Raleigh Special Products Division Titanium - INFO PLEASE

[Haylock1974]

Oops! My bad on misspelling Barrie Clarke's surname! I just got all excited for you thing this was a special special-products frame!

Nice to learn about the history of Russian titanium manufacturing and fabrication.

So, I managed to find a contact email for Barrie Clarke and sent him a message. This is his reply:

Hello Chris,

Raleigh special products did stamp the names of the riders on the BB shell in the 90s. Some times they did spell my name wrong too. I don’t remember having a frame with a fat down tube though. I did have some IMI titanium frames both shinny and bead blasted but never with the fat down tube. I don’t even remember bikes of the time with oversized down tubes in titanium.

You might get some more info from Glenn Coltman, the Raleigh mechanic for a lot of this era. He now has a shop near Leicester but I do not know the name – sorry.

Good luck,
Barrie

Interesting...

More to report...

As suggested by Barrie Clarke I contacted Glenn Coltman, who now runs Pedel Power Bikes in Loughborough, and this is what he had to add to the discussion:

Hi Chris

No I don't mind you contacting me. I do remember these framesets. If I remember correctly special products division made a special press that took a large round titanium tube and ovalized it. Don't think they were ever made for the UK Raleigh brand but were for an American company called Sampson. I think the last order from Sampson was cancelled and these frames were sold into the UK bike shops. Sheffield Cycles of Burton upon Trent had quite a few.

Team Raleigh team frames always had the riders name stamped on to the bottom bracket shell not scratched on so not sure about that.

That's really all I can tell you. Hope it helps.

Glenn.

 

[Rampage]

There is pictures of the Sampson frame in the archive on here.

EDIT: Sorry, I thought this was the MTB section. Worth looking though I expect.

 

[Haylock1974]

There is pictures of the Sampson frame in the archive on here.

EDIT: Sorry, I thought this was the MTB section. Worth looking though I expect.

Found a couple of images of the Sampson Z7 Titanium.
I will let you draw your own conclusions...

 

[bikemeister2000]

I think the Titanium frames were all made in Russia, but got RSP decals as a marketing message.

Sorry, but that is utter rubish.

 

[Haylock1974]

I think the Titanium frames were all made in Russia, but got RSP decals as a marketing message.

Sorry, but that is utter rubish.

Hi bikemeister2000

What can you tell me about this frame?

 

[bikemeister2000]

Oops! My bad on misspelling Barrie Clarke's surname! I just got all excited for you thing this was a special special-products frame!

Nice to learn about the history of Russian titanium manufacturing and fabrication.

So, I managed to find a contact email for Barrie Clarke and sent him a message. This is his reply:

Hello Chris,

Raleigh special products did stamp the names of the riders on the BB shell in the 90s. Some times they did spell my name wrong too. I don’t remember having a frame with a fat down tube though. I did have some IMI titanium frames both shinny and bead blasted but never with the fat down tube. I don’t even remember bikes of the time with oversized down tubes in titanium.

You might get some more info from Glenn Coltman, the Raleigh mechanic for a lot of this era. He now has a shop near Leicester but I do not know the name – sorry.

Good luck,
Barrie

Interesting...

More to report...

As suggested by Barrie Clarke I contacted Glenn Coltman, who now runs Pedel Power Bikes in Loughborough, and this is what he had to add to the discussion:

Hi Chris

No I don't mind you contacting me. I do remember these framesets. If I remember correctly special products division made a special press that took a large round titanium tube and ovalized it. Don't think they were ever made for the UK Raleigh brand but were for an American company called Sampson. I think the last order from Sampson was cancelled and these frames were sold into the UK bike shops. Sheffield Cycles of Burton upon Trent had quite a few.

Team Raleigh team frames always had the riders name stamped on to the bottom bracket shell not scratched on so not sure about that.

That's really all I can tell you. Hope it helps.

Glenn.

Your frame is exactly that which Glenn described. The frames were supplied to Eric Sampson. We also manufactured them for Raleigh USA.

 

[Haylock1974]

Re:

Thanks
Any idea why it has CLARK scratched into the down tube?

 

[Haylock1974]

Finished Bike...

So, here is the finished bike...

The build isn't strictly 'retro' as the groupset and all other parts/components are post 1997...

 

[Blackbike]

Re:

A very nice build, business like, stealthy, and the perfect mix of grey and black.

: Mike

 

[NWGuy99]

Joined this forum just to post about this bike. I have purchased a Sampson Z7. I am not sure of the exact year, but it must be 1998-2000. My correspondence with Eric Sampson indicates that they were built for Sampson by Timet in Nottingham (I think that is Raleigh SPD). I am gathering any information that I can find and this forum site seems to have more than US forums.

the following link has some photos.
https://bikeindex.org/bikes/92363
I have also setup a Pinterest where I am gathering info on these bikes.
https://www.pinterest.com/mikerudinsky/ ... -z7-bikes/