Originally Posted by
P!N20
Hey Doug, as you are a frame builder I'm particularly interested in your thoughts on the Raleigh. You've addressed the sloping top tube, the other points of grievance are the dropouts and fork tips. What options would Raleigh have had for a slightly more elegant dropout (and fork tip)? Obviously the Campy 1010 isn't readily available anymore, but there's plenty of steel frame builders that seem to manage - or have horizontal dropouts gone the way of the dinosaur?
Then there's the details around the dropouts/fork tips. Blobs of weld/braze is far from what I'd expect of a professional bike company (even if they haven't been doing steel frames for a while.) Finally the tabs on the fork tips - surely it's frame building 101 to file them flush with the fork blades?
Raleigh is claiming safety standards on the armor plate dropouts.
You have to imagine the factory in wherever it is isn't/hasn't been doing this much if at all lately, certainly not gonna be truly in their wheelhouse and no way Raleigh was going to spring for any more than the bare minimum to get them done.
Just because they are/were supposedly certified in 753/725 doesn't mean they are capable as we see here.
