Mad Honk 

I have a frame that I saved at a local scrap yard for $6. The arabesque group went to a young rider who wanted it. Now I am planning to keep the frame and send it to the powder--coat specialists in Indy. Here are some pictures as it leaves the shop, and I couldn't find a serial number. Chrome campy lugs, and note the four drill holes on the head tube. Perhaps a Raleigh, but what vintage? Thanks for the help, MH

Kuromori

Late 70's or early 80's based on the Reynolds decal

Doug Fattic 

The decal at the bottom of the seat tube says Kieth Anderson repainted the frame sometime in its past. Kieth was an Indiana guy that was both a builder and a painter before he moved out west 20 or so years ago. He painted a lot of frames for various builders that didn't paint their own frames. During the time he was in Indiana he mostly did repaints and not new paint jobs for other builders.

non-fixie 

Looks like a late seventies Competition or Record. Does it have brazed-on cable stops on the top tube?

Competition:

verktyg 

Someone graciously posted this info quite a while back. Suggestions of for which photos to post to help us better ID a bike or frame:
Your frame is a 1977 to 1981 Raleigh Competition GS frame ( as opposed to the earlier Competition Mk II ) . They were available in black or silver and came with a Campy Gran Sport gruppo. These were also sold in Europe as the "Record" model.



UK "Record" model frame in silver.



I have a 1979 Raleigh "Record" made for the French market in Team Kit. Same frame as the Competition GS. It came with mostly Japanese components.



The frames were Reynolds 531 throughout with Bocama Short Point Professionelle Luxe lugs and Campy dropouts (BTW, Campy didn't make lugs).



The forks and and in some cases the rear triangles on these bikes had chrome plated "socks" which may have been sandblasted and painted over. Rusty chrome is one reason, personal taste another.

The head tube badges were cast aluminum and attached with 3 rivets. There was a point on the back side of the badge that fit into the central bottom hole.



The ride and handling is about the same as the earlier Raleigh Pros.

Enjoy!

verktyg

non-fixie 

And for comparison, here is some useful information on the Record from that era: Rare French Raleigh Record.

EDIT: I should really learn to type faster ...

Mad Honk 

Doug, I remember a bit of that from my time as service manager at Bicycle Garage in Indy. But that was in 1981 and I've forgotten a lot of those days! I had a repaint of a Plantenga from Ft. Wayne, that I rode for a while, and lost in a house fire. We would braze up track frames and then test them at the Velodrome with no paint on them and get all sorts of Hades from some of the purists riding there. But it was Friday night racing. Thanks, Dave
Verktyg, At 68 and having some non intentional tremors, my skills with a hand held Cybershot camera the shots are sometimes a bit blurry. I am not much for setting up a tripod and shooting photos. What strikes me as odd about this frame is the braze on cable guides on the BB, and three cable bridges on the top tube. Perhaps they were added by Keith to the original frame before painting as Doug suggests. It is now in the hands of the powder coat shop getting prismatic cherry metal flake coating. I will try to find the appropriate decal set when it gets back and clear coat them in place.
Thanks all for the help on this one. Smiles, MH

Doug Fattic 

It was common practice for guys like Kieth and myself to do an alignment and add/subtract braze-ons before doing the repaint. Frames just after the bike boom starting around 1970 didn't have many braze-ons or were very well aligned. I'm sure between the 2 of us we did hundreds. I helped Kieth get started building and sold him some equipment including my original sandblaster. Later he focused more on paint jobs than building - especially after he moved out west.

Since I have your attention do you remember a bicycle repair guy that worked out of a step van somewhere in the Indy and B-town area? I think he set up at the Hilly Hundred sometimes. I think the name of his business was Dr something. I don't remember either his name or the name of his business. I sold him one of my earliest fixtures and wondered whatever happened to him.

squirtdad

the little brazed on stop for banded shift bosses suggest similar to me

madpogue 

Any ID info on the steerer tube?

Wonder if Robbie might know about the Step-Van guy.

