Blue Order

Well, I bought a bike yesterday, and now I have to figure out what it is that I bought. It’s a Raleigh Portage, but it’s not the Raleigh Portage that was at the top of Raleigh’s touring lineup in the mid-80s. It looks more like a really old-school mountain bike.

Here are some differences between the 1984 touring Portage and the Portage I bought:

Spec 84 Raleigh Portage
Frame: Double-butted CrMo
Wheelbase: 40.3”
Chainstay: 17.4”
Fork rake: 2.4”
Tire size: 650 X 35
Crankset: Takagi Triple
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT
Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT
Shift Lever Location: Downtube
Brakes: Shimano Cantilevers
Features: (1) F & R Rack Braze-ons
(2) Sealed Bearing hubs and BB
(3) 40 Spoke Rear wheel
(4) Water bottle braze-ons (3)

Spec ?? Raleigh Portage
Frame: **********??
Wheelbase: 43.3”
Chainstay: 18.5”
Fork rake: 2.0”
Tire size: 26 X 2.125
Crankset: Sugino Double
Rear Derailleur: SunTour Seven
Front Derailleur: SunTour “Spirt” (Probably Spirit)
Shift Lever Location: Thumbshifters
Brakes: Lee CHI
Features: (1) Double Eyelets F & R



As I said, this bike looks like an old-school mountain bike. The handlebars are the triangulated flat bar/stem combo called a “bullmoose” bar. The bike is a “small” 21” frame with a level top tube. Lugged steel.

Here’s what seems weird to me: The frame itself seems like it’s a nice frame. Lugged steel, looks decent enough, although the dropouts might be stamped (I don’t know how to tell, but they just don’t seem very substantial). However, there’s nothing on the frame to indicate what material the frame is made of. I would think if it was Double-butted CrMo, Raleigh would’ve wanted to advertise that fact. The bike itself is heavy, although the touring Portage may also have been heavy (Raleigh didn’t supply a weight spec for the touring Portage). Apart from what seems like a nice frame, the bike has cheap written all over it. A foil sticker on the head tube, instead of the brass Raleigh badge. What look like stamped dropouts (and the eyelets are “within” the rear dropout, rather than brazed on). Steel wheels. What look to be low-end components. Double crankset. Plastic pedals—not carbon, plastic. No braze-ons for water bottles. Another weird thing: Those double eyelets. If it’s a mountain bike, why have double eyelets? On a touring bike, fenders make sense. On a mountain bike, they make no sense.

So does anybody have any ideas about this bike? Is it an early attempt at a mountain bike, or an early attempt at the touring Portage? Any ideas on the year? The Serial number is RG 630471. The bike was made in Canada.

Basically, I’m trying to figure out what to do with it. If it’s got a decent frame, I can make it into an awesome off-road tourer, ala the Portage, even if it is a “mountain bike.” On the other hand, if the frame is gaspipe, I don’t really know what to do with it. Sell it on Ebay as an old school mountain bike piece of ….history? Convert it into a single-speed ice bike (forgetting for the moment that I don’t live in an icy climate)? Leave it in the doorway as a constant reminder to not bring home trash?

Comments?

Im Fixed

Waterloo Ontario to be exact. I have a few of them in my yard Theres a black and yellow one that sticks in my mind it has fenders and a rear carrier. Take them off and Id call it a multi track or mtn bike. and low end.

Blue Order

Here's a pic-- not the best, but the only pic I've got.

Blue Order

So are we talking gaspipe here?

Im Fixed

Dug around today and found a frame and the 1 I was talking about no tubing stick but Id say hi tensil [?sp]

Blue Order

Yep, that's the impression I'm getting. Cheap stamped dropouts, no integral derailleur mount on the dropout, no tubing sticker. It looks like a nice lugged frame, but nothing to indicate a *quality* lugged frame.

Very, very weird, because these were apparently being produced circa the time when the very high quality Portage touring bike was being produced. I can't understand why Raleigh would produce two bikes of vastly different quality with the same name in the same general time period.

Blue Order

After looking everywhere I could think of for information on this bike, and coming up with very little, I've come to the conclusion that Raleigh made two Portages-- one, a top-end touring bike for the U.S. market, and the other a low-end mountain bike for the Canadian market.

Every reference I've seen for the mountain bike is from Canadian sources (and it was, after all, built in Canada), while every reference I've seen for the touring bike is from U.S. sources. Weird. You'd think Raleigh would've wanted to avoid any confusion in its lineup.

Anyway, I've found very little info on the mountain bike, but I think I just might keep it as a beater. It's not *that* low-end, seems like a decent-enough bike with its lugged-steel frame, and it might be useful to have sometimes.

