1985ish Raleigh Randonneur

[Martin Rattler]

RRan2 by JuanM58, on Flickr

RRan1 by JuanM58, on Flickr

RRan3 by JuanM58, on Flickr

I wasn’t really looking for another project but on a recent club run one of my colleagues mentioned that he had a Raleigh Randonneur hanging on his garage wall and I could have it if I cared to collect it…otherwise it would probably end up at the tip. Well, we can’t have that happening so I picked up it up this morning, leaving a bottle of prosecco in exchange; this is the South East after all.

Apart from missing the pedals, saddle, the seat post and clamp bolt everything appears to be where it should be and despite its rather forlorn state most of the components appear to be in pretty good condition. I don’t know how much of the machine is original, the previous owner was a keen audaxer so it has been well used and cosmetically it is tatty. The chainset is Shimano 105 with TA rings which look unworn, as does the seven speed cassette and chain. The front mech is 105, the rear XT, rims are Mavic on 105 hubs. The bars look to be Nitto on an SR stem and are fitted with 105 levers with Shimano cantilevers. The previous owner thinks that it dates from about 1985 and a Reynolds anniversary sticker of that date bears this out.

Given that the machine hasn’t been used in about 20 years my initial intention was to fully strip it down and rebuild it but after getting it up on the stand and checking it over everything seemed to work so I decided to see whether I could get it on the road immediately. A random Gipiemme seat post was fitted and an M8 button head screw turned down on the lathe to fit the clamp socket, a pair of Suntour pedals installed and I was away. Just half a mile up the road and back but it rides very nicely; far too good to be scrapped.

So the idea now is to fully strip and rebuild for use as an audax bike and light tourer for the summer. I have a Raleigh Royal of similar vintage with full mudguards for the winter and it will be interesting to see how they compare. I’ll update the thread as I go.

 

[Captain Stupido]

Nice. Always fancied one of these.

 

[Jamiedyer]

That's a great looking machine that is.
I have been keeping an eye out for a small one for a long time, as I have always liked the look of these and they also have a very good reputation as a fine audax/touring machine.
That should come up really nicely, not that it doesn't look great now
I will follow this thread with interest as I have always like the look of a Royal model as well, so it will be good to hear your thoughts on that.

Jamie

 

[Martin Rattler]

Re:

So the Randonneur has now been stripped down and the components bagged and put away while I make a start on the frame. Everything looks straight and the frame is free of dings but the paintwork is certainly battle-scarred, particularly the top tube which is scratched and worn by the flexing of the rear brake cable, a few rust pits too but the damage seems limited to the cosmetic. I intend to clean up the paint as best as I can, treat the rust spots and then wax the frame to give some protection.

I am puzzled by the difference between the Royal and the Randonneur; other than the nifty clips for a couple of spare spokes on the Randonneur’s drive side chainstay they appear very similar. They have the same braze-ons and the geometry looks identical. My Royal carries a Reynolds sticker just stating Reynolds 531 Super Tourist, while the Randonneur’s states Guaranteed built with 531ST Fork Blades, Stays and Butted Frame Tubes. Both frames take 27.2mm seatposts…so what’s the difference? Perhaps very little but if someone does have any info on this I would be interested to know.

As for the frame number, the Randonneur’s is WH7000010 and I am guessing that the W stands for Worksop but can anyone put a date to this? As a comparison the Royal’s number is C20278, I have the paperwork for this including a card from the Special Products Division noting that it was assembled by one Rex Johnson, complete with his picture. The date given on an associated chit is 1992. The Raleigh and model transfers for both the Royal and the Randonneur are the same.

 

[Martin Rattler]

Re:

After some google based research I think that I am able to answer my own question regarding dating. The W does indeed signify Worksop but it is noted that the factory closed in ‘81 and the W continued to be used for Nottingham built machines but was discontinued in 1990. The H denoted the month, in this case June and the 7 the year; presumably 1987 as the frame has a Reynolds 1985 anniversary decal. The final digits refer to the unit in the production run, i.e. the tenth unit built in June 1987. Sounds reasonable.

 

[ksvb5368]

Welcome to the Randonneur club! I currently own 4 Randonneurs in various forms ( have owned 6 in total), so feel I am qualified to answer your questions. Having made the gunmetal grey one from the mid-80's to the early 90's yours looks to be as you rightfully say one of the earlier ones made in 1987 (you can tell from the serial number). Aside from the serial number, It takes a keen eye, but you can tell the rough year from the type of Reynolds sticker and the shape of the lugs ( see pic below). What adds confusion is the aero-brake levers, which I think are an after addition along with the rear mech. The later ones came with mostly deore and 105-1055. Yours should have had Shimano 600 non-aero brake levers, but I've never seen a pair with the hoods intact so assume that's why they were changed.

I have two of the smaller size which are in near perfect condition, but the others all seemed to suffer from surface rust and bubbling of the paint. I also owned a royal and it suffered a similar problem. As to the difference, asides from the components and the spoke holders, some years there was very little apart from this. In later additions, I believe only the Randonneur had all tubes from 531st but in the earlier Royal with all tubes 531st, the Royal didn't have any rack mounts on the frame. You can see from the picture below:

_DSC2130 by ksvb5368, on Flickr

CIMG1121 by ksvb5368, on Flickr

If you are after any original parts, just give me a shout!

 

[Martin Rattler]

Re:

RRanFrame by JuanM58, on Flickr

RRanFrameDetail by JuanM58, on Flickr

Thanks for the information ksvb, it’s all useful stuff. I had assumed that the brake levers are replacements and I will probably change these for non-aero type, I have a set of Road Champion bars with Weinmann levers that came off the Royal when I carried out some changes a couple of years ago. The cartridge bottom bracket (which I assume is also an upgrade on the original arrangement) seems to be in good condition and fit for further service. Not so the head set, a weighty and robust looking Tange Levin which felt OK but the bearing cage in the top race was found to be in bits. Everything has cleaned up well however and I will rebuild it with new balls. The frame is cleaning up nicely; where there is paint it gleams. However, the top tube is heavily scuffed and scratched and there is heavy cable rub damage to the paint on the headtube but I am viewing this as patina, all part of the bike’s character so I am not considering a respray at this time. More soon.

 

[Martin Rattler]

Re:

RRanBuild1 by JuanM58, on Flickr

The rebuild continues. Headset rebuilt with new balls and spacer added (how was the headset ever adjusted beforehand?) cartridge BB cleaned up and refitted. Brake cantilevers cleaned up using a bronze bristle brush, 000 grade wire wool and Autosol; now gleaming. 105 hubs, not a pair; the front appears newer, have been stripped down, cleaned and rebuilt. One of the rear cones is a little pitted so I’ll look out for a replacement but it should be OK for the time being. I am very impressed with the quality of the Shimano components, it is obvious that the bike has been well used and has had a hard life and some parts look to be in a bit of a state when stripped down, but they clean up beautifully. I suspect that the rear hub cone is only pitted because someone appears to have fitted the grease seals back to front. Original tyres reused with new inner tubes and Sakae Road Champion bars with SR stem (ex Raleigh Royal) fitted temporarily. I’m really looking forward to getting the Randonneur on the road and hope to be able to get a few miles in before the end of the summer.

 

[Martin Rattler]

Re:

RRanShimano by JuanM58, on Flickr

Brakes cabled up using a new rear cable and rather natty red outers, rear brake blocks replaced with random pair from EBay; I’m determined to do the rebuild on a shoestring!

105 triple chainset has cleaned up nicely, there is some strap rub evident on the cranks so I have opted just to clean everything up rather than go for the full polish and most of the gunge came off with a rub from an oily rag, a bronze brush being used to get into the more inaccessible nooks and crannies. TA rings have come up like new! Front 105 mech cleaned and oiled and seems to work smoothly with no apparent wear. The rear mech, a Deore XT 8 speed was in a bit of a state with caked on grease and grime which warranted it being stripped down. I couldn’t initially see how to do this; it’s a bit modern for me, but a YouTube tutorial showed the way. It took most of the afternoon to clean everything up and I had to make a couple of minor parts but despite looking a bit battered it seems to operate smoothly enough. The jockey wheels have seen better days though so I will need to look out for some replacements at some point. More soon.

 

[Martin Rattler]

Re:

RRanRoad1 by JuanM58, on Flickr

RRanRoad2 by JuanM58, on Flickr

De-gunked the cassette and the chain this morning which took a while but the accumulated grease does appear to have protected everything pretty well. Gipiemme seat post fitted with ancient and venerable Brooks Competition saddle. I acquired this a few weeks ago from an elderly neighbour who had kept it in his garage for years. Despite being thoroughly dried out, after soaking up about half a dozen coats of dubbin it seems to have recovered pretty well. So after going over everything with spanner and Allen key for a last minute tweak I set of for a couple of hours’ randonneuring in the sun. It rides very nicely, it goes; it stops; it is stable and comfortable… what more can you ask. Subjectively it does feel a little different to the Royal, a little tauter perhaps, but then it has just been serviced and newly set up. So all very nice, an enjoyable little project saving a decent bike from the tip and I’m looking forward to getting some miles in during the summer months. During the winter I think I might fit the original bars; I have a set of Suntour Superbe Pro aero levers that might be a good replacement for the tatty 105s it came with and a set of indexed bar end levers might be a nice addition but I'll update if I make any significant changes.