dub 24

Hey folks I just registered on the forum and posted an introduction. I am starting a refurb on a frame and would be very grateful if anybody could answer a few questions .
I have figured out from searching that the frame number of the bike WG3000188 tells me it was built in 1983 ,in June and was built at the Nottingham's lightweight unit . This information I gathered from www.raleigh-sb4059.com/ which is a wealth of information. My dilemma is

1. I can't find out which model it is

2.. The rear stays and forks were originally chromed. The original owner back in the 90's decided to have the frame resprayed and the chrome is only visible from half way along the stays and half way up the forks. I can see where the painted has chipped that the chrome extends further up under the paint but not sure how far .I was hoping somebody here could confirm if they were fully chromed or not .
I look forward to hearing from you guys with any information you may provide, and unfortunately I can't post any pictures as I haven't enough posts yet.

Cheers
dub 24








,

cb400bill

Pic Assist - https://www.bikeforums.net/g/album/21454701

thumpism 

Welcome! Seat binder and cable guide position are unusual and don't remind me of any production Raleighs I've seen.

Charles Wahl

Do you have the fork? If so, is it one with sloping shoulders (fork crown) and apparently without external lugs? Having a mid-1983 serial number might make it a 1984 sales year bike. Take a look at these catalog JPGs, archived by bulgie:
https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Raleigh83/
https://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Raleigh84/

If you look at the 3rd page and the last couple pages of each, you will see the various complete bikes (p.3) and framesets (latter pages) that Raleigh offered those years, with that particular seat stay termination. If you look at pages following and preceding those, you'll find some specs. Only a few of them have any chrome on chain stays or fork blades, and none of them appear to be chromed on the seat stays. One indicator of the "level" of frame would be what type of dropouts they have -- the "professional" level seems to have Campagnolo short horizontal dropouts (though vertical for the Time Trials frame set, unlike yours), and the others seem to use Gipiemme short horizontal. I once owned a 1984 (WG4) Gran Course frameset that I bought new in mid-1985, with the Gipiemme dropouts. It was all painted except for the dropouts (front and rear) and was a very nice ride; maybe the nicest ride I've ever had on a bike. That one had windowed Prugnat lugs -- well, at least they were windowed -- and the sloping fork crown was Davis, I believe.

[EDIT: OK, I looked at the pictures in your gallery, and you've got Campagnolo dropouts, plus the fork with the Davis crown. So it is most probably one of the higher-end bikes mentioned. It might even be a Reynolds 753 tubeset rather than 531 or 531C (the latter is what my erstwhile year-later frame has). Another thought on the chrome: Raleigh did make some custom-order frames according to those catalogs last pages.]

cb400bill

Fork Pic

cb400bill

Pic Assist - drop out

T-Mar

Looks like one of the Team replica or Team Pro frames. All that chrome wasn't necessarily meant to be exposed.

nlerner

I would think very few models had that particular seat stay treatment, which would help nail things down. And you're sure it's a Raleigh?

non-fixie 

Here ya go:

dub 24

Hey everybody
Thank you so much for all your replies and for taking the time to assist me. Thanks cb400 bill for posting my pictures .

After I posted I decided to contact the chap again who gave me the frame to see if I could garnish any more information. He was able to tell me that the frame is possibly a 531c which was definitely painted in the Raleigh TI livery.
So based on this information and what I have learned from here. I think the frame is from 1983 and is a Team Replica.

I don't think it's a Team Professional as I was looking on another website.. radpropaganda.org and they list a 1980's team professional frame with a W frame number like mine but the rear supports where they meet the seat post are tapered, on my frame they are not. Yet they also have the same frame with the same supports as mine ie not tapered yet the frame is an SB frame (all very confusing ).

From looking in the 1984 catalogue the only thing that's similar to my frame is the Grand Tour frame and that's only because the the back stays and forks are 10" chromed could it be this frame.

Many thanks folks for all your help so far, I really appreciate it.

dub 24

montclairbobbyb 

Any reason it's NOT a Competition? That would be my first guess...

non-fixie 

Check out the TT cable guides, which are on top on the '84 and '85 Competitions. These are my '84 Competitions:




The May or June '83 production date seems a bit early for regular '84 models, so perhaps it was a pre-production frame? That could explain small deviations from the final production specifications.

Having said that, I have another of those frames (the one mentioned in the spreadsheet above) from November '83 that doesn't officially exist either ...