This is very interesting. (First, I didn't even know there was a Suntour equipped Japanese Raleigh called "Superbe." I thought all the Superbes were deluxe Sports models) Mark Bulgier's site (www.bulgier.net) has a 79 catalog with this model in it and the specs are given. Does yours have Suntour dropouts and fork ends? Is the seatpost 27.2 as a Reynolds frame would most likely use (but maybe Tange tubing also). Does it have a "Made in.." sticker on it? Is it possible that it's a normal one (made of Tange) that has had its decals "upgraded?" (Is there a tubing decal on the fork or just the frame?) It's hard to imagine the English Raleigh people doing the chromovelato finish, even if they built some prototypes of 531. You have a real "puzzlement."
David Bean Arlington, MA USA
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> From: steve rossano <s-rossano@rocketmail.com>
> Subject: [CR] Late 70's or early 80's Raleigh Superbe Indentification
> Help
> To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
>
> 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