1987 Raleigh (Special Products?)
 

Hello, am looking for some opinions to help in identifying a Raleigh road frame which I'm restoring, but I'm not sure if I should be posting here, or in the 'road' forum.
It's a 1987 frame. Anyone?
Cheers,
Niall

You are in the right place....pictures?

Hi Lynn,
No pictures yet, but will see what I can cobble together with my cellhpone camera later... Here's a description though:

The frame is a 23.5" (b/b centre to top of seat tube) lugged steel racing frame, built from Reynolds 531c tubing. It has Campagnolo, chromed, horizontal dropouts, and is lugged with nice, pointed lugs with cut outs. The only braze-ons are downtube shifter mounts and various cable guides and stops, i.e. no eyelets at all. The fork is a reynolds 531-bladed number, with a 1" threaded steerer and chromed Campagnolo fork ends. The fork also has no eyelets. The frame still has what appears to be its original, Campagnolo headset fitted.
The frame and fork appear to be in their original paint, being a metallic silver colour, which fades into a delicate 'blush' colour at the tube joints. The frame bears the Raleigh logo on the down-, top- and seat-tubes, but no model identifier. The head tube carries a lacquered Raleigh badge. The seat tube has a 'Reynolds 531c' badge and a small oval sticker bearing the initials 'GO'DV' which I believe signifies Gerald O'Donovan was the designer.
On the underside of the bottom bracket shell is stamped the code 'WG7000478' which, from looking at Sheldon Brown's Vintage Raleigh page, I believe means:

W= Worksop factory
G= 7th fortnight
7= 1987 (or 1977?)
000478= sequential serial number

I thought it was strange that there was no model name on it anywhere, especially since the decals/transfers seem to be original. If anyone has any ideas at all, I'd be very interested to hear them! :)
Niall

That paint job and head badge description has me thinking 1987. The bike was more than likely built in Nottingham (Worksop was closed by then). Whatever it is, it sounds like one of the better models.

Wow!
Thanks a lot for your interest, and quick response, both of you. You've inspired me to go home and take some photos of this lovely frame, and post a new thread with a more sensible title! It might bave to wait until the weekend - it's dark all the time here in Edinburgh just now, except when I am at work...
Niall

sounds like you got it all figured out. I am not sure of the 1987 lineup but prior to 1985 I think all production models were made in ASIA. hopefully kurt will post soon with more definate info. I am not sure what the status of raleigh team pros were by 1987 but the specs you have laid out are exactly what a team pro was. However you are in Edinburgh and there may have been other workshop raleighs available to you besides the team pro which as far as I know was the only out of the catalogue workshop built 531c with campy dropouts bike available in North America to the general public.

Another possibility is that this was purchased as a frameset (and possibly custom) - this might explain the absence of the model name.