I agree with Peter, frame weld problems were more common on lower end Raleighs...
I own the following Raleighs, most purchased off ebay and only 1 originally showed a slight quality control concern:
1984 Raleigh Racing USA 1983 Raleigh Team Pro custom frame 1978 Raleigh International 1976 Raleigh Competition 1975 Raleigh Professional 1975 Raleigh Competition 1972 Raleigh Competition
Only the 1975 Raleigh Competition showed a minor brazing flaw when I first purchased it in 1975. I rode this frame on the road for almost 30 years with no frame problems! The lug between the head tube and the top tube was not completely brazed (end of the extended lug was slightly raised).
The Raleigh Internationals sometimes had problems because the seat tube would separate from the BB in early models (pre 1974?). Rumor had it that Raleigh steam fitted the Seat Tube to the BB as a carry-over manufacturing tradition. Can any other CR members confirm this? I recall several "Copper" colored Internationals that had to be returned to Raleigh for these frame problems. I wonder if this was a bad production lot? After 1974, Raleigh supposedly started to braze the ST and BB together. I do not recall any problems with high-end 531 Raleighs.
The only high end Raleighs that may have had some concerns were made with 753 tubing. The 753 tubing was apparently not as durable for rigidity as 531 and tended to flex more. This was not a Raleigh quality control issue, just a inherent concern with using the lighter 753 tubing.
I believe that the CR has discussed this in the past, but Raleigh used production welding "clamps" that would fasten around 531 tubes and lugs to produce a fast weld. In the mid-1970s, the bike boom was in full swing and many bike manufacturers that included Raleigh were trying to crank out as many frames as quickly as possible. When I worked at the bike shop in the mid 1970s, I saw many lower end bikes from Huffy and Murray that had far more frame problems than Raleighs.
Regards, Steve Neago
Cincinnati, OH
> Perhaps I was just lucky but of the four Raleighs I have
> none have exploded or fallen apart, or shown any problem with lugs not
being brazed. (3 are 531 frames)
> The frames are 231/2 to 251/2" so they're big enough to exhibit any bad
flexing habits if they were so inclined.
> OTOH: Maybe the paint's holding them together. ; )
> The worst "defect" I've noticed on my Super Course is that the head tube
was brazed in a bit off center and since the badge holes were predrilled the
little heron always looks off to one side!
> I did see a cheap Record in a Goodwill store that had the biggest gaps
between the tubes and lugs, like they used French tubes in regular sized
lugs.
> So I don't doubt there's some bad jobs out there but sure like to think
there's more good than bad.
>
> OT: as for British sports cars-watch "Victory By Design" on Speed channel
when they cover Jaguar and Aston Martin to see what they could do.
> (be sure to pipe through stereo-beautiful sounds!)
>
>
>
> Pete Geurds
> Douglassville, PA