Classic & Vintage - Help me ID this Raleigh

I just picked up a Raleigh ten speed and I'm trying to figure out what year and model it is. The serial number is NA2016585, which doesn't match up with anything on Sheldon Brown's site.

Is there any other way to tell model my bike is? The decals have all been removed so I have no idea what I have other than that it's equipped with Atom 600 pedals, Weimann brakes and levers, a Suntour part on the seat tube, and a 'Raleigh' rear derailluer.

brandon

http://home.mindspring.com/~dforcier/ttiwwp.gif

I just picked up a Raleigh ten speed and I'm trying to figure out what year and model it is. The serial number is NA2016585, which doesn't match up with anything on Sheldon Brown's site.

The Raleighs that were made in Japan for a couple of years in the early '80s had serial numbers that started with an "N". I've owned several and found the Professional and the Competition GS to be very nice frames.

I'll take pictures of it when I get home: it might take awhile as I have a bit of a commute and my enigma Raleigh's rear dérailleur is acting up and the bottom bracket cup keeps coming loose.

The badge on the front says Nottingham, England, but I'm pretty confused by the serial number charts I've seen. One says:

"The easiest way to identify Raleigh-built bikes is by looking at the rear dropouts. Almost all Raleigh-threaded bikes have the rear fender eyelets located directly behind the axle, instead of above it."

Yet my bike has the rear fender eyelet directly above the axle.

At first this lead me to believe that it was not a Raleigh-threaded bike, but the bottom bracket cup has the raised section that Raleigh-threaded bikes are supposed to have.

Thanks for the help. I'm new to the road bike scene and commuting and I'm throughly confused. Someone please help me figure out what this bike is!

Thanks SO much,

brandon

The N stands for Nottingham, but I don't remember the rest. When I was trying to date my Gran Prix the date codes for the late seventies were definitely on the retro raleigh site, but I just looked around and I can't find them anywhere.
As for the eyelets, I think that is referring to three speeds. Most of the info on retro raleigh or Sheldon's site is more directed for three speeds with SA hubs.

Here's the link to the date/letter code info on Mark Bulgier's site:
http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Retro-Raleighs/RaleighSerialNumbers.jpg

That serial # could be a Nottingham made bike in 1972 or 1982. Pictures of the lugs would help determine for sure.

Neal

It'd have to be 1982 if the Suntour derailleurs are original equipment.

Any idea if the paint is original? The color, and presence/absence of chrome on the frame/fork might help with the ID.

The color appears original: it is sort of a darkish beige/light brown color. The bike has no chrome on it.

The bike doesn't look like it was ever equipped with barcons or stem shifters: it has original looking Suntour friction shifters on the down tube.

The crank is marked 'SR' and has large Raleigh decals, and the front hub is marked Normandy. The wheels look like alloy wheels and are marked with Raleigh stickers.

The seat is some kinda suede--it doesn't seem fake but I've never been good at figuring stuff like that out.

Thanks,

brandon

The color appears original: it is sort of a darkish beige/light brown color. The bike has no chrome on it.

The bike doesn't look like it was ever equipped with barcons or stem shifters: it has original looking Suntour friction shifters on the down tube.

The crank is marked 'SR' and has large Raleigh decals, and the front hub is marked Normandy. The wheels look like alloy wheels and are marked with Raleigh stickers.

The seat is some kinda suede--it doesn't seem fake but I've never been good at figuring stuff like that out.

Thanks,

brandon

The frame sounds like it could be a 1982-83 Gran Sport, http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Raleigh82/4_Team-Replica_and_Gran-sport.jpg http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Raleigh83/ral83_03.jpg

but it would also seem that someone rebuilt the bike at some point with slightly less valuable components - http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Raleigh83/ral83_09.jpg

or possibly they just bought it as a frame and built it.

Here is the bike in question:

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/365137.jpg
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/365138.jpg

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/365140.jpg

http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/365141.jpg
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/365139.jpg

Doesn't look like the Gran Sport to me - no top tube cable guides and the fork is wrong. Mystery is still on.

I see no pic.

I see no pic.
Yup, me too, no pic just a bunch of X's.

It was there earlier, but now it's gone. Yet another mystery.

OK Sorry out the pics, but I'm going crazy trying to figure this thing out. I'm new to vintage bikes and I just want to know what I have!

Here are the images:
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1425/769376913_4d6d046fac_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1322/769376933_56b98d97a9_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1362/769376797_66c0ed6d00_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1015/769376881_454df7bdf1_o.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1367/769376825_9cc27c6c08_o.jpg

It'd have to be 1982 if the Suntour derailleurs are original equipment.

I'd go along with around that year, my Carlton Criterium has pretty much the same equipment.

Mark Bulgier has some of the 1982 catalog on his site: http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Raleigh82/. However, that just shows the top-end models, and you're bike is likely a few notches down. I might have that catalog at home and will check later. Looks like you have a nice rider, though.

Neal

I'm mainly curious about whether or not this bike is equipped with the stardard bottom bracketry or with Raleigh stuff?

And please what model is this.

Thanks,

brandon

As I understand it, by 1982, Raleigh was through with using proprietary threading on their bottom brackets.

As I understand it, by 1982, Raleigh was through with using proprietary threading on their bottom brackets.

+1 to that.

Neal

Nobody knows the model?

Also, I had heard that Nottingham bikes still had non-standard stuff until the early ninties! Is this true?

Thanks,

brandon

My 1980 Raleigh Super Record has what appears to be the same crank and chain-ring design as shown in the photo, with the little bolt-on chain guard ring. The bottom brackets by then were standard threads. (Or at least that is the case for my fairly low-priced bike, which was made in Japan.)

I agree that Grand Prix or Super Grand Prix is a good guess. What size is the seatpost? 700c wheels or 27"? The components pretty much match what's on the Super Grand Prix in my 1980 catalog and that model has 700c rims (as opposed to the Grand Prix and Gran Sport of that year, which had 27" rims).

Neal

It's got 700c's and the seat post is 25.4mm IIRC--measured it right away to make sure it wasn't 531. It wasn't :(