RE:[CR]1981? Raleigh Pro - need help

From: "Steve Birmingham" <sbirmingham@mindspring.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
Subject: RE:[CR]1981? Raleigh Pro - need help
Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 15:24:38 -0400
In-Reply-To: <MONKEYFOODHydswcSBs00002411@monkeyfood.nt.phred.org>

Here's a scan of a Raleigh memo to dealers about the serial number system. The second letter is the month, and the digits after the first digit are a sequential number for that location for that month.

Http://www,mindspring.com/~sblackstone/sn.jpg

Steve Birmingham Lowell, Ma USA

Date: Mon, 25 Sep 2006 13:45:18 -0400 From: "Pete Geurds" <raleighpro@dejazzd.com> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Subject: Re: [CR]1981? Raleigh Pro - need help Message-ID: <012401c6e0ca$5dc36560$6401a8c0@peter5x12klm15> References: <20060925110345.40520@gmx.net> Content-Type: text/plain;charset="iso-8859-1" MIME-Version: 1.0 Precedence: list Message: 10

From: "kim klakow" <Akimbo71@gmx.net> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org> Sent: Monday, September 25, 2006 7:03 AM Subject: [CR]1981? Raleigh Pro - need help

>I just bought a Raleigh Pro which is said to date from 1983. I believe it to be earlier, but cannot find a catalog to support that, seeing that the 1983 catalog doesn't even list a Pro.
> The original date of purchase is 4.Feb.1983, so this might very well be a 82 model or earlier, no?
> Please take a look at the wooljersey gallery and let me know your thoughts.
> Thanks,
> kim
>
> http://www.wooljersey.com/gallery/Kims-bikes/RaleighPro/
> --
> Kim Klakow

Kim, I just snagged the below off Sheldon Brown's site(which was down). You can determine the age of the frame from the serial number. I couldn't make out the numbers in the photos you posted.
>From the lettering style I wonder if that was originally sold in
>England or Europe as I've never seen those graphics before.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/dating.html#1972 In 1974, an entirely different numbering system was introduced for the higher end (531 and subsequently 753) Raleighs. Serial numbers should begin with a "W", which stands for Worksop, the facility that produced theses frames. This is followed by another alphabet. This alphabet indicates the fortnight in which the frame was built (i.e. A = 1st fortnight, B = 2nd, etc.). The third character is always a numeral. It indicates the year of manufacture, the decade being assumed (i.e. "4" could be '74 or '84; it is up to the interpretor to know enough to tell if the frame is from the 70's or 80's). What then follows is a series of numbers. At this point, these appear to be some sort of sequence, but this has not been substantiated.

Pete Geurds
Douglassville, Pa