Curious about Raleigh Olympian I just got...
09-03-10, 06:22 PM
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Curious about Raleigh Olympian I just got...
Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum, but an avid reader (just braking into the lifestyle...wordplay fully intended). I just got a maroon Raleigh Olympian, which I've seen people discuss in the forums before. Not the most exciting bike, but I'm still curious about its year. It's a 12-speed with Suntour components, suicide/safety brakes and stem shifters. It has Raleigh 502 chromoly steel, and the "Olympian" text is in cursive script. I tried to decipher the year through the serial number on the underside of the bottom bracket housing, but there doesn't seem to be an authority I can find...according to the all-knowing Google. Thanks in advance for any info you can give me!
I'm new to the forum, but an avid reader (just braking into the lifestyle...wordplay fully intended). I just got a maroon Raleigh Olympian, which I've seen people discuss in the forums before. Not the most exciting bike, but I'm still curious about its year. It's a 12-speed with Suntour components, suicide/safety brakes and stem shifters. It has Raleigh 502 chromoly steel, and the "Olympian" text is in cursive script. I tried to decipher the year through the serial number on the underside of the bottom bracket housing, but there doesn't seem to be an authority I can find...according to the all-knowing Google. Thanks in advance for any info you can give me!
09-03-10, 07:07 PM
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Thrifty Bill
You get the year quickest by looking up the component codes at the vintage Trek site.
09-03-10, 08:44 PM
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Sounds like a 1983. Check out the link below.
https://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Cat...83-Catalog.pdf
https://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Cat...83-Catalog.pdf
09-04-10, 09:38 AM
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Mid eighties Raleigh USA in that level I've found the first digit of the serial # is "usually" the year. Date codes on components will verify that. Probably the easiest to find is on the back of the crank arm.
09-04-10, 10:24 AM
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Originally Posted by wrk101
You get the year quickest by looking up the component codes at the vintage Trek site.
Originally Posted by cb400bill
Sounds like a 1983. Check out the link below.
https://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Cat...83-Catalog.pdf
https://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Cat...83-Catalog.pdf
Hi Bartman. turkey lever eh? where are the shifters located? can you post a few pics?
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“One morning you wake up, the girl is gone, the bikes are gone, all that's left behind is a pair of old tires and a tube of tubular glue, all squeezed out"
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09-04-10, 10:45 AM
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09-04-10, 01:45 PM
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Here is a pic of an Olympian I sold earlier this year.
I thought it was an '85, but according to Sheldon Brown's Retro Raleigh page, the Olympian frame was 555.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroral...5/pages/3.html
If yours is like mine, cb400bill is right - it's an '83.
I thought it was an '85, but according to Sheldon Brown's Retro Raleigh page, the Olympian frame was 555.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroral...5/pages/3.html
If yours is like mine, cb400bill is right - it's an '83.
09-05-10, 06:21 PM
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Hey everyone,
Sorry for the delay, I was gonna post pictures on Friday, but my LBS kept the bike longer than expected to replace the bottom bracket and cranks (pitted bearings and worn cranks)...that's what I get for taking it in for a tune-up and true-ing, haha. But according the catalog and posted pic, I think cb400bill and Gthoro hit the nail on the head with the year. Unfortunately, my bike's a little worse for wear, but I didn't pay much, so I don't mind fixing it up a bit. I might just throw in a nice "after" pic, when I spruce it up and get rid of the torn-up Raleigh decals. Thanks for all the help and sorry I didn't get to make it more interesting for you guys!
Sorry for the delay, I was gonna post pictures on Friday, but my LBS kept the bike longer than expected to replace the bottom bracket and cranks (pitted bearings and worn cranks)...that's what I get for taking it in for a tune-up and true-ing, haha. But according the catalog and posted pic, I think cb400bill and Gthoro hit the nail on the head with the year. Unfortunately, my bike's a little worse for wear, but I didn't pay much, so I don't mind fixing it up a bit. I might just throw in a nice "after" pic, when I spruce it up and get rid of the torn-up Raleigh decals. Thanks for all the help and sorry I didn't get to make it more interesting for you guys!
09-05-10, 07:36 PM
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I used to have a real nice condition Olympian like the one posted above. I sold it at my yard sale (cheap) before I got caught in the C&V spider web.
Enjoy!
Enjoy!
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