Standard Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Brunswick, Maine
Posts: 4,272
Bikes: 1948 P. Barnard & Son, 1962 Rudge Sports, 1963 Freddie Grubb Routier, 1980 Manufrance Hirondelle, 1983 F. Moser Sprint, 1989 Raleigh Technium Pre, 2001 Raleigh M80
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
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Quoted: 1297 Post(s)
The Techniums used 27" wheels in their inaugural year and in '87. In '88, they went to 700c (and the rear brake cable entered through the left side of the top of the headtube lug, when before, it entered through the right). This is an easy way to distinguish the earliest ones. I believe that in the first two years, the wheelbase (ie: chainstays) was longer and there were eyelets on the dropouts. Raleigh apparently steered the Technium from a sport/recreation style to a more competitive one. This evolution accelerated with the use of E9 and 531, respectively, and the transition to a 7-speed freewheel in 1990.