Hennie Kuiper's TI-Raleigh 1976 Team Bike Frame Number HK276

If your frame is HK 276, is there an HK 176? Back in the 70's I worked in a Raleigh 5 Star Dealer and I'm sure the riders had several frames made consecutively numbered. Have only come across a couple of Raleigh / Carlton frames with altered Capella lugs, pretty rare

Yep, SBDU 3612 is well worn for 1980 with some paint loss and surface brown stuff. But it's 753, drilled dropouts and the rest I'm a real first gen Shimano fan but going to dig out the Campag.

Tempted to have it refinished but looks dignified as it is lol

If 3612 is still like the pics I've seen then a good clean and polish is all I'd do.

SBDU/Team frames had a few Capella lugged bikes (I've got a few). Seemed to be a handful of 75/76/77 frames. This is SB664 with almost intact Capella lugs - the long front points have been trimmed.



HK176 does exist - but not with Capella lugs, which is how I can tell HK276 is being used in most images of Hennie that year.

Lovely gold finish on that Capella lugged frame. I guess it's a TT frame as it has a decal for a headbadge.

Raleigh boasted that it's gold paint was the lightest finish available, some frames were simply dusted with it lol. Their boasts about their lightweight paint was a bit hollow when Schuiten didn't get the hour record. I think it was a bit of a shock for Raleigh. Peter Post told everybody the record was a certainty.

Have you any pics of 3612

The latest I have is from a CC post

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/now-t ... al.234033/

Yep think those CC pics are what I've seen.

And yes, I think Raleigh were very confident, but maybe it was something else, like the rider, or climate or pressure rather than the bike? The bike was beautiful... here are some pics (bit poor but still a lovely bike). The paint can be incredibly thin!

WOW.

Is that Schuiten's bike? Not seen close up pics of it before. As above WoW!

Raleigh were really confident that they would get the hour record. Rumour was that Peter Post spent a million pounds on the team to beat the world.

Before the hour attempt the Raleigh reps came round with frames that were "replicas" of the hour record frame plus magnesium alloy and titanium components, which is where I remember the claims about the frame finish from. Mind you it was the RJ Chicken rep that had the best handouts lol.

It all went very quiet after the attempt....

I wonder where the replica frames are now, not to mention the spare kit?

As an aside, my SBDU frame came without a seat binder bolt, any idea what size they were, I have a later 531 Pro Professional frame with thinner seat stays that are joined at the seat bolt, might see if it fits the earlier SBDU.

Yes that was his hour frame - one of 3 that I believe were built, all slightly different. The TI in the background I think is one of the 3.

You need an M8 x 1.25 x 25 (diameter – pitch – length). The later fastback bolts are much smaller

Here's a post I wrote about repairing the thread on my SB4059 seat lug

https://raleigh-sb4059.com/2018/07/01/s ... ad-repair/

Thank you very much about the info regarding the seat bolt, very much appreciated I have asked the seller about the missing seat bolt.

I have the odd SABA and Hague (I think that's the name) titanium bolts hanging around somewhere which might fit?

Thanks again

Rick Powell who was a Raleigh sprayer and foreman under Go'D went on to make his own frames. I have owned two of his and both had thin but immaculately applied paint. The one I still have is 20 years old and still sound so it's not like it wasn't prepped well either. It has made me very picky about bike spray jobs and I can't stand to see thick paint over elaborate lugs.

Midlife I had tried to send Neil a mountain of photos of 3612 a couple of months ago (transfer position, paint with the yellow under-spray, lugs etc. However, I have a feeling they did not arrive. In any case you have the frame now:-)

I has also tried to send some photos of SB5797, I assume these did not go through either. At some point I'll put them all in albums on CC.