Hello guys,

I have a 1970 Raleigh Ace 5 and a late 70s / early 80s Scorpio 10 speed.

I only need one, so was planning to keep one, possibly upgraded with new wheels / brakes e.c.t. and sell the other (or possibly turn it into a fixie as an experiment).

Is there any significant difference between the two frames that would make one better than the other? To the untrained eye they are similar, but with subtle differences. They seem to ride similarly, although its hard to compare the two because the rest of the setups are different.

I have heard that the Ace uses a Reynolds 501 frame, but perhaps that is just the Record Ace? Regardless, they seem similar to me. Am I missing anything obvious, or can I assume that they are both very similar steel frames and there is very little difference between the two?

I would post pictures so you can see the exact bikes, but I need to rack up 10 posts first ^^

Cheers!

Both were entry level / junior machines, I believe. Expect both to have a high-ten frame. Reynolds 501 wasn't available in the seventies, so that it is definitely not.

I was skeptical when I heard the ace was Reynolds - I guess a lot of bikes have gone by variations of that name so confusion is expected.

By junior machines, do you mean they are not quite full sized? I felt like they were slightly too small, but was assured they are full sized.

Yes, they are full-sized, as they came with 27" wheels and in various sizes, but were aimed at the young aspiring sportsman, as this ad for the Scorpio clearly suggests:

Raleigh has used the word "ace" in a lot of different models over the years. The RRA (Raleigh Record Ace) was their top of the line race bike in the 30's and again in the post war period. The same name was used for a top end bike in 1973 or so, and another one in the 80's. But they also used "ace" or "record ace" for a variant of the "record" which was their entry level bike in the 70's.