Classic and Vintage Bicycles: What's it Worth? Appraisals and Inquiries - Mysterious Raleigh Competition Serial Number (early 70s?)

Hello hello...

So I have had my hands on an old Raleigh frame for about the past year but I still have not had any luck placing it's age/origins. After browsing through every Raleigh resource I could find on the internet and trying to match photos, I've come up with no luck.

The frame is a black Raleigh Competition with the Carlton decal on the seat tube and the Raleigh Nottingham badge. The fork blades have chrome, but not the chain stay. It is my best guess that it's a Reynolds 531, but any decals have already worn off to let me know for sure. The frame is very light and snappy.

The leftover components that may be from the original set are the Weinmann brakes and the Huret front derailleur. I think other components have been swapped since then.

My big mystery is, however, the serial number. From all of my findings, I have yet to see anything that seems to line up with my bike's serial number#(A456). One letter, three numbers, that's it. It's stamped on the bottom bracket, in parallel with the wheel line. Based on Sheldon Brown's info, the closest thing would be from 1966, but I don't think this is correct. (and his definition was an A, followed by 4 numbers.

I want to guess that It's a 1973 model with a whack serial number... but I would love some confirmation or rebuttal! It looks very similar (w/ exception to the rear chainstays and brooks saddle) to sheldon's competition:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/catalogs/1976/pages/06-76-competition.html

Any help would be great!

You may be able to date those components with the help of the Vintage Trek website. That was the way I was able to date a raleigh given to me, as the components were all original. Keep in mind that a component dated say in 75 may have found itself installed on a 76 bike.

Pics, please?

pics attached... sorry for the low-rez!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3559/3569550234_c81e500a88.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2384/3568738319_20d09a0c60.jpg?v=0

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3409/3569549950_823e08086d.jpg?v=0

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2458/3569550302_649dc18dc2.jpg?v=0

I own no less than 3 Raleigh Competitions, all from ~'73-'75, One I've owned since new, the other two bought this year on eBay. All of them have chrome only up front and all have AXXXX (XXXX = 4 digits) serial numbers. Also they all have Capella lugs (like yours) which were "supposed" to be used only on Carltons through 1966, but they appear on all Competitions until about 1976, when they started chroming the rear stays and changed the lugs as well. Some people think the AXXXX frames are leftover from 1966, but I don't know how you would explain the Huret dropouts unless they were finished in the mid-70's. I think they may have stumbled on some unfinished frames from 1966 (maybe no dropouts, maybe they were just main triangles when found) and decided to finish them as "new" Competitions in the 70's. I'm also unsure about the stays on the Competitions. The "word" back in the 70's were that either the stays were straight gauge Reynolds, or possibly not Reynolds at all. They may even have been butted Reynolds, but not promoted as such so as not to rob sales from Professional and International.

It's pretty well known that some '73 and '74 Raleighs were made with Axxxx serial numbers. I don't know why yours only has three following numbers, but that's what I think you have.

See Sheldon's notes:

Notes:
1. The 531DB Gran Sports built in the early 70's did not have letters in the serial number.
2. Frames built at the Ilkeston facility have serial numbers that begin with "SB".
3. The 1973 track frames begin with an "A".
4. There are several documented cases of '73 and '74 Professionals (http://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/professional74.html), Internationals, Competitions and RRAs with "A" serial numbers. Let the color scheme, decals and components be your guide.

It's pretty well known that some '73 and '74 Raleighs were made with Axxxx serial numbers.

Agreed. I'm just very curious as to the reason these AXXXX serial numbers exist, and the previously discontinued Capella lugs for that matter. I guess the simplest and least interesting reason is that a number of pre-numbered bottom bracket shells turned up as well as a huge box of unused Capella lugs.