Worksop continued to produce Carltons and upper end production Raleighs after Ilkeston opened. I do not know for how long, but at least until 1985 because I have a Raleigh Competition frame that was built there in that year.
Ilkeston essentially produced custom frames which could be made to any reasonable dimensions in the customer's choice of finish. They even made custom versions of those excellent glued Dynatech frames later, but that is OT.
Raleigh did advertise Ilkeston-built Raleigh Team Professional framesets (not bikes) in 531, 531SL and 753. These frames were in team colors. They subsequently built frames in 531 Professional and 653 (or some number like that)
The customer got to specify 8 dimensions, namely: -Seat tube c-t -Top tube c-c -Seat tube set-back (distance top of seat tube behind bb, related to seat angle) -Head angle -Fork rake -Front axle to bb (interesting this, because it is pre-determined by all the previous dimensions) -Chainstay length -Bottom bracket height
I don't know if the customer had any choice of lugs, fork crowns etc. Various styles were used on actual team bikes and on customer bikes. I have seen 2 753 frames ordered by the same person about 5 years apart. The earlier (late 70's?) has cut-outs in the lugs and a conventional fork crown with tangs extending down the inside of the fork blades. It is a close clearance racing frame that was originally in team colors. The later (mid 80's?) is built with plainer lugs, sloping fork crown, larger clearances, mudguard eyes and drillings for nutted brake callipers. Both frames have the oversize seat stay caps.
My later Ilkeston frame in Panasonic team colors is built with 531 Professional and has those silly seatstays that go inboard up to the seat post clamp bolt (The Worksop-built Competition referred to above has the same seatstay arrangement, so it is quite possible that some Worksop-built Team frames had it too).
Hugh Thornton
Cheshire, England