Raleigh Road Ace: apologies and moral dilemma :-/

What should I do to the frame?

  • Send to Argos for a full resto job

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Powder coat it (solid colours)

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Treat the rust and give lots of TLC

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0
:)

That's great to know.

Now I know that it was built up onto the frame, I feel less constrained in my choice of componentry, less bound to keep it 'concours'.

I'm looking forward to starting the job!
 
It is a nice frame with some nice bits on it, but at the end of the day the most important thing is........ It is YOUR bike and you do what you want with it, some will agree, some will disagree, some will like it, some won't. That is all part of the fun and if we all liked the same thing where would be the fun in that ;)

Build it, ride it, enjoy it :D
 
I agree with everything in that last post. I had one...I bought it in my local bike shop and they were off the peg from the raleigh catalogue. Nothing special really except that they were 531c as apposed to the more common 531 and they had three sets of Raleigh decals on them. Made them look more like a pro frame. Ha Ha. Anyway here s a picture of me riding it. I built it up with campag athena. First of its kind in our club back then. Nobody had heard of campag. The eagle eyed out there will notice that I have fitted chrome forks. All due to a racing accident the week previously. I think this was taken in 1989. Just before I upgraded to my Castorama Dyna Tech.
bike.jpeg
 
Raleigh Frame.

roadking":37i5khzt said:
TimBish":37i5khzt said:
Thanks for the answers. It may be of interest to note that the frame number is: WK7000650, which seems to indicate it's a Worksop bike, built sometime in June 1987. Does that sound right?

Hiya, firstly restore frame properly - don't powder coat it! Secondly, and this has been repeated on RB numerous times, Worksop closed in 1981, the"W"frame prefix was used in the Nottingham Lightweight Unit. The frame is not a Gerald O'Donovan, this sticker was used by Raleigh as a marketing tool - it really discredited GOD having his initials on these frames. It is not a"custom"frameset". It is off the peg and were sold in large numbers around 1986/87, and is not a Road Ace - although it does have RA componentry from what I can see. It is not a bad frame but doesn't justify the GOD sticker - only SBDU framesets justify. Roadking.

KermitGreen has chosen to overreact to my post, hence quoting myself here. I have only tried to clarify things with regard to the OPs frameset.

KG has also chosen to repeat my points...however, the OPs bike was sold as a frameset, and is not a Road Ace(that was a bike), but it has similarities - obviously.

The GOD sticker was used on the most mundane frames(531 maintubes only, for example)and IMO, diminished GOD, who I met in 1985 when ordering my SBDU from Ilkeston - these stickers were not fitted to Ilkeston built framesets. They began to appear later in the 1980s.

However these Lightweight Unit frames are very good, I have one(see below 1984 Corsa), and as such is worth restoring properly. If the OP doesn't do this or keep it as is, what is the point of this debate? If the OP chooses the powder coat route then the frame looses its identity anyway.

This frame could be restored properly for no more than £150 IMO.

KG, if you feel crucified then you are truly a drama queen, and should permanently reside on the dark side - i.e the MTB section;-)

Roadking(a man more sinned against than sinning).
 
What a nice frame from a good era!
Can't see anybody has pointed you to this post yet but take a look here....

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=178542

I agree (and have voted) to give it a wipe with an oily rag and ride it! or alternatively a wipeover with with clear waxoyl and it will never get any worse. If you do decide to give it a t-cut first it may be worth going gently or even around the decals as if they are not under a clear coat then the t-cut could take the lettering off.
Enjoy it!
 
shawnb":1r5ep9yw said:
What a nice frame from a good era!
Can't see anybody has pointed you to this post yet but take a look here....

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=178542

I agree (and have voted) to give it a wipe with an oily rag and ride it! or alternatively a wipeover with with clear waxoyl and it will never get any worse. If you do decide to give it a t-cut first it may be worth going gently or even around the decals as if they are not under a clear coat then the t-cut could take the lettering off.
Enjoy it!

Equally, see my point on that thread also.

Roadking.
 
Option 3 to begin with, tidy it up and see how you get on with it :) . I decided to sell mine as it was too small, the new owner has renovated it and it's always being used now as a training bike:
 

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