Hello ,
I've been a fan of the made-in-Nottingham-England Raleigh bicycles , most of my life . In the past few years I've been appreciating the Raleigh U.S.A. bicycles a bit more .
( of course I've always appreciated the Team 753 & 531 bicycles , whether made in England by / for Raleigh England , or made in England for Raleigh U.S.A. )
I have four serious questions . But I'm not sure how to ask them .
There was a particular "generation" or "time-period" of Raleigh bicycles , made in Asia , for Raleigh U.S.A . Every time I see one , or a photo of one , I INSTANTLY recognize it . But , what should I call this style ? And are they later than 1983 ? ( if so I apologize , and I'd be grateful if you'd contact me off-list )
I'll describe them below . You'll probably know the ones I'm asking about .
All of the ones I'm asking about were all-lugged , all-steel , with no aluminum in the frames .
My four big questions are :
1.) When were these made ???
2.) Where were these made ( Nippon , Taiwan R.O.C. , or . . . ) ???
3.) What was the size range ??? I've decided I'd like to buy one . Since I don't know the range of sizes , I don't know what size to look for & wait for .
4.) Were the frames actually different ( Grand Prix & Super Course & Competition ) ??? Or were the only differences in the paint , decals , and the components hanging on the frames ???
Description :
The Grand Prix bicycles were chrome and red .
The Super Course bicycles were chrome and blue ( light blue , medium blue , or deep purple-ish blue ) .
The Competition bicycles were chrome and white .
The tubing was "Raleigh 555" . The tubing decals were obviously just attempts to mimic Reynolds 531 decals . Sometimes there were even triangular decals for the fork blades , still with "Raleigh 555" .
There was at least as much chrome as paint . The front fork was all-chrome . The head tube was chrome , with the big Raleigh U.S.A. badge on it . The seat stays and chain stays were chrome .
The Raleigh name was built into those frames . It was probably all done by stamping the name into the steel . There was certainly a lot of it . The Raleigh name or symbol was in the drop-outs , in the fork crown , and in the seat-stay-caps ( top-eyes ) .
And of course , the Raleigh name was all over the components . The Asian-made derailleurs , and the cranks , and the stems , and maybe even the brakes , were all "Raleigh" .
Here are photos of a large-size Super Course , which was for sale on eBay :
( I meant to write this message while that auction was still going on - but I got distracted )
Can anyone help me out , in trying to understanding these bicycles ???
Thanks !!!
Raoul Delmare
Marysville Kansas