Raleigh Sirocco frame

[mikeymustard]

Got this last week to build up using the wheels and mechanicals that came off my other bike's modernisation exercise and a couple of other bits I've acquired; I'm hoping it should be a pretty nice little racer from what I've gleaned from the few mentions on the internet.

It's a bit scratched but I think I'm gonna just touch up the few bare bits, and build it, scratches, rust flowers and all.
The white paint is a pearlescent called oyster, looks like raleigh used it for several years, so if anyone knows a good match for it, then please enlighten me!
I think I've now got everything I need apart from a seatpost; 26.6mm I think, I've tried a 26.4 in there and while it kind of fits, it is a little slack. There's a couple on ebay so not a problem. And I've just realised that since I've bought white-ish saddle and bar tape, I'm gonna need white brake and gear outers.
Really looking forward to putting this together, haven't done a full rebuild before - and unless the frame is something really special, probably won't bother again: I'm looking at this as a learning exercise not a money-spinning one!

 

[midlife]

It has no mudguard eyes so it passes my test

Just joking .......

Shaun

 

[raleighnut]

Looks nice, just give the frame a good waxing (car polish is best)
I'd be tempted to go for red cables but only cos my Raleigh (super) Equipe has a similar colour scheme (greywhite = Equipe red/white = super Equipe)

 

[biggs682]

@mikeymustard that looks nice , and i would go as per @raleighnut suggestions , had a couple of them pass through my stable and always ride nice , i think some of them came with golden arrow equipment ?

 

[mikeymustard]

I hadn't considered red cables, that could've looked good - I've ordered white now!
Wait, wouldn't that make it look a bit like father christmas' racing bike? I've already got the beard lol

 

[Wobbly John]

My winter fixie is based on a Raleigh Sirrocco. The butted main tube 501 frame is pretty good. Reynolds 501 is Cromoly and is the same thickness and tensile strength as 531, so it deserves a better reputation. There were plain gauge 501 frames around which felt a bit dead, so that's probably why some don't like 501.
IIRC, mine originally had a short fluted seatpost that was marked as 27.2, but when I tried a longer 27.2 seapost it wouldn't fit.
I've just been out to the 'shed' and measured with digital calipers and it seems I have a 27.0 in there now.

 

[mikeymustard]

@Wobbly John Thanks for checking for me. Unfortunately I've got a 26.6 ordered now so if it doesn't fit then I'll have to shim it.
I bought a Raleigh Quasar when they came out in 1984 and loved it. When the chain stay cracked in '91 or '92 I was given a Record Sprint frame as a warranty exchange. That's why I was keen to have a go on another 501 framed bike.
I may have even looked at the Sirocco at the time but I fell in love with the space age design of the Quasar, with its polar blue and shark grey paintwork, and "aero" (squished) frame. It was the bike I should've had as a teenager (I was 24)!

 

[biggs682]

501 is good and was used by some pro teams for a while

 

[mikeymustard]

Seat post delivered this morning - it fits lovely! Yay! (and phew!)

 

[Smokin Joe]

Well mercy snakes alive, I had one of those around 1985. Same colours too, nothing special but quite a nice frame.

 

[mikeymustard]

Well I said in my original post that I was using this as a learning exercise, and I learned two very frustrating things yesterday.

First off, the seatpost I bought for it is an old micro-adjust job, I assumed you could just take the clamp off the saddle and attach straight onto the rails; on the Selle Italia Pullman I bought - not so! As soon as I looked closely at the saddle I realised that the frame, including rails is made of moulded plastic. Back to drawing board on that one: another saddle duly ordered from ebay.

The second thing I learned was that shimano made two types of DT shifter boss, and I've obviously got the "other" type! A couple of hours of research (why, oh why couldn't I have researched this before?) and I found the correct shifters, a pair of light action 105's which, coincidentally appear to be the ones with which it would've come fitted.
So, 25 spuds later and I'm hopefully back on track, though I can probably make some of that back by selling the bits that don't fit.

I said in the OP that I probably wouldn't bother building up a frame again; I think I can now take the "probably" out of that sentence!

 

[fossyant]

I had the Road Ace in 86. Same graphics but blue and had Shimano 600 and 531c frame. The callipers, crankset and seatpost are still in use on my Ribble.

The post is 27.2 for 531c.

 

[biggs682]

Rebuilds always go over budget end of story @mikeymustard

 

[mikeymustard]

Rebuilds always go over budget end of story @mikeymustard

Budget? Bugger I knew there was something I forgot!

 

[mikeymustard]

Found a bit of an issue today: as I was fitting rear derailleur and cables I discovered that the cable outer was pulling through the brazed-on guide on the chain stay; I'm assuming it's broken, although I suppose it might just have stretched - are they all a closed loop?
I put a clamp-on next to it so I can now change gear, but because the cable runs underneath the stay the clamp-on is upside down and I'm a bit worried it might impede the chain, never mind the fact that it looks a bit strange with a bolty bit sticking up in full view! It's also finished off the already tatty chainstay protector, but I'm guessing they're freely available.