Raleigh Royal, 1984
 

Took in friend's Raleigh Royal for a cleanup and tuneup. He bought it new in England, in 1984, as evidenced by the Cycleworld sticker. Does that mean it was built in England? Nice 531 frame and fork, with the paint in very good condition. It weighs 27 lbs., with a cool original aftermarket rear rack.

What Suntour rear derailleur does this look equivalent to? The front is a Suntour 7, and the levers are Suntour Power Shifters, so I assume the RD is also a Suntour - but labeled Raleigh. All other component are pretty nondescript, including Weinmann 610 brakes & levers, Atom 600 pedals, Laprade seatpost, Sakai bars, and Weinmann rims.

Was this considered a touring bike in the Raleigh offerings for 1984?
Where did it fall in the Raleigh road bike lineup?
I'm thinking entry level, but the frame has me thinking mid-level.

Any opinions are appreciated!

THANKS!

http://i.imgur.com/wIfrIeH.jpg

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http://i.imgur.com/Kyroene.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/pQhNKKm.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/KtlWZ57.jpg

More pics, after dis-assembly. I must say, this frame is in very good condition.
Zero rust, chrome excellent, paint great. Frame and fork are about 6 pounds.

http://i.imgur.com/uhyDfuj.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/83be2tc.jpg

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There's probably gonna be somewhat limited info out there about this one, as these never would have been sold in the US (the Raleigh name was licensed out to Huffy for US sales by 1984). Great looking bike though. Rear derailleur looks like a V-GT Luxe.

Like you said, that's a solid mid level bike for an 84 and maybe even a bit better as the lugwork looks pretty good, especially with 531 tubing. Just a bit surprised though that they did not braze on shifter bosses on the DT, but maybe that hints that bar end shifters will go well with the bike.....

I would think the headbadge and the Made in England decal answer the question.

Interesting. The 1984 UK Raleigh catalog shows the Royal to be a different color than yours.

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Cat...4/ral84_11.jpg

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Cat...4/ral84_12.jpg

cb400bill, that is a great post with the '84 catalog, thanks for sending it along.

Regarding the different color, and the fact that the '84 catalog called it a Royal 10 (the decal just says Royal), I wonder if this bike is an '83 model that was bought in '84. Plus, some of the components listed in the '84 catalog do not match up to what is on this bike. The owner is original, and claims no mods have been done.

Below is the serial #, in case anybody is able to interpret it. Also, some pics of the derailleur cleaned up a bit. The FD is a Suntour 7, but I'd like to know if the RD is a V-GT Luxe, or a Cyclone II GT, or something else. I'm cross-referencing with Disraeli Gears but have not had any luck so far.

http://i.imgur.com/HN0WQG6.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/sX7EJnB.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/tM9P3AF.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nIcCC8o.jpg

Answered my own question, thanks to Raleigh Serial Numbers & Charts

The "W" designates it was built in the Worksop location, but only if the bike is a '67-'81. After Worksop closed, production switched to Nottingham, so that is where this bike was built. (Ha...just look at the headbadge, Captain Obvious!). The "N" indicates an October build, and the "3" indicates a 1983 model.

Now, if I can find the '83 catalog, I'll be all set.

It's a V-GT Luxe.

Yup, here it is on the Disraeli Gears site: http://www.disraeligears.co.uk/Site/...erailleur.html

Raleigh must have ordered a boatload of them. They were introduced in 1977, and still being put on Raleigh bikes six years later. Or, it was a darn good derailleur and they just kept using it.

Here are the specs from the '83 Raleigh UK catalog: