Help! What is it? Yellow Raleigh 531 racer..

[mrgumby]

can anyone help identify this?

It's a yellow raleigh racer is all I know for for sure.

Lugged frame, lovely cable guide round the bottom bracket..

It has 531 stickers on the frame and forks but they are stuck on over the lacquer so who knows..

Here are a couple of pics:





I bought it off ebay on a whim on Sunday evening and went to pick it up today..

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/raleigh-reyno ... true&rt=nc

Was happy to find campagnolo brakes, crank and headset.. 105 8speed gearing and wheels.. The wheels and crank were knackered and got binned but all the rest is good.

Need to work out what size seatpost I need..

Any input much appreciated..
Thanks for looking,
Matt

 

[mrgumby]

Another picture...

 

[mrgumby]

Serial number: WN2001835

 

[Theoldfm]

Are you sure it's a Raleigh?

The frame looks identical to my Carlton Super Course.

What were the cranks i.e. what type of Campag?

 

[mrgumby]

campagnolo gran sport strada chainset

Now in bits, I've turned it into keyrings...

Maybe the serial number can help, I am no expert..

 

[mrgumby]

Serial number: WN2001835

From Wikipedia
Factory: Worksop(Carlton, Sun, BSA, Triumph) - W
Month: N - October
"Third Symbol is the year of manufacture, e.g. 4-9 would be 1974-1979, 0-3 would be 1980-83, and then the sequence repeats. Thus, 'WH4003203' would be the 3203rd frame built at Worksop in June 1974. In 1982, when Worksop production was moved to Nottingham, the division continued to produce frames with the 'W' designation."

October 1982 Made in Nottingham?

 

[KidDynamite]

Was there any Raleigh badge installed on the front tube? Like the below image.

 

[mrgumby]

Yes, but before my time, looks like someone prized it off. The back of the three rivets are still in the little holes...

 

[Midlife]

Yep, Despite having a "W" number for worksop they could end up with a Raleigh set of decals and headbadge........ 1982 so could have been made at Worksop or Nottingham in the switchover year.

Shaun

 

[roadking]

Yep, Despite having a "W" number for worksop they could end up with a Raleigh set of decals and headbadge........ 1982 so could have been made at Worksop or Nottingham in the switchover year. Shaun

1982 = Nottingham build, but many of these early frames (meaning soon after the Carlton closure in 1981) had a number of Carlton"trademarks", meaning they shared features with both Carltons and Raleighs produced in Worksop.

Raleigh continued to use the W (Worksop) frame prefix in the Lightweight Unit (at Nottingham) as a way of differentiating the"better"bikes from the lesser ones.

This frame doesn't look original, in that the 531 decals on the fork blades are late 1980s and the down tube decal looks"roadster"to me not lightweight.

Seat tube diameter?

Hope this helps.

Jon (aka Roadking).