Hi Wayne,
I'm skeptical that you've got a Professional frame there. Granted Raleigh was rather inconsistent in some ways, but I think they were rather consistent about stamping the serial number on the bottom brackets on their 531 framed bikes at Worksop. My 1970 (like the 1969 catalog) Professional has it, and I've seen quite a few others that followed this protocol. Note also that the Professional's seat tube should be 27.2.
I do know that Raleigh Grand Prix' from 1968-1969 have the serial number stamped in the same place that you describe. The Grand Prix does have wraparound seat stays, and I believe the Record is even closer in geometry and appearance to the Professional than the Grand Prix is.
I'm at a loss to explain the chrome - but then, even the Professional didn't have chrome at that time. If only these frames could talk eh?
I suspect that you've got a Record, or Possibly a Grand Prix. I did hear of someone who came across a straight gauge 531-framed Grand Prix - so I suppose it's possible that you have a slightly more special than normal one of them, but I'd be very surprised if it is a Professional.
Best regards,
John Barry
Mechanicsburg, PA, USA
> Hi All, many thanx for all the help, I've taken a
> look at websites, which
> while were good still has made the job hard in
> getting a date, & just about
> as hard to get a model worked out. I do have some
> close up pix, but not any
> overview ones yet, must get that done soon.
>
> Here are a few basics as best I can mention them,
> Notingham England oval
> headbadge, serial # on LHS dropout U7734, 26.8mm
> seatpost size, decals are
> for butted 531 tubing but then again they could
> always have been fitted at
> a
> later date, strange it has a 70mm ENG threaded BB
> shell thou complete with
> grease zerk on the underside of the BB shell also
> locating a plastic sleeve
> on the inner, well put it this way if I took the
> paint of it would get down
> to 70mm, only found this out when I went to fit a BB
> the other day & it was
> loose in the bearings. Never struck a 70mm ENG BB in
> my life then in 1 week
> heard about another. I'm sure mine would be a
> English spec frame with the
> headlight braze on the RH forkblade inc the original
> chromed bolt & mudguar
> d
> eyelets on all dropouts. I doubt the Tange headset
> was fitted when made.
> Made for 27" wheels & nutted brakes, probally 120mm
> spacing on the rear,
> although with the 126mm on the back now it does look
> good. Was not made for
> centrepull brakes.
>
> When looking at the MK IV Professional on the link
> below, mine has the same
> lug treatment and same chrome treatment, but mine
> also had chromed head
> lugs. Also mine does not have the nice rear dropouts
> that this one does,
> mine are thin plain ones without any name & NO
> deraileur hanger.
>
> http://www.retroraleighs.com/
>
> This note was also on the website, and would match
> the serial #, but then
> again is 26.8mm a butted tube section?
>
> >Note: Some of the mid-60's straight guage 531
> frames had serial numbers
> starting with a single letter which was towards the
> end of the alphabet.
>
> This below was also taken from that website,
>
> >The Raleigh Professional
>
> >The Raleigh Professional was the top of the line
> among Raleigh's productio
> n
> bikes. It was in many ways a tribute to the Italian
> designs of the era, wit
> h
> its elegantly simple lugwork and Cinelli-style
> sloping fork crown.
>
> So if mine is butted tubing & a Professional model,
> why does it have the
> serial # that it does, I doubt that anyone would
> have gone to the effort an
> d
> $$$$ to chrome what is now chrome after the frame
> left the factory.
>
> I'm happy to say it was from the 60's, esp after
> looking at all the braze
> ons and the general overview of it all.
>
>
> I will list all braze ons below,
>
> Small sheild shaped lump to prevent gear lever band
> slipping on the down
> tube.
> Headlight mounting on the RH forkblade located in
> the chromed section.
> Rear brake cable eyelets 2 at the front & 1 at the
> rear on the top tube all
> located on the RHS.
> 2 pump pegs on the seat tube.
> 1 front deraileur outer cable eyelet at the bottom
> of the downtube on the
> LHS.
> Rear deraileur cable goes thru a bend shaped item on
> the top of the BB shel
> l
> on the RHS then the outer cable eyelet is on the top
> of the RHS chainstay i
> n
> the chromed section.
>
> Someone at some stage has carefully hand painted it
> in red, making sure no
> t
> to paint over the 531 & Raleigh decals, so original
> colour hard to guess, i
> t
> just all looks red, so thinking it left the factory
> that way.
>
> So after looking & reading what I have, I think I
> have some sort of
> Professional, probally and English spec one, & most
> likely from the 60's.
> But due to the inability to confirm my serial # we
> will never now for sure.
>
> Soon It will be on the road again, probally going
> to cut the BB shell back
> to 68mm so I can get a BB to fit, then I can be
> fixed wheel on the road
> again.......regards wayne davidson Invers
> NZ............
>
> _______________________________________________
> Classicrendezvous mailing list
> Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>
http://www.bikelist.org/
>
____________________________________________________________________________________
Food fight? Enjoy some healthy debate
in the Yahoo! Answers Food & Drink Q&A.
http://answers.yahoo.com/