Help with 1973 Raleigh Thunder?!

[jaywire]

I had a pair of forks go missing at the paint shop

Apparently the bike was a 1973 Raleigh Thunder but I'm having very little luck finding much out about this bike online.

Anyone heard of it?

Any suggestions for equivalent forks? The frame fits 27" 1 1/4 wheels and the steerer tube is a mighty 172mm in length.

I'm guessing they would have been the Raleigh 26tpi thread on the steerer, but not sure, the headset is being re-chromed and I've not seen it.

Any help much appreciated, seem to have come to a dead end.

 

[Midlife]

I worked in a bike shop (Raleigh 5 star Dealer) and for the life of me I can't remember a Road Bike called a Thunder........we used to sell decals with names like that though to stick on any bikes.

any pics

Shaun

 

[jaywire]

Customer sent me the attached pic, not been able to confirm that it is actually a Thunder though?

I've never heard of it either and no real confirmation on the web yet.

 

[jaywire]

And here's a couple of very bad (sorry) photos of the frame as I've got it now.

Oval seat tube and braze on mech hanger.

 

[keithglos]

Re:

Purely guessing, but I suspect this is not 26 tpi. Check the bottom bracket threads. It looks far eastern to me.
You could fit a 24 tpi head set.

Keith

 

[MrW]

It's much newer than 1973!

I'd say it was a 1983 Raleigh Pulsar (18-23 Tubing), a Team Cadet (18-23 or Reynolds 501 Tubing), Quasar (Reynolds 501 tubing) or a Record Sprint (Reynolds 501 tubing)

These bikes came with 'Aerospace Contour' tubing (round, oval, round down tube and seat tube)

Forks are fairly generic, they would have left the factory with 18-23 High Tensile tubing with Tange Sloping Crown

Wheels would have been 700c in all cases

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalo ... l84_06.jpg

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalo ... l84_07.jpg

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalo ... l84_08.jpg

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalo ... l84_09.jpg

 

[jaywire]

That's kind of what I thought, that it would be a 700. I sized up a spare 700 wheel in the frame and it looked at little small for the frame, 27" fitted the frame better.

Is there an easy way to confirm that a blank frame is either 700 or 27? Measure brake drop?

 

[MrW]

That's kind of what I thought, that it would be a 700. I sized up a spare 700 wheel in the frame and it looked at little small for the frame, 27" fitted the frame better.

Is there an easy way to confirm that a blank frame is either 700 or 27? Measure brake drop?

I'm 100% sure it is what I said it was (I have a frame hanging in my garage, it was my first ever road bike many many moons ago!)

 

[MrW]

Maybe a long shot, but there were lots of forks here.....

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