Peter wrote:
Did not the SB Unit close down c. 1986? I don't recall seeing any SB serial number past 8700 (ish).
I don't knoiw about serial numbers, but the Specialist Bicycle Development Unit (or whatever it was properly called) was still open at the Ilkeston factory in 1991. I visted that year and was lucky enough to meet Mr. O'Donovan at that time. They seemed to be building a lot of Dynatech bikes (bonded 753 and titanium) at the time, and there was a room full of frames with Castorama team graphics. I know they were still brazing frames up to 1987, and I suspect quite a bit beyond that.
I sold a 753 frame SB3499 a while back - it had the same seatstay caps, concealed rear brake cable...
Based on what Peter indicates, a serial number that low would put the bike in the very early 80s. I'd be very surprised to see those tiny OS caps in an early 80's Team. Back then the stays were much bigger, and the caps were commensurately larger.
Tom Dalton Bethlehem, PA
"kohl57@starpower.net" <kohl57@starpower.net> wrote:
Original Message: ----------------- From: Hilary Stone hilary.stone@blueyonder.co.uk Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2005 17:31:47 +0100 To: tom_s_dalton@yahoo.com, freitas1@pacbell.net, classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Subject: Re: [CR]SB Raleigh
"Raleigh Special Product frames built in the UK have sequential numbers - that is a certainty. I sold a 753 frame SB3499 a while back - it had the same seatstay caps, concealed rear brake cable and different lugs and BB shell. However the lugs, cable guiides etc on Bob Freitas' frame are all identical to a Raleigh Service Des Course frame I sold which was from c1985 - it had the frame number SB8221. On the balance of prbabilities I think the frame number starts 83**. It is very easy to misread a frame number where there's thick layer of paint..."
Indeed, Hilary it IS... Bob e-mailed me privately to say the serial number begins indeed with an 8 not a 3 due to paint fill-in. So once again, nothing is beyond the detective work of the CR List.
Did not the SB Unit close down c. 1986? I don't recall seeing any SB serial number past 8700 (ish).
Now if Peugeot and Cinelli serial numbers were as logical...
Peter Kohler Washington DC USA
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