Raleigh Randonneur 708 1997

Re:

Peteee, that’s such a shame - your variant is so rare.

I can’t be sure from the photos: has it gone where the down tube meets the bottom of the head tube lug, and at the chainstays?

The BB area on yours is different to mine - no doubt for the Cyclo-X requirements: the crimps are more pronounced, no ‘pip’ and a different BB shell.

Although it looks bad, is it worth looking at repair? A bit like the ancient AGA, steel frames are endlessly rebuildable.
 
Re: Re:

doctor-bond":hr5wbh5l said:
Peteee, that’s such a shame - your variant is so rare.

I can’t be sure from the photos: has it gone where the down tube meets the bottom of the head tube lug, and at the chainstays?

The BB area on yours is different to mine - no doubt for the Cyclo-X requirements: the crimps are more pronounced, no ‘pip’ and a different BB shell.

Although it looks bad, is it worth looking at repair? A bit like the ancient AGA, steel frames are endlessly rebuildable.

Yes the down tube crack has started at the tip of the head tube lug. It’s a rounded edge, not a point and not especially thick so not an excessive step-change. The chain stay crack has migrated from the rather thick bracket shell.
It is repairable With two new tubes but given the apparent non-standard tubes it’s probably not economically viable. Who’s to say any of the others won’t go the same way? The fact that the failed ones did is a bit of a mystery, after all.
Whilst it was undeniably, a great frameset, the lack of a second set of bottle bosses and mudguard and rack eyes made it less than perfect for what I needed.
As for being endlessly rebuildable, that’s not strictly true. Heat-treated steel such as 708 is not tolerant of excessive heat either in terms of absolute temperature or repeated exposure.
 
Re:

Hear you about the practicalities of repair.

What are your plans for it? There maybe someone out there willing to buy it as a project; or put it on the wall as a memento mori?

Please don’t scrap it; if push came to shove I’d give it cave room.
 
Re:

I am hanging on to it until I can establish whether or not it is built from a standard set of frame tubes. There is a slight possibility it was a frame built during the development of the 708 Touristique tubeset. Information is scarce but Reynolds themselves have promised to get back to me.
 
Bought this Randonneur second hand and have gradually replaced parts. Kept the original Raleigh Passport too. Lovely touring bike.
 

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