Mad Honk 

Doug,
That would be Steve Dodds. He lives here in Bloomington. I saw him at Hilly this fall but it was poorly attended (wet riding) only about 50 riders picked up their badges. I went out to his shop he next week to get some Vittorias and spent about a half day with him. He should be cycling in Mexico right now on his vacation. Steve eeked out a living specializing in wheel chair repairs, but he is still in business and has picked up a junior partner. His shop on Gardner Road is listed as the "Bicycle Doctor" and has an internet presence. I don't remember his building many frames, but my mind is pretty feeble sometimes Ha!
Bob Holohan at that time was doing a few frames in the Bicycle Garage in Bloomiington where I was wrenching from 1978-80. The jigs we used there were rudimentary blocks bolted down to a large heavy plywood plate and we had to place a heat shield under the brazing flame to keep things from catching fire. I was transferred to BG Indy at the end of 1980 when Bob and Craig picked up two partners and moved into the Castleton mall. I wound up back in Bloomington in 1983. And stopped wrenching in the shops around 1985. I've been working as a golf professional the last 25 years and am just doing a bit of bike work again. Thanks for reminding me of the old times! Smiles MH

Mad Honk 

Well the frame is off being coated a nice color of metallic red, and I have Greg Softley getting the decals ready for me. They will be a white version of the black block letters posted in thread #5 by verktyg. Now the only problem remaining is to find the head badge! I guess I will wait for some three speed donor to show up in the co-op. There is a super course frame there but a low profile head badge.
Will it be Ok for me to put a Record groupo on it. That is my first choice since I don't want to go back to Shimano on this bike? And I have a set of Cyclone that I pulled off of an '88 Schwinn Premis, but I was gonna put that on an '86 Peloton. The Peloton came in with a broken drop-out on the right rear and is on it's second repaint. Same red with white decal set. I thought the white of the cyclone would match up Ok and is close to the original Superbe set-up. Any thoughts? Smiles, MH

Addendum: Dawn called this afternoon and it is ready to be picked up. Who Hoo! I am going to pick it up as I pass through Indy tomorrow on my way to Michigan City. Smiles, MH

Mad Honk 

Well folks,
The frame is done and I got to pick it up today on my way to a dental appointment. New paint looks good and the folks at PKI said the chrome on the fork was in pretty bad shape. Likely why Keith painted the whole fork, and the rear chain stays. The fork took two hours of cleaning with blasting media to get it paint-able but the rest of the frame was OK. I'm fine with the full paint coat since we now know what the bike is, and what the condition of the old chrome was. I trust that Greg will provide a great set of decals for it, and I can start a rebuild when they get here. I will post pics tomorrow as I am a bit less than up to work after loosing a body part today. Doug, How do I give credit to Keith for the original paint or should I just let it rest? Smiles, MH

Mad Honk 

Here is what the frame looks like now. The fellows at Pro Kote unearthed the serial number and boxed it off, it has a clear coat of powder over it, so it shall be preserved.


The color is a little dark in the shop light, but a brilliant deep red in the sunlight. Now that t he serial number is exposed I can see it, where I could not before the clean up. I've discovered a bit of a rattle in the top tube but a good vacuuming out should fix that. Smiles, MH

Mad Honk 

Cabin fever set in today after ten days of stay in place orders. Alas nothing is open, and only emergency runs as an option. So the frame and fork got decal-ed and first coat of clear. Greg did a nice job on the decals.

squirtdad

that is pretty......and with the campy will be super nice

Mad Honk 

squirtdad,
As you can see I put the Reynolds decal a bit lower on the seat tube than is customary, because every one that was factory installed fits right where the pump fits against the top tube. Same for the Columbus ones, they got them placed right where the pump would wear them off. I am planning a white cabling, and white tape, with a white older seat I have in stash mode. all else seems to go well on this restoration. Just the Stay In Place thing! Smiles, MH

Mad Honk 

Bump for Kurt.

Mad Honk 

Folks,
Covid-19 house arrest kinda stopped this one in it's tracks. I have been able to hang Record parts on it, including derailleurs and shift levers,and seat post that is period correct. I am going to re-use the stem and bars which were SR, and hazetyguy provided record brake set and seat binder bolt with Raleigh embossing. Wheels have been a major hold up. I am reluctant to add GP-4's, so I was able to access a set of wheels that belonged to Dave Tanner (RAAM rider from here in B-town) when he passed away. They are Torelli clincher rims that I can lace onto Record LF hubs. Not clearly period correct but will be a satin finish rim that will work on this bike and give a bit of a tribute to Dave. I am going to try to get these wheels built by the week end. Work keeps getting in the way of pleasure. Smiles, MH