If anybody has *any* information about these bikes, I'd really like to know more. Also, if the Serial Number means anything to somebody out there, I'd like to know the year.

Blue Order

Well, after almost selling this bike-- I had it listed and had an interested buyer-- I changed my mind and decided to keep it. I compared it with the UO8 it's parked next to, and the dropouts are at least as good as those on the UO8. It's got a really attractive lugged-steel frame, really cool bullmoose handlebars, double eyelets front and rear, wide-spaced dropouts, cantilever brakes and a 43" wheelbase. The frame is just too attractive to sell off, it seems like a pretty solid, heavy-duty bike, it was only $25, and I don't really have a beater, so...

I think I'm going to use this to get groceries, to commute in the rain, to leave locked but unattended at the university or a restaurant or theater-- to use in place of my "better" bikes when the situation calls for it.

I feel better already.


Any Raleigh experts have any ideas about the year? Serial number RG 630471, made in Canada.

paulzinho

Hi Blue,

I know this is an old thread but I'm reviving it in case you or someone else is still curious and maybe my info is relevant.

I'm in the same situation as you. I've been searching for a couple of weeks now for info on these Canadian made Raleigh bikes, and have come up empty. I would love to know more about these models.

I have a Portage and a Peak, both mountain bikes. The serial number on the portage is RE4427808 and is stamped on a plate between the seat stays I think they are called.
The portage has a decal that says the frame is "4130 CROMOLY MAIN TUBES" and has suntour XR100 components all original.

For those who are curious; The Peak is a 21 speed, has a Tange infinity cr-mo tapered double butted tubing and full Shimano Alivio components. All original.
The peak's serial number is on the bottom of the bottom bracket and is RE4 06331. By the component date stamps the peak is probably a 1994 or 1995.

I've attached they only picture I have available...
That is all the info I have.

paulzinho

Ok so I fount a link that might help us from bulgier dot net:
https://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Cat...ialNumbers.jpg

if this still holds true then

The portage would be:
R – Manufactured in Canada
E - April
4 – Year of Manufacture (1994 or 84?)
This may not be correct. The bike seems older.

the Peak would be:
R – Manufactured in Canada
E - April
4 – Year of Manufacture (1994)

06331 - series number
The Peak does seem to match the age specified by the serial number.

Buth then again this could all be a fluke.

Blue Order

Based on the cromoly frame, and the serial number, I'd say your Portage is a '94. Mine is an '86, and as far as I know, hi-ten. The Portage was (and probably still is) the entry-level mountain bike for Canadian Raleigh. Even so, I really like mine. It's got a very old school frame, with a crowned fork and eyelets for fenders and racks front and rear, Mafac-style cantilevers (which I'm going to replace with real Mafac cantilevers), plus it's got the bullmoose handlebars that were popular in the mid-eighties. Very old school. It will make the perfect grocery getter.

I suspect that yours can also be put to good use, whether as a trail bike, or a city bike. It's certainly a better bike, with that cromoly frame, and yet as an entry-level bike, you can use it as your beater. That's not bad at all, having a cromoly bike as your beater. Is the pic you have of the Portage, or the Peak? Can you post more soon?

I've recently bought a camera, so now would be a good time to take some shots of the bike "before" I begin restoring it this winter for next spring's runs to the farmer's market. Pics to post soon.

Don't know anything about the Raleigh Peak, by the way.

Blue Order

For comparison with the other Raleigh Portage, here's the American-made touring bike, the 650B Raleigh Portage.

1984 or 1985 Raleigh Portage 650B Touring Bike - $600 (inner richmond)

Reply to: sale-948631869@craigslist.org [?]
Date: 2008-12-07, 10:57AM PST


I've had this bike for a little over a year, but need to make room for a new bike. For 2 years in the mid 80's, Raleigh USA sold this lugged touring frame with 650B wheels in the US, pre-dating the 650B revival by two decades.

The frame is in excellent overall condition, with 2 notables. There's a very small dent in the headtube, near the DT lug, on the non-drive side, and the paint is scratched, but not worn anywhere.

It's a 23" / 59cm size. I'm 5'11" and normally ride a 58/59cm frame. Standover height is 32 1/2".

Since I bought the bike, it's been almost completely overhauled -- headset, bottom bracket, new chain, replaced worn or broken spokes and trued the wheels, all new cables and housings, new brake levers, new handlebar tape, new tires, new fenders.

* Double-butted Reynolds 555 tubing
* 18 speeds, downtube friction shifting
* SR quill stem
* SR Sakae Randonneur handlebars (classic!)
* Sugino AX Touring triple crank
* New Tektro campy-clone brake levers
* New Honjo-Koken aluminum full coverage fenders.
* Grand Bois Cypres 650x32b tires. The tires have only about 100 miles on them, although the sidewalls are dirty from riding in the rain. These are the most comfortable road tires I've ever ridden, and they're fast too.
* Cool old high-flange hubs

The frame has double dropout eyelets both front and rear for fender and rack mounting, and low-rider mounts on the fork, plus 3 sets of water bottle mounts (2 bottle cages included). It could be set up equally well as a randonneur or heavy duty loaded touring bike. It has very long chainstays for foot/pannier clearance.

Asking $600 (OBO, naturally).

Lots and lots more photos on flickr.

Blue Order

And another 650B Raleigh Portage:

paulzinho

Here is mine the way I got it. This is actually the picture from the kijiji advert. Not mine I would have at least taken the picture from the other side.

paulzinho

I have to say that I find those handle bars strange!

IceNine

I've got a 25" 84 Portage 650B which I picked up for very cheap. I love this bike. You should see how long the headtube is on this guy. It came totally stock with very low miles, complete with front and rear rack. Even the dork disc was in pristine condition. It came with a lovely Raleigh branded 42cm rando bar, which is just too narrow for me. I'm putting a 45cm Nitto Rando bar with a technomic stem on it. If anyone is interested in swapping for the Raleigh rando bars, please let me know. They are in mint condition.

paulzinho

Hey blue Order, there is a Portage (mountain bike) on EBAY right now. Black with yellow forks. You might be curious what it will sell for. I don't know what the policy is for EBay links so if you seach for Raleigh Portage you should find it.

nlerner

Here it is:

https://cgi.ebay.com/Raleigh-Portage-...3%3A1|294%3A50

Neal

Blue Order

Yep, found it.



That's the low-end mountain bike made by Raleigh Canada. Compare it to the high-end touring bike of the same name made by Raleigh USA, pictured in above posts.

This particular Portage is a later model than mine. The main difference between my Portage and this one, apart from graphics, is the unicrown fork on this one, as compared to the the crown fork on mine.

However, I also have this year Portage, in a mixte frame. When I swap out the unicrown fork for a matching crown fork, I will have a matching set (after the repaint) of Portages for going to the market.

Blue Order

Yours would be a 94...

Donkey Hodie

I have a Raleigh Portage Touring bike on the way! I hope I did not pay to much for it. Turns out that someone else wanted it very much. The opposing bidder spent all afternoon on the final auction day edging the bid price all the way up to my bid. I figured it probably wouldn't have sold for over a couple hundred bucks (300 tops), so I entered a high bid price. Normally, I would have just waited and entered a bid war, but I had to be at work with no internet access during the end of the auction. Either way, it ooks like I am getting an all original touring Portage (minus a few parts such as the original racks, and 1 water bottle/cage)!

I just hope the frame is near mint with no dings and no serious damage.

Now, should I stick with drops? Switch to North Roads? Or give the mustache handlebars a try?
...I'm leaning towards North Roads with Paul thumbies.

Blue Order

Congratulations!

...and wow on that price.

Normally I'd say that's the upper end on price for a mass production C&V touring bike, but with all of the crazy prices I've seen lately, who knows what bikes are worth any more? Still, I think the eBay noobie who bid you up is a good argument for enlisting the services of a sniping company if you can't be near a computer at auction's end.

Sweet bike, anyway!

Bars will depend on what you're using the bike for. If it's touring, it should have drops. If it's riding around town, any of your choices will work. Commuting, I'd go with drops, again.

positron

It will be a great bike. You got dinged on the 650B cache (price wise), but I wanted it too i guessed about 4-500 is what it would go for, but I'm often wrong about prices...

enjoy the ride. keep the drops on there. seriously, dont change a thing (besides cables, chain and bartape) that thing is a kickass vintage touring bike.

edit: maybe (maybe) switch the stem to a nitto dirtdrop.

IceNine

I'm putting a nitto technomic stem and nitto rando bars on mine as the stock bars aren't wide enough for me.

I was going to sell the Raleigh-branded handlebars but decided to keep them. I'd encourage you to save any stock parts just so you can take it back to original at some point. Those Portages don't seem all that common.

nlerner

On my Portage, I went with wider Rando bars, a taller stem with shorter reach (for my aching neck), Tektro R200 aero brake levers, and Rivendell Silver bar-end shifters. That's the setup that works very well for me.

Neal