Mike,
I am the current custodian and second owner of Ilkeston built Team Raleigh SB19 which wears her original paint and decals and has a yellow head tube as original. I recognize that you had first hand experience back in the day which I do not, but it is my experience with tracking some of the early Ilkeston Team bikes that they did indeed have yellow head tubes. Mike Kone has corresponded with me in the past and he has SB9 that also wears original paint and a yellow head tube. Last year on eBay, my sister bike SB18 was auctioned and wore a yellow head tube and was wearing original paint. In the first year of eBay, there was Team bike SB37 on auction which also wore a yellow head tube and was supposedly dressed in original paint. All I'm asking is for you to dig really deep and double check with what certainty all Team bikes from Ilkeston wore black head tubes - I would hope there is some room for you to conclude that the very earliest continued with the yellow head tubes as used on previous Team bikes before the eventual change over to black.
Eric Elman
Somers, CT
> Hi all
> This information may be a bit basic, but with all the posts re genuine
> Team bikes from Ilkeston, whether 531 or 753, one fact may have been
> overlooked. A genuine Ilkeston frameset has a black head tube whilst all
> the other non Ilkeston frames had a yellow head tube. Unless they have
> been refinished of course.
> Mike (with a black head tube bike)Mullett
> Reading UK