USAZorro

Thanks for the photos.

I can't tell for certain whether the rear dropouts are stamped, but if they are, they are the thickest stamped dropouts I have ever seen.

Similarly, I don't see a crimp (indent) in the chainstays, or not. Should be easy to see "in person".

Also, I can't say what color the bike was originally, but it does appear to have been painted black.

I'm pretty sure we can rule out any model that doesn't have 531 tubing, as I very much doubt Worksop was used for building anything with "lesser" tubing (does anyone have a Grand Prix or Super Grand Prix with a Worksop serial? I don't ever recall seeing one, but then, I haven't really looked). I think the World Champion sticker is original - which would eliminate Carlton-badged frames. Beyond that, I'm reduced to speculation.

I do feel handicapped by not having access to domestic catalogs. I think it might be useful to reach out to one of the Raleigh or Carlton Facebook groups, as there are no shortage of UK-based groups with people who know their Worksop-built bikes;or to the Veteran's Cycle Club (vcc) - which has a wealth of catalog archives that they hold closely.

oldbikeguy62

Did you pull it out of a canal?

JeremyCherfas

There are no crimps on the chainstays.

It was originally black, and I am the one who did a lousy job of repainting. In my defence, all I really wanted to achieve was to prevent any further rust, if possible.

Thanks for all your help. I'm probably going to let this go now (or soon). I'm not inclined to go into Facebook any more, but I will try poking around at the VCC.

Kabuki12

my daughter’s Super Grand Prix has a W serial # and is not 531.

Trakhak

Basing the idea that it's a Reynolds 531 bike entirely on the W serial number seems wrong, given that all the components are entry level. Why would anyone equip a 531 bike with bottom-of-the-barrel components throughout?

If the OP is still reading this thread, please measure the seatpost diameter and report it here. That should end all speculation one way or the other.

Edit: the left dropout is clearly depicted in the first photo in post no. 24. Sure looks like a stamped dropout to me. Did Raleigh ever use forged dropouts that were entirely flat like the pictured one?

JeremyCherfas

External diameter?

Trakhak

Yes, with a micrometer if you have one. Accurate measurement is crucial, since seatposts for steel bikes are sold in 0.2-mm increments: 27.2 mm, 27.0 mm, etc.

Lightweight frames (e.g., those built with Reynolds 531) used thinner-wall tubing. Such bikes would usually take a 27.2-mm seatpost for the lightest tubeset and maybe 26.8 for a slightly heavier tubeset.

Bikes closer to the entry level would use thicker tubing and take smaller seatposts. so a measurement much below 26.4 or so would be definitive.

By the way, you bought the bike new as entry level or one up from entry level, right? I believe you mentioned that in an earlier post, but it seems to have been ignored.

Kabuki12

Trakhak , you're right about that(post 30) . Worksop made some bikes that were not "top" bikes like ,say , the Competition or even Super Course. That was my point when I first saw the bike early on in the thread. It looks like a fine riding bike and since the OP has been riding it since it was new , he must like it. I agree the dropouts look to be stamped and the lack of quick release rear wheel told me this is no Competition , especially a GS . It is a bike that was most likely produced for the European market post bike boom years.

Hummer

From my understanding of Raleigh serial numbers the second character cannot be an "I". The second character represents the month of frame manufacture. This can be useful in determining the model year.

Regardless, the bicycle is model year 1979 or 1980.

I have not found complete catalogues for Raleigh in the UK for these years.

On another forum in the UK I have seen one picture of a possibility. The bicycle was a lower end model Raleigh Record. The model was not a Record Sprint or Record Ace or Super Record, just a plain Record in capital letters. It was black and had the pump pegs under the top tube.

JeremyCherfas

I base my understanding on the information at https://sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/dating.html:

So I would be the 9th fortnight, some time in April or May.

Trakhak

Note the first sentence: "In 1974, an entirely different numbering system was introduced for the higher end (531 and subsequently 753) Raleighs."

Your bike is not a higher-end bike, so that info (probably) does not apply.

Have you measured the seatpost outer diameter?

JeremyCherfas

Fair enough, and no, I have not yet measured the seatpost. I plan to try and do so today.

Pcampeau

The fortnight info is incorrect. Much more information is available on the Carlton Cycles of Worksop FB group. Only 12 letters were used following the W and indicate the month of manufacture. All letters fit between A through S, the 12 letters used are nonconsecutive but in order. A is January, S is December. You are correct that “I” is not one of them. It’s probably a poorly stamped L indicating august.

JeremyCherfas

OK. Seat tube diameter is 28.6 mm Seat post is 25.7 mm

Trakhak

Thanks! Since seatposts come in 0.2-mm increments (excluding, e.g., those for some low-level U.S. bikes, which are or were measured in fractions of inches), yours is almost certainly a 25.8-mm seatpost.

From a 2017 post by T-Mar, one of Bike Forums' most knowledgeable posters on classic bikes:

"25.8mm was a very common size for hi-tensile steel seat tubes. Typically, you jumped from 25.4mm to 25.8mm."

Thus, it's confirmed that Reynolds 531 is out of the question.

Pcampeau

Looking at your photos I think you may have a Worksop built Raleigh Magnum. It’s definitely a lower end bike for the UK market about equivalent to a Record in the US. Your serial number is likely late enough in 79 to be a 1980 model with the seat stay caps that match yours.

Heres one I found on the internet. There is a lamp bracket on the right side fork of this model.

Pcampeau

Here’s another pic I found. It’s a different color but the frame details seem to match.

Pcampeau

Actually from your photos I can’t tell which seat stay caps you have so here’s a pic of the earlier 1979 version with plain caps. Not my pics, not my bikes.

JeremyCherfas

I do believe that may be it. I just looked at a lot of Magnum photos and many of them have the pump lugs on the top tube, which is the bit that seemed rare on any of the Records I looked at. The lamp bracket is right, and so are the suicide bars on the brake levers. Thanks everyone.

I'm still very happy with the ride, and the only upgrade I really want to make is a decent pair of friction shifter. I really like the look of the Rivendell Silver shifters, but I fear shipping and taxes to Italy would be a killer. Might have to go back to eBay.

Hummer

The Sheldon Brown site does not match the observed data of Raleigh serial numbers between 1974 and 1990.

Better descriptions of Raleigh serial numbers are found in the UK.

https://forum.cyclinguk.org/viewtopic.php?t=38488

Read the post by Phil_Lee in the above link.

Kabuki12

Hummer , Thank you for that connection. It helps me sort out my Raleigh's . I already knew most of it but there is the prefix for my Holland built Raleigh in there. I will have to pull it down from the attic and check it out . I had always believed it to be a 1971 but I will check it out once my hip heals and I can get up there and bring it down.

Hummer

@Kabuki12 , first, God's speed with your healing process.

Raleighs from Holland often have Gazelle format serial numbers. About 1974, the serial numbers switch to the then new Raleigh standard format.

madpogue 

Interesting choice on Raleigh's part. "Magnum" seems like a model name more appropriate to the USA market, especially circa 1980.

79pmooney

My '73 Carlton Competition has the butted, skinny chainstays and Huret dropouts (not Campy/Japanese RD compatible). That said, I've noticed that both the dropouts and stays were never a "rule" on Competitions. I'm guessing the reasons could be bikes built for specific markets and the bike boom Raleigh "there weren't any xxxxs in the stock room so I grabbed a yyyy".

Kabuki12

I know about the Huret drop outs on some of the earlier Competitions, I just haven't seen any with the stamped ( all be it thick) drop outs (or claw) , that are on this bike. Thank you for the info , Joe