Hi Jack,
I have your frame's younger cousin (#SB-3265). I also dated mine to '83 using the Retro Raleigh info, which fits given when the original owner remembered getting the bike, but I have nothing more authoritative than that.
Mine sounds very similar to yours, Midnight Blue with black head tube and seat tube panel, nutted brake mounts, 126mm rear spacing; mine has double bottle cage mounts, though. I measured it as 59cm seat tube c-t, 57.0cm c-c top tube, 73-deg seat tube, 75-deg head tube, 41.5cm chainstay, 27.2cm bb height---to me it rides tight, racey, corners very well but is not twitchy.
My seat tube o.d. measures 28.0mm, and came with a 26.8mm seatpost, which fits well. After reading Mark's helpful posts, I'd be wary of trying to ream the seat tube to take a 27.2mm post _if_ your o.d. is also 28.0mm.
The seatpost binder bolt is an unfamiliar thread (crankarm bolt threads in a few turns then binds), and the bolt head is slightly buggered--if anyone has any leads on finding replacements please let me know.
Good luck Jack, and enjoy!
PB
On Wed, 19 Dec 2001 10:38:59 -0700, "Jack Bissell"
<jackbissell@hotmail.com> wrote:
>I have checked the Retro Raleighs site for help w/ dating my 753 Raleigh.
>According to their serial # info, my bike #SB 3628 would be a 1983. Can
>anyone confirm/ deny this? My frame is midnight blue & has braze-ons for
>shifters, brake guides, 1 H2O bottle. Brakes are nutted. Dropout spacing is
>126mm. It has the small "wave" on the head tube lugs.
>
>Also, I'm tempted to ream the seat from 27.0 to 27.2--is that possible and
>acceptable w/ thin 'super-steel'?
>
>Jack Bissell, dating seriously in Tucson, Az
Paul C. Brodek
Hillsdale, N.J. U.S.A.
E-mail: pcb@skyweb.net