seems odd (to me) because up to the end of the 70s (at least) 'Superbe' had always been reserved as the model name for the quintessential English Roadster with a Sturmey 3 speed (and possibly a DynoHub as an option.) Was it the name of a sports bike in the USA ? Nice enough frame though ! John Purser caught red-handed in Sudbury UK
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Message: 6 Date: Tue, 8 Feb 2011 11:55:25 -0800 (PST) From: steve rossano <s-rossano@rocketmail.com> Subject: [CR] Late 70's or early 80's Raleigh Superbe Indentification Help To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org Message-ID: <386241.61120.qm@web33108.mail.mud.yahoo.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
Hi, I have recently purchased a Raleigh Superbe, but it doesn't seem to match the online info I have found so far. I believe it to be a Japanese built (Bridgestone), which is almost identical to the one posted here:
http://www.wooljersey.com/
The difference that I have been able to spot are different pedals, (mine has a modern looking version), a matching Superbe sticker on the top tube, and the big difference, Mine has the "GUARANTEED BUILT WITH SPECIAL LIGHTWEIGHT Reynolds 531 BUTTED FRAME TUBES FORK BLADES & STAYS" decal.
Which is more likely, that this was an English built version, perhaps prototype, or that they shipped the tubing set to Japan to have it built there?
The Serial number is NOP 9098. I have not found anything on Japanese built serial numbers, so any help here would be very appreciated.
If it were English built, my best speculation would go something like this. Nottingham Built Oct/Nov 1979 98th frame built that time period
If anyone has any light to shed, I would love to hear it. Thanks, Steve Rossano Redmond, WA
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End of Classicrendezvous Digest, Vol 98, Issue 45
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