I picked up two bikes a few days ago. One of them was this old Raleigh. Being short on space, it's easier for me to store bikes in pieces. So here's photos of the frame alone. So far as I can tell by chipping away at the paint, this bike has been repainted at least four times. There was a black layer, a blue layer, another black layer, and then a yellow layer. I can tell the yellow isn't original because it spills onto the bottom bracket. Judging from how easily it chips off to the bare metal, I'd guess the original color was stripped. The serial number is on the seat tube lug, and it's 093964. I can provide descriptions of any parts necessary, though it's hard to guess at what might have been replaced. Had bolt on wheels, weinmann center-pull brakes, drop bars, a sugino triple crank (which I'm guessing wasn't stock), and suntour derailers/stem-shifters. I guess I'm mostly thrown by the fork.






I am simply curious as to the age and model. I have no delusions that it's anything special, I'm just a fan of old Raleighs, so I tend to snap them up when I see them for cheap.

Did it have / will it accept 27" wheels? I'm betting it can - in which case, it's a pre-1973 Raleigh Sprite.

Sprites never came in black. As you said, chances are it was stripped. Pulling the drive-side BB fixed cup (not advisable, PITA on these) might show some overspray of the original color if you were to unscrew it.

-Kurt

Or pull the fork and check the steerer for remnants of the original color (though I agree that it's likely a Sprite).

Neal

Yes, it came with 27" wheels. I pulled the fork earlier in order to clean and regrease the headset. The only remnants of paint I found on the steer tube was blue, which was from one of the refinishes. All the overspray I can see on the inside of the headtube is also from the refinishes. I had assumed at first, from the parts on it, that it was a Record, but I couldn't find any examples online of a Record ever coming with that style of fork. But judging from the fact that it's been painted so many times, and by it's square taper bottom bracket and suntour parts, it's probably safe to assume that it's been heavily modified. Not sure what my plans are for it, but I'm probably going to start by stripping away that horrendous paint job.

There's lot's of black Sprites north of the 49th parallel...there's a minty one locked outside my workplace...

but I'll be darned if I can find an online pic of one.

One possible concern I have about this as a project bike is as follows: When I stand behind it and look at the seat stays, it appears to me as though the drive-side stays flare out at a very slightly exaggerated angle compared to the non-drive-side stays. It's to a point where I can't tell if it's real or imagined. If it isn't a figment of my imagination, then it's not hard to reason that this is an intentional design feature. However, I figure you guys would know better than me, so I'll put it to you guys. Should I look into that? With the rudimentary parts setup I bought it with, it rode fairly well, so I'm not terribly worried. Merely an observation.

Might be my own brain fart, then.

-Kurt

Naw we just got all the end-of-line dregs out the back door in Nottingham. Likely just primed with no topcoat

Here's a simple trick for frame alignment. You have to scroll down a bit;
https://sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html