Question for the oldies?

[kfinlay]

When I was way younger I had a Raleigh frame that I built up with Campagnolo Victory group - it had 531 main frame and had a lovely light blue/dark blue paint job - see image below - lots of fond memories but can't for the life of me remember what frame it was. It was circa 1983 and replaced my Raleigh Europa I had previously.
Can anyone help shed light on what this frame was?

Would love to somehow get one and do a build again although it will probably never happen.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Is the image to give us an idea of what colour it was? The frame shown can't possibly date from 1983! (Can it?)

 

[Brandane]

Is the image to give us an idea of what colour it was? The frame shown can't possibly date from 1983! (Can it?)

Oldies? 1983?? But I thought..........1983....wasn't that long ago! Suddenly I feel.....OLD !

Sorry I can't help with the frame; too modern for me .

 

[PpPete]

Set yourself up a search on Ebay with e-mail alerts. You'll find a suitable frame eventually. Then you've got to find a pro to paint it. Bi-colour like that is not going to be cheap. Argos charge over £100 for a single colour....
Figure £200 with 2 colours, all the decals, and getting it to and from the paint shop.

Then Campag Victory - not heard of that one - but again Ebay is probably your friend.

Question is - is nostalgia worth it?

 

[Garz]

Raleigh Grand Prix ?

 

[Smokin Joe]

Is the image to give us an idea of what colour it was? The frame shown can't possibly date from 1983! (Can it?)

That frame was made during the last ten years, no way is it from'83.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Other names that were bluish in 1983 were the Gran Course and the Road Ace.

 

[kfinlay]

The pic is just to show the colour scheme to try and jog someones memory. Hope someone can help.

 

[RecordAceFromNew]

Perhaps this will help you jog your memory.

 

[kfinlay]

Also just want to say that this could only be bought as a frame and not a whole bike - I've managed to view all the old catalogues from 81 to 84.

There is also a Victory groupset on ebay now for £200 inc quill stem and bars. Set of old style Mavic wheels, Selle Turbo saddle and I'm away ;-)

 

[Fiona N]

I've got a set of Mavic hubs (built into wheels with ?Rigida rims - would need to visit the garage to check) from 1986 - for a 7-spd cluster IIRC, probably Campag.

They are the most beautiful curvaceous hubs I've ever seen (with cartridge bearings - a first for me) and still run perfectly smoothly. The problem has always been the B**** awful rims they were built up with. My own fault entirely as I was seduced by the colour - anodised blue in the days when rims were steel or alloy, colour not an option. Consequently they've never got as much use as they would otherwise.

I've never been able to bring myself to chuck them and I can see now that there's a whole new life out there on a retro bike.

 

[Christopher]

Can't you just replace the rims Fi? Admittedly the new ones would need to have the same ERD but not an impossible job, Shirley?

Apologies to kfilay for thread hijack - I can't help with your frame, sorry.

 

[zoxed]

Oldies? 1983?? But I thought..........1983....wasn't that long ago! Suddenly I feel.....OLD !
Sorry I can't help with the frame; too modern for me .

I feel your pain !! (You know you are getting old when you open a bike mag, see a very modern looking bike and then read the article title: "Retro-Biking" (as happened to me a few weeks back !))

 

[Fiona N]

Can't you just replace the rims Fi? Admittedly the new ones would need to have the same ERD but not an impossible job, Shirley?

Apologies to kfilay for thread hijack - I can't help with your frame, sorry. FN - me too

This is what I was thinking but the old style, screw-on freewheel-in-the-sprocket-cluster mean I'd be limited to 6/7 speed and I assume non-indexed shifters or at least, downtube shifters. Although that's not a problem.

I have a vague memory that the bike had Suntour derailleurs worked by down-tube non-indexed shifters (actually I probably have these still as they were a beautiful design - really smooth and sculpted compared to the Shimano ones of the time which were covered in all sorts of bumps and roughed-up surfaces - presumably for 'grip').

As I type, a plan is forming as I still have the frame & forks (hand-built by Avocet of Perth, Western Australia in 1987 to replace their 1983 frame that I wrote off in an accident) which the wheels were last on but it's got a problem with the weld on the BB lug and I've kept it (and it's replacement Chas Roberts which has a crack in the paint on the underside of the downtube behind the head tube) so when I retire and take up frame building (don't laugh) I'd have some tubes to practice on. Maybe I should look into getting someone to renovate the frame - it's 531 or 531ST with rather nice lugs. It was always a superb bike for long distances and I really wouldn't mind having it back on the road. It also has (slim) mudguard clearance as well as mountings for them and a rack.