Hello,

I have a Raleigh that I have owned since new and I am trying to identify and possibly restore it. I may strip it, evaluate the condition, and repaint it.

I bought the frameset mail order sometime while I was in college around ‘82. I think it came from a firm in the northwest (Washington/Oregon maybe). If I remember correctly, in the magazine ad (probably "Bicycling") it was called a “Competition 531”. It is a dark blue metallic color with gold/black Raleigh lettering on the downtubes. It has “531 Butted Tubes” stickers on the seat tube and fork blades. The headbadge says “Raleigh” but the lower part of the headbadge has slashes where “Nottingham England” would normally be found. The dropouts are Suntour. I think it was 120mm rear spacing and I cold set it to 126mm, however it may have come 126mm (I don’t remember). The framest came with no components; I added Campy Nuovo Record when I bought it. The Campy sticker in the seat tube photo was added by me in '82.

The serial number, stamped on the BB shell, is N2G0402 which I can not identify from any Raleigh SN lists.

The SN, lug work, seat stay attachment, and fork blades are shown in the attached photos.

This bike has 10s of thousands of miles on it, has made three trips overseas complements of the US Army, and the wear and tear of shipping and riding has definitely taken its toll.

Does anyone have any idea what model this is, where it was made, or where I may find out any more info?

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

Nolan

Looks like a late 70's or early 80's Competition GS, which it will probably say on the top tube, unless it has completely rubbed off. Post a full drive side picture of the bike, that will help more?,,,,BD

That headbadge just puzzles me. Where were they manufacturing Raleigh frames in the early 80's ?

And I DEFINITELY would not repaint it. It doesn't look that bad, and it will destroy almost any value it has. Tear it down to the bare bones, and polish the paint with polish or cleaner wax. I think you will be surprised how good it looks.,,,,BD

That blanked out Nottingham area was a transitional before the Raleigh America badges started being used, I believe. Soo, that would put it in the 82-84 range? The head badges also went from thin "brass", to aluminum and thicker construction....

Attached photo of complete bike. Sorry for poor lighting, I'd take it out side but it's raining cats and dogs.

Of note. I purchased new as a frameset only. There were no stickers on the top tube or chain stays. Only what is seen here, nothing is worn off. I put the Campy stickers on the top tube and down tube when I bought the Nuovo record stuff in '82. Neither the chain stays nor the fork tubes were chromed. Came with water bottle braze-on on down tube only, I added the second clamp-on bottle cage for use during centuries. No braze-on for shifter arms. I added the chrome "stay guard", Brooks Pro saddle, Cinelli stem/bars purchased from LBS in '82. Brooks Pro saddle, Cinelli stem/bars. I built the original wheelset on NR low flange hubs using DT spokes and Super Champion 27" rims and Regina Freewheel.

All is as I built it in '82 with the following exceptions:
1. NR pedals replaced with Look approximately 2008. It was getting difficult to find good shoes and cleats...
2. Regina freewheel replaced with New Winner Ultra years ago.
3. Campy brake pads replaced with Mathauser many years ago: currently using Kool Stop.
4. Original wheels rebuilt with Mavic Open Pro 700 and DT DB spokes about 2007. Couldn't find good 27" tires anymore...
5. Originally installed a Huret odometer on the front axle. Then Cateye CC-2000 solar which I replaced when it quit working (1996 or so?). Currently Cateye Astrale.
6. Originally used Michelin Elans; currently using Michelin Pro 4 Endurance.
7. Have replaced brake hood a few times. Currently Shimano.

It has some rust on the tubes that developed while in England. The garage there was very damp (as is everything else). That is one of the main reasons I am considering stripping the paint. The tube interior should be OK, I have used frame saver on it a couple times. I have not ridden it since last summer (2015).

Thanks for looking and thanks for helping.

Nolan

That head badge is an indication that it's a Japanese-built Raleigh Competition. I've seen a few in person, but I've yet to come across a Raleigh catalog showing any of those.

Yeeeeah, the down tube decal is a dead giveaway. It looks right, but there's no "Of England" behind the H on Raleigh.,,,,BD

It's hard to tell but they look like Campy NR components. Where were the bikes assembled?

verktyg

Chas.

Bought as a frame set through mail order. Not a complete bike.,,,,BD

Repaint it if you absolutely must, but it would be a huge mistake if you ask me.,,,,BD

Thanks to all. The responses were just what I needed. Bikedude and nlerner, you guys steered me in the right direction. A search for "Japanese Raleighs" led me to another post on this site indicating it came from Michaels's Cyclery in Ames, IA (now out of business). That thread led me to a copy of the original advertisement from Bicycling. As soon as I saw the ad I immediately recognized it as the frameset I bought. I'm pretty sure I paid $199 (a bargain in my opinion). I knew production had moved to Asia (Taiwan/China) but I had no idea that some Raleigh frames were built in Japan.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-vi...aleisonic.html

Verktyg, yes, they are NR. I purchased those and all components separately and built the bike up myself. It has been a very faithful steed!

Bikedude, I agree with you. Normally I am anti-repaint. This frame has quite a few rust spots, although small, apparently on the exterior only. I will disassemble down to the frameset and give it a good inspection, to include the tubing interior. If I can find a suitable match for the paint and the rust isn't too bad, I will try repair the rust spots and touch up the paint. A good coat of wax will finish it off before reassembly.

So as a recap... This bike was apparently a one-off deal where Michael's Cyclery sold a number of frames in 1982. They were called "Competition 531" and "International MK II". Apparently these were not available anywhere else and were not in any catalog. So this is an '82 frameset, built in Japan, of 531 butted. The serial number and the ad (attached) and my memory seem to confirm it was 1982. And the color is "Midnight Metallic Blue".

Thanks to all for the input.

Nolan

MIke's.jpg

I think that Serial number makes it an '82. I had thought that the "N" indicated Nottingham, but the serial number doesn't fit the published serial number convention. I've never liked what they did with the headbadge during that period, but aside from that, it's quite a sweet bike.

The subject frame is a Raleigh Competition 531 manufactured by an unknown Japanese source in 1982. We're unsure if the 2nd letter is a month (July) or fortnight (weeks 13-14) indicator. These could be 1982 models or early 1983 model year frames that were being stockpiled.

1982 was the year that Huffy signed their agreement with Ti-Raleigh to create Raleigh Cycle Company of America (aka Raleigh USA). Raleigh USA obviously wanted to create their own image as they made several changes including redesigning models, changing model names and new decal font. I believe that the timeline for the agreement and implementation of changes simply resulted in either Ti-Raleigh or Raleigh USA getting stuck with some stock that did not conform to the new corporate image.

As a result, an inventory of approximately 500 old style Competition 531 and International MKII frames had to be cleared. This was done though Michael's Cyclery of Ames, Iowa, starting in late 1982 and running though the end of January 1983 at a price of $269.00 US. However, it took longer than anticipated to clear these frames, with advertisements still running in Bicycling magazine in early 1984, with the price having been dropped to $199.00 US.

Interesting that the Michael's Cyclery ad makes no mention of made in Japan. Probably not yet a marketing strength in the early 80s?

By the early 1980s the Japanese had pretty much conquered the entry and mid-range markets but were still having trouble in the high end , where traditionalists still held sway. The racers still preferred Camapagnolo Nuovo/Super Record on Reynolds and Columbus frames built by Europeans. Dura-Ace or Superbe on Ishiwata or Tange frames built by Japanese craftsmen were a hard sell. In the early 1980s many of the Japanese and US marketing brands attempted to increase their high end appeal by specing Campagnolo (Fuji, Miyata, Nishiki). When that didn't work, some shifted to having their high frames built using Reynolds and Columbus (KHS, Lotus, Nishiki). However, even that met with limited success and some of the USA marketing brands eventually shifted to Italy for the high end models (Centurion, Lotus, Nishiki and Lawee with Bertoni). Respect for high end Japanese bicycles finally made a major leap in the mid-1980s with the introduction of Tange Prestige and Shimano New Dura-Ace with SIS.