Aero section tubeset, Reynolds?

Uranus

Just acquired an unusual frame - looks to be 1970s/1980s, British BB, 27.2 seatpost, touring frame (mudguard eyes). 5-digit serial number under BB, headtube badge missing (damn!) was fixed by two pins exactly 1 inch apart.

Has been re-enamelled, unsurprisingly no sign of original paint or stickers.

But it has "aero-section" downtube and seattube, i.e. the middle of the tube is flattened to an oval profile.

Any idea what tubeset this might be? I recall there was a Reynolds 531 "Speedstream" with tubes like this, but I thought that was something very exotic not what you'd expect to find on a bike with mudguards??

Uranus

Just spotted another number at the back of the seat tube, just below the seat cluster. NG 51478 . then another letter or number. I'll get the nitromors on it. Who is NG?

DavidBelcher

Uranus wrote:

Just spotted