Wanted: 1984 Raleigh USA Bicycle Catalog (Digital)
12-04-21, 05:35 PM
#26
Le savonnier
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I just tracked down the eBay receipt for this catalog. I bought it in Oct 2007 from a book seller in NC. It's been sitting in my filing cabinet for the last 14 years! I apologize to all of those who've been furiously search for it over that time. And maybe at some point, I'll own and ride one of the Raleighs from this era. I'm definitely curious.
Edit: This one is for sale locally and has been listed for awhile. Looks fairly original given just one pic and not a bad price for a 531 frame. Unfortunately, too small for me.
Edit: This one is for sale locally and has been listed for awhile. Looks fairly original given just one pic and not a bad price for a 531 frame. Unfortunately, too small for me.
1986 Raleigh Grand Prix by John Jones, on Flickr
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12-04-21, 06:16 PM
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If you're interested enough to build up a frameset, Neal, I have this 57cm 1986 Raleigh Grand Prix that I'm going to part with. I think you are about my size, maybe?
1986 Raleigh Grand Prix by John Jones, on Flickr
1986 Raleigh Grand Prix by John Jones, on Flickr
12-04-21, 07:08 PM
#29
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No harm done! I actually hijacked your hijack by providing nlerner with info on the Raleigh Prestige I'll have coming up for sale!
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12-05-21, 02:56 AM
#30
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Hijacked again! Take this bike to norcal!!!
Please bear with me and my shaggy bike story. It comes together down below.
All this talk of high end mid 80's Raleigh USA bikes... I wanted share my tale.
A friend and I played hooky and took a mid week ride back in 2009. I was on my Goldilocks 1984 Gitane and he was riding a white Raleigh that I'd seen him on a few times before.
Midway through the ride we switched bikes. NO WAY was I going to switch back. After the ride I offered to buy it - NO WAY.
Jump ahead to the following April 15th, I got a call. I paid too much for it but I helped him out with his taxes.
I spent the next several years figuring out what I had. Various CL posting in OR & WA plus eBay sales. The bike had been passed around the Northwest for a number of years like she'd belonged to the Hells Angles!
Old eBay Listing
Eventually it ended up in the SF Bay Area where my friend bought it. How it looked in 2010 when I got it.
It started out as a red and black 1985 Raleigh USA Reynolds 753 Team frame like like this one, made in the UK at Raleigh's SBDU facility in Ilkeston. Serial Number SB8051. (photo posted by Andrew Scott)
The bike had a sordid history. It had been raced by Team Oregon, a sponsored team out of Portland, OR. At some point, it was resprayed and redecaled in Raleigh USA 1990's Team Technium kit at the factory in the Seattle WA area.
The original Team Technium colors were red and blue on white.
About 1990 the colors changed to purple, pink and gold on pearlescent white.
When my friend started overhauling the bike he discovered that someone had packed the BB with red mud! I replaced the original Suntour Superbe BB with a sealed bearing unit. You can still see remnants of the original red paint inside the BB.
From what I gleaned it ended it's racing career as a spare team bike before being let out to pasture. I suspect that it may have been fitted with a carbon fiber fork because the original fork on the bike is still black and wasn't repainted pearlescent white.
The final iteration, looking out through the Golden Gate at sunset November, 2017...
verktyg
All this talk of high end mid 80's Raleigh USA bikes... I wanted share my tale.
A friend and I played hooky and took a mid week ride back in 2009. I was on my Goldilocks 1984 Gitane and he was riding a white Raleigh that I'd seen him on a few times before.
Midway through the ride we switched bikes. NO WAY was I going to switch back. After the ride I offered to buy it - NO WAY.
Jump ahead to the following April 15th, I got a call. I paid too much for it but I helped him out with his taxes.
I spent the next several years figuring out what I had. Various CL posting in OR & WA plus eBay sales. The bike had been passed around the Northwest for a number of years like she'd belonged to the Hells Angles!
Old eBay Listing
Eventually it ended up in the SF Bay Area where my friend bought it. How it looked in 2010 when I got it.
It started out as a red and black 1985 Raleigh USA Reynolds 753 Team frame like like this one, made in the UK at Raleigh's SBDU facility in Ilkeston. Serial Number SB8051. (photo posted by Andrew Scott)
The bike had a sordid history. It had been raced by Team Oregon, a sponsored team out of Portland, OR. At some point, it was resprayed and redecaled in Raleigh USA 1990's Team Technium kit at the factory in the Seattle WA area.
The original Team Technium colors were red and blue on white.
About 1990 the colors changed to purple, pink and gold on pearlescent white.
When my friend started overhauling the bike he discovered that someone had packed the BB with red mud! I replaced the original Suntour Superbe BB with a sealed bearing unit. You can still see remnants of the original red paint inside the BB.
From what I gleaned it ended it's racing career as a spare team bike before being let out to pasture. I suspect that it may have been fitted with a carbon fiber fork because the original fork on the bike is still black and wasn't repainted pearlescent white.
The final iteration, looking out through the Golden Gate at sunset November, 2017...
verktyg
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Don't believe everything you think! History is written by those who weren't there....
Chas. ;-)
Don't believe everything you think! History is written by those who weren't there....
Chas. ;-)
Last edited by verktyg; 12-05-21 at 05:41 AM.
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12-05-21, 07:29 AM
#31
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How common are the old Raleigh catalogs?
i.e. how many folks out there have them?
as a teen, I picked up two catalogs from the local Raleigh dealer. These are what I think are the '74 and '76 catalogs, but there are no dates on them, so it's hard to tell. I got the 1976 price list with one of them, which is why I think it is from 1976. They are among the handful of publications from that era that I managed to hang onto.
Here are the covers of these catalogs....
It's probably been 20 years since I scanned them and sent them to Mark Bulgier for his compilation of catalogs: https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/
I used to know a fellow who had a number of Raleigh catalogs from the 50's, so they must be out there. Just how common or rare are they??
Steve in Peoria
12-05-21, 01:25 PM
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I assumed interested parties have found the '84 Raleigh USA Touring Catalog but then again, we know what happens when one assumes.
1984 Raleigh Cycling of America Touring Catalog
1984 Raleigh Cycling of America Touring Catalog
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12-05-21, 01:51 PM
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a bit of a change of subject.....
How common are the old Raleigh catalogs?
i.e. how many folks out there have them?
as a teen, I picked up two catalogs from the local Raleigh dealer. These are what I think are the '74 and '76 catalogs, but there are no dates on them, so it's hard to tell. I got the 1976 price list with one of them, which is why I think it is from 1976. They are among the handful of publications from that era that I managed to hang onto.
I used to know a fellow who had a number of Raleigh catalogs from the 50's, so they must be out there. Just how common or rare are they??
Steve in Peoria
How common are the old Raleigh catalogs?
i.e. how many folks out there have them?
as a teen, I picked up two catalogs from the local Raleigh dealer. These are what I think are the '74 and '76 catalogs, but there are no dates on them, so it's hard to tell. I got the 1976 price list with one of them, which is why I think it is from 1976. They are among the handful of publications from that era that I managed to hang onto.
I used to know a fellow who had a number of Raleigh catalogs from the 50's, so they must be out there. Just how common or rare are they??
Steve in Peoria
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12-07-21, 10:10 AM
#34
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Had a chance to scan the '84 catalog this morning. Here's a DropBox link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/14ao3pymv4..._1984.pdf?dl=0
I'll also look into getting it uploaded to existing catalog sites. @RiddleOfSteel, what's the best way to get it on your links page?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/14ao3pymv4..._1984.pdf?dl=0
I'll also look into getting it uploaded to existing catalog sites. @RiddleOfSteel, what's the best way to get it on your links page?
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12-07-21, 12:45 PM
#35
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Had a chance to scan the '84 catalog this morning. Here's a DropBox link:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/14ao3pymv4..._1984.pdf?dl=0
I'll also look into getting it uploaded to existing catalog sites. @RiddleOfSteel, what's the best way to get it on your links page?
https://www.dropbox.com/s/14ao3pymv4..._1984.pdf?dl=0
I'll also look into getting it uploaded to existing catalog sites. @RiddleOfSteel, what's the best way to get it on your links page?
12-07-21, 06:20 PM
#36
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nlerner , thank you for the scans. Now I want to find some of that clear bar tape for my Competition.
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12-07-21, 07:43 PM
#37
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nlerner , thank you for the scans. Now I want to find some of that clear bar tape for my Competition.
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12-07-21, 08:42 PM
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Interesting to read the catalog!
It's very much geared towards the '84 Olympics and the work/sponsorship that Raleigh had done.
Still... the marketing folks had some weird stuff going on in the text.
At one moment, the text tells us how these are dedicated race machines: "All bicycles presented in this catalog are designed to be raced and raced hard! None are racing look-alikes".
Then it has a statement about how horizontal dropouts are for racing: "Horizontal drop-outs must be standard equipment on racing frames to facilitate wheel changes in the racing environment".
This is news to me...
and then there is the Quickstand, a little gadget to lock the front wheel in place, making it easier to lean the bike against a wall or pole. This is clearly something to be used by the recreational rider, right? Well, don't be so sure....
"Quickstands - made of super tough engineering resin to facilitate easy parking and easy removal for racers more concerned about weight than convenience."
I'm surprised they don't explicitly say the same thing about the CPSC reflectors.
Neat catalog and some neat bikes, but some really odd marketing here and there!
Steve in Peoria
It's very much geared towards the '84 Olympics and the work/sponsorship that Raleigh had done.
Still... the marketing folks had some weird stuff going on in the text.
At one moment, the text tells us how these are dedicated race machines: "All bicycles presented in this catalog are designed to be raced and raced hard! None are racing look-alikes".
Then it has a statement about how horizontal dropouts are for racing: "Horizontal drop-outs must be standard equipment on racing frames to facilitate wheel changes in the racing environment".
This is news to me...
and then there is the Quickstand, a little gadget to lock the front wheel in place, making it easier to lean the bike against a wall or pole. This is clearly something to be used by the recreational rider, right? Well, don't be so sure....
"Quickstands - made of super tough engineering resin to facilitate easy parking and easy removal for racers more concerned about weight than convenience."
I'm surprised they don't explicitly say the same thing about the CPSC reflectors.
Neat catalog and some neat bikes, but some really odd marketing here and there!
Steve in Peoria
12-07-21, 10:29 PM
#39
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