But there is space for another line; and I see a K. Unless I am wrong about these things, we cannot ignore them. As an epigrapher I would write [FOR]K[S & STAYS]

The strangest thing, though, is the way the top of the word TUBES is cut off. Is it possible someone intentionally blacked out the words BUTTED and FORKS & STAYS with black paint?

Azorch, I apologize for the digression.

True enough. And I like Claret, with a T. It's the right color, too.

I agree Auchen'. My vote is for metallic Bordeaux. (hey, I'm a French bike guy

Having just gone through the Reynolds decal thing, the ones on Azorch's bike are circa 1973 to 77, at least according to the time line shown on H. Lloyd's decal site.

This is an interesting pdf.
https://www.hlloydcycles.com/531%20history.pdf

Here's a thread from five years back with all manner of confusion over Reynolds decal dates:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...lds-531-decals

It's not unheard of to see that butted diagonal Reynolds decal with particular words blacked out. Seems that the clever folks at Raleigh used what was on hand and modified accordingly.

I promise to stop derailing this thread now. Fwiw, I like the claret color.

I was feeling pretty certain of a repaint after I saw the shots of the decal and then you came back with the confirmation. Good show! I like the various blue with white or cream panels but I also like burgundy/claret as a solid colour. Looks so good with gold. Thanks for the links the 531 decal mania Neal. I uncovered a Reynolds 531 decal on my early 70s corky that had the gold band but did not have the R on it.

Edit: As years go by more imagines are added to the internet. Five years ago I couldn't find another example of this decal... here it is. This decal must have appeared around 72/73 and disappeared prior to 1975.

From what I understand, that one got replaced by the one with Ti in the gold band right around 1974/75.

You know this forum is an unbelievable repository of arcane knowledge!

there was a step in between (yellow Jersey says this is an authentic carrier sheet from 1972):


To confuse it further the text in the one below is more like the one with the R than the one without suggesting even more variation existed or that the one I posted above is a poor reproduction, however it is claimed to be an original and is for sale by Hillary stone. The decal below was uncovered beneath spray paint on my corky believed to have been built between 1971-73. I have no reason to believe it is a fake either.


That suggests that the decal lacking the registered trade mark was produced around 70/71 and that maybe it hardly got used as manufactures used up their older decals and, by the time they reordered, most skipped that generation of decal. That is no less than 3 variations of gold band 531 diagonal butted tubes forks and stays decals in the early 1970s. That makes using reynolds decals to date a bicycle extremely difficult.

Metallic copper.



Boom.

And here she is in a fresh coat of Harley Burgundy from Groody Brothers - or as I have sworn to call it, "Claret."





Also freshly built up and out for a very chilly shakedown ride this afternoon. I'm not sure I like the vintage Raleigh bell I added.