foot of the seat tube and a green decal on one fork that reads “PULSE” (picture not clear)

FB8527B1-1BE4-439F-8E21-2673ACC4D0DE.jpeg


10C2EFF6-5087-478C-AC65-BC42F6DF3D1C.jpeg


984168F6-8950-475C-AB37-94450AE5B4AF.jpeg


Any clues, bike detectives?
Attachments
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Spa Audax Ti Ultegra; Genesis Equilibrium 853; Raleigh Record Ace 1983; “Raleigh Competition”, “Raleigh Gran Sport 1982”; “Allegro Special”, Bob Jackson tourer, Ridley alu step-through with Swytch front wheel; gravel bike from an MB Dronfield 531 frame.
peetee
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Joined: 4 May 2010, 10:20pm
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Re: Identify this frame - next Resto

Post by peetee »

It does look like a lot of frames from around that time. While to blue fade was v popular. Raleigh, Claude Butler and several smaller suppliers like Geoffrey Butler offered frames in these colours. I can tell you it's not the one in the lower picture. Yours is a conventional brazed frame. That Dyna Tech is bonded.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
9494arnold
Posts: 1208
Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 3:13pm

Re: Identify this frame - next Resto

Post by 9494arnold »

Any frame number? That may help.
Brucey
Posts: 44456
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Identify this frame - next Resto

Post by Brucey »

one thing you can be fairly certain of is that it isn't a dyna tech frame; they were glued together, (whereas yours is brazed) in the main triangle.

The frame number may contain a date. Apart from that you have clues such as

-styles of lug, dropout, fork crown etc (but the fork may have been replaced; check number on forks)
- positions and types of braze ones (but again may have been modified at time of previous refurb)
- frame geometry (angles, tube lengths etc)
- clearances (i.e. brake drop, width between chainstays)
- seat pin diameter
-frameset weight


The last two things are what tells you most about the frame tubing; the stickers could mean anything.

superficial stuff like paint, stickers, headset fitted etc are most likely to come from the time of the refurb, not from the time of original manufacture. 'Fade' paint jobs like that were popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, so that would probably be when it was refurbed not manufactured.

IIRC raleigh started using top eyes with 'raleigh' embossed in them in the mid 1980s. If the bike is 'sporty' then it ought to be possible to date it quite accurately because it is designed for nutted brakes not allen key ones. This feature is easy to identify in even poor quality catalogue reproductions.

If lightweight, with clearances that are generous but the frame is clearly meant for skinny tyres, it would be strongly suggestive of something like a Record Ace. This is a ~1983 one;

Image

so you can be confident that it isn't one of those; they have a plainer top eye, long point lugs and were originally fitted with 27" wheels. However this 1986 one is more similar to yours,

Image

so maybe that is one to look at more closely?

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brucey
Posts: 44456
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Identify this frame - next Resto

Post by Brucey »

this is another record ace from the mid 1980s; (1985?)

Image

not quite the same colour scheme as the other one. Again the frame looks very similar to yours.

[edit; neither of the record aces that look similar have a pump peg on the back of the head tube, or double bottle bosses, so not quite right after all, or the frame had mods when refurbed]

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Valbrona
Posts: 2687
Joined: 7 Feb 2011, 4:49pm

Re: Identify this frame - next Resto

Post by Valbrona »

What point restoring it when it is hopelessly too big for 99% of the population?
I should coco.
David9694
Posts: 908
Joined: 10 Feb 2018, 8:42am

Re: Identify this frame - next Resto

Post by David9694 »

Thanks Brucey and everyone.
So a 26.8mm 400mm seatpost I’ve got starts off loose and then firms up half-way in. I’ve always found this a dark art of trial and error - micrometer and Icetookz cigar gauge don’t tie it down.
Front and rear drop-outs are Gipiemme. 126 mm at the back. Nutted brakes.
Not sure if the frame no is complete : 001081 - there’s nothing on the steerer.
Mystery frame has got 2x2 bottle cage bosses, shifter bosses, and a headtube pump peg

849792B0-E3BF-4FFF-A467-320B1DB3B6CC.jpeg

55A94FE8-EE84-4EC8-A4FB-2EFC3D5DC3F8.png


There are several similarities with an early 1990s Raleigh Veloce I refurbed last year into - guess what - a Raleigh Record Ace c1982 like the first one in your pictures. What an ugly bug that one was originally! I’ve also got a c1982 21” RRA frame primed that’s probably going to become one of my own brand,(and another 23.5” RRA frame with a downtube ding, refurbished back to original new).
Spa Audax Ti Ultegra; Genesis Equilibrium 853; Raleigh Record Ace 1983; “Raleigh Competition”, “Raleigh Gran Sport 1982”; “Allegro Special”, Bob Jackson tourer, Ridley alu step-through with Swytch front wheel; gravel bike from an MB Dronfield 531 frame.
Brucey
Posts: 44456
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Identify this frame - next Resto

Post by Brucey »

26.8mm does not suggest a record ace or 531DB tubing to me. PG tubing (maybe 501?) or perhaps something more heavy duty sounds quite likely.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cyril Haearn
Posts: 15215
Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Identify this frame - next Resto

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Valbrona wrote:What point restoring it when it is hopelessly too big for 99% of the population?

How big is the frame? I could not see a size
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
Cycling-of course, but it is far better on a Gillott
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Brucey
Posts: 44456
Joined: 4 Jan 2012, 6:25pm

Re: Identify this frame - next Resto

Post by Brucey »

it looks like about 25". I wouldn't worry much about that; raleighs of that period had very short to top tubes in the larger sizes; I worked out that the reach didn't increase more than 10mm between a 21.5 and 25.5" frame in one Raleigh model. So even if you have the saddle set very low it probably won't be difficult to find a stem that will let you fit to the bike. Saddle heights per se are basically irrelevant, (or at least as relevant as the length of hemlines this year) as long as you can get the saddle the right height/setback, the reach is right, and not come to grief when mounting/dismounting, the bike can be said to 'fit'.

cheers
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Brucey~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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