jorglueke

What years in the 70's and 80's did they make a record ace and was it always with Reynolds 531 tubing?

thumpism 

Here's a place to look:
Raleigh Catalog Database Archive

Johno59

Three Speed Hub -
This site has more than most. Go to the end of the main page and select Raleigh.

verktyg 

Raleigh recycled the Record Ace model name many times over the years.

Sticking to the 1970's - 1980's time frame, Raleigh introduced a limited edition RRA (Raleigh Record Ace) model in 1973-74. It had a full Reynolds 531 frame with Campy vertical dropouts and mostly top of the line French components. They came in white with mustard trim.

I suspect that the RRA model may have originally been designed for the French and UK markets as a less expensive alternative to Campagnolo equipped bikes.

Earlier this year I picked up an all original 1973 54cm Raleigh RRA "barn bike" - see pictures below. The 5th picture is Sheldon Brown's restored RRA.


In 1977 Raleigh introduced their Rampar line of Asian made bikes for the US market. They were kid's models, BMX bikes and entry level 10 speeds made in Japan and Taiwan. Rampar models were priced to compete against the slew of other Asian made low end bikes taking over the entry level market.

The 1978 Raleigh catalog introduced the "Record Ace" model which was actually a Raleigh Rampar bike. The down tube decal said Raleigh of England but they had the Rampar "R" logo on the forks and seat tube. They were low end gas pipe bikes. Rampar bikes cheapened the Raleigh brand!

'The Headbadge' - Vintage bicycle information

tps://www.flickr.com/photos/sandicycles/2245749884

Around 1982 Raleigh offered a Record Ace 12 model with a nicely made Reynolds 531 frame probably of Japanese manufacture. The one shown in this link was probably made for the UK market and has a mix of European and Japanese components - scroll down to the catalogs. There are several different ones posted:

Raleigh Record Ace 1982 | CycleChat Cycling Forum


There were some other iterations of Record Ace models too. This should get you started. Post some pictures if you need more info. The last picture shows circled areas for close-up shots.

jorglueke

Thanks verktyg that helps a lot.

non-fixie 

I'd like to add my Record Ace to @verktyg's impressive overview. This is a 1981 polar blue Record Ace frame set. Carries a Worksop serial number and has butted Reynolds 531 frame, fork and stays. I actually have two. The other one is a complete bike, that came with a SunTour Superbe group. No pics of that one, alas.

BigChief

Raleigh used the stylized "R" on the seat tube and forks for many of the Nottingham made bikes from 1973 on. It didn't stand for Rampar

bikemig 

There is also a Raleigh Record Ace from the 80s that was full Reynolds that was sold only in the UK. I am rebuilding one that I picked up from a fellow BF member. Mine is from 1980; the catalog is from '82. The bike has generous clearance since there it was originally spec'd with fenders and 27 x 1 and 1/4 inch tires. I doubt the existing brakes will work with 700c wheels since the pads on the Weinmann 605 brakes are set near the bottom.

Road Fan

Hard to say about the brake calipers. The "brake shoe gap" between 27" (630 mm) and 700c (622 mm) is only 4 mm
((630 - 622)/2 = 4 mm), and I think I see some gap in the photo.

I've never done this with Weinmann 500 sidepulls, but I have with Shimano 600-6207 on my 1984 Trek 610. The Trek
was well-designed to accommodate such a conversion. Slight reduction in deceleration, but my hands strengthened
pretty quickly. I was acclimated to it pretty quickly. But still, I had the 500's on a 1969 Italian bike with a lot of early '60s
parts. I always thought the 500's were not strong, in terms of "stop me now with no hand pressure!" With a good or great
hard squeeze I could stop quickly. I never really saw the benefit of say, modern dual-pivots, until I installed Campagnolo
dual-pivots on my Mondonico. THAT was a great improvement over the short Shimano 600-6207 that the bike came to
me with!

If the Weinmann brake caliper reaches, I would make the conversion to 700c if there is a need for tubulars. Otherwise I
would stick to the 27 x 1 ¼ rims. I'm replacing rims on my 27 x 1 ¼ Rudge, and with admittedly heavy Wolber Modele 58
and Pasela Protite wire-bead rims, I think it is going to work well.

If you have a set of spare 700c or tubular wheels, do a test installation. That will tell you all you need to know in real-life
terms.

bikemig 

The super champion 58s are, IMO, one of the very best vintage rims. They built up true. I rode a set across the country and they are still going strong. Nothing wrong with 27 inch wheels and maybe I’ll stick with them. The rims that came stock on the bike are cheap Weinmanns I think.

Road Fan

In the early '70s Weinmann were among the good rims. I don't know what would have happened to them, except loss of some good designers.

shmuelyosef

What always happens to any extrusion (i.e. the rolling tools) is that the tools wear (slowly) and the regularity of the dimensions deteriorate. This generally makes it more difficult to make the hoops round and the detail of the sidewall capture region 'rounds off'.

Road Fan

Yes, that stuff also degrades! And if the economics aren't good enough the factory won't shell out for a new round of tooling, and we might be looking at the death of a great component. Saw this stuff in the auto industry.

Johno59

Having restored Britidh bikes from every decade in the 20 th century you can't help but notice the decline in the quality of the metallurgy from the 1900s to the 1980s. Especially so from the 1960s onwards .By the late 1980s it was all crap. Not as bad as the Chinesium we get today, but the rapid decline began from the early 1980s.
From a steel POV it appeared to be the reduction in chromium added to the alloys at the forging end. Certainly the appearance of deep rust began then. Power coating didn't help but a pre WW2 bike left in a damp shed for 60 years was in much better shape than a 1980s bike left for a decade.
Working on the more modern frames became a nightmare compared to the much older bikes.
Worn out presses didn't help to be sure. The clapped out presses Strumey Archer sold to the Taiwanese when they folded in the UK nearly destroyed the brand name before the new owners realized what was causing their quality problems, but for me it was always rust and steel.