Re: [CR]Advice needed - 531 decals on 1974 Raleigh Int, 75 catalog online, and the usual Raleigh rants

(Example: Production Builders)

Date: Wed, 25 May 2005 13:11:21 -0400
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
From: "Larry Osborn" <losborn2@wvu.edu>
Subject: Re: [CR]Advice needed - 531 decals on 1974 Raleigh Int, 75 catalog online, and the usual Raleigh rants
In-Reply-To: <20050524103444.76290.qmail@web81005.mail.yahoo.com>
References: <20050524103444.76290.qmail@web81005.mail.yahoo.com>


Greetings campers and truth seekers

Just a little more to add to the broader discussion, in an attempt to cast doubt on all "truths and certainties" as they relate to anything Raleigh:

At 06:34 AM 5/24/2005, you wrote:
>Thanks to all who replied. A CR member emailed me the 1974 catalog I
>couldn't seem to open on the RetroRaleighs site. It clearly shows the old
>style decals.
>So, if you believe the catalogs,

And after all these years and repeated discussions of Raleigh inconsistencies, catalogs and bikes, nobody in this group should believe everything in, (or not in) a Raleigh catalog. They are just sales & promotional material. They were never intended to be archival reference documents. Resemblance to actual bicycles, living or dead, is purely coincidental.


>the Reynolds Tube Co. decal was first used on Raleigh in 1975 or 1976
>(there is no 1975 catalog on the site). I'm going to assume my square
>Reynolds Tube Co. decal is not original and replace it when the frame is
>repaired.

There is a 75 Raleigh catalog at Mark Bulgier's site. http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Raleigh75/ Along with many other catalogs that will befuddle and bemuse.


>
>Studying the catalogs also cleared up another point of confusion for
>me. I thought the large-rivet Brooks Team Pro was introduced in 1974, but
>it is already shown on the Professional in the 1972 catalog. There is no
>1971 catalog on the site, so the Team Pro could even have been avialable
>in 1971.

Catalog labelled 72 is quite possibly a 71, but I never seem to convince anybody but myself. Maybe I just need to develop a good rant capability, scream loudly and stamp my little feet, but I just never seem to have that kind of excess energy. Anyway, for whatever it's worth, 71 Pros were mink brown (These are NOT the limited edition frames from the 1970 catalog). The 72 I have, and the others I've seen and heard about were blue, with very different lugs, but they may be more rare than 73 RRAs. http://retroraleighs.com/professional.html Possible there was an overlap between the plain lugged browns and the fancier lugged blues around that point in time, but I haven't seen it yet. Nor have I seen a catalog that includes this version of the Pro frame. I'm always searching for it.

They're just Raleighs, not archeological specimens. Enjoy them. Larry "all truths subject to change without notice" Osborn Morgantown WV