A buddy brought over his "new" old Raleigh to roll some dings out of the top tube.
It's really got me puzzled, even that it is really a Raleigh.



Serial number is 2F2857
Reynolds tube sticker says 531CS
Dropouts are Suntour GS
Component group is almost all Shimano 600 with "C" prefix (78)
Highflange hubs are Shimano 333 with "R" prefix
126 rear spread
Raleigh stem is forged in England by Sturmey-Archer TI, and finished in Taiwan.

More photos and then a couple of questionable points.






I at first thought that it was one of the bikes made in the orient for Raleigh England in the 80's, but these points make me question that it is what it is:
Seat post is 26.6 - I wouldn't think that points to 531.
Only two badge holes in the head - 35mm apart, and there may be a round discoloration (I don't see it) in the paint under them.
I haven't seen the plain, long chrome headlugs in any '82ish Raleigh catalog. Maybe I have on a Schwinn Volare?
It's the sweetest riding bike that my buddy has ever had, so he's keeping it no matter what it is - but we'd sure like to know what's going on.

That looks like a (Schwinn) World Voyaguer.

The decal combination sure is catchy...

-Kurt

Sketchy years to get details on. Those years the Raleigh company was in some turmoil. I just cant seem to find catalogs 78-82 trying to figure out what I have.

That appears to be the racing colors the Raleigh factory team was using in that time period. I do believe it is a correct bike. That may be a Team Professional or a Team (sold as a frame and fork) or the consumer replica. Some Raleigh bikes in that time range did get the Suntour drops according to the catalogs.


I have what I was told is a Raleigh that I am guessing is somewhere between 78-81. The lug work is simular to yours in that it doesn't have any windows and the shapes look the same. I have been told mine may have come out of the Carlton factory (a company Raleigh bought).

Mine is a repaint and looks to originally have been white and has a center pull bridge. Mine has campy drop outs and does not appear to have chrome on the forks or rear drops. High flange Records with 27's that I think are original on mine as is the 600 Arabesque RD. My SN does not match any format that any Raleigh sties have. I do know my bike was bought in england and brought herein the late 80's. The US models are a bit different then what was offered in the UK.

I'll let you know if I find anything. Please reciprocate. I have posts both here and on the Raleigh forums.
This is mine:
https://www.raleighbikes.com/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=2086



Sheldon Brown has a good bit of info up but that 78-82 range is kind of a void.
https://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/
Again sketchy in the late 70's. 79 team catalog is there and may have that bike.
https://www.jaysmarine.com/TH_raleigh_catdata.html

^
No, no, no, no, no.

Raleigh did not produce anything with chrome headlugs besides the first-generation Competition and the Internationals. Neither did they produce anything in that particular orange, or a 531 bike wearing a fork crown that looks anything like that. Furthermore, that crown is a tip-off that it's Japanese in heritage. Headbadge holes correlate as well.

It's a World Voyageur (made for Schwinn), and if I haven't convinced you yet, perhaps this will:





-Kurt

It's gotta be the World Voyageur frame, like Kurt sez.

What about experience and opinions on why a Schwinn would end up so nicely labeled as a Raleigh?

Some of my guesses:
Pawn shop counterfeits were popular back in the 80's, but my experience is that it was Panasonics trying to pass as Cinellis. This doesn't seem particularly "value effective" a change.

Raleigh shop racing team that wanted their "bring your own bike" amateurs riding Raleighs? Bike doesn't show any race wear though other than garage dings on the top tube.

or maybe just weird scenes inside the Raleigh Goldmine?

What point is it to go through a bunch of trouble to make a Schwinn look like a Raleigh?

Someone was probably trying to sell the Schwinn to someone else intent on a Raleigh.

-Kurt

I like the "rebadged for competition" theory. Are the Schwinn DT "decals" vinyl, so they'd be easy to remove?

That's a damn dirty trick!

No matter why, it looks cool as is. Put a Schwinn headbadge on it and leave the Raleigh decals

those are later Raleigh decals. I guess for some weird reason the GB equivalent of Schwinn was more desirable as the real thing...

They're silkscreened, so all you have to do is look at them, and they'll rub off.

Indeed. The Raleigh decals look better on it than the original World Voyageur logos.

-Kurt

It's a Schwaleigh, the house brand of Schaleigh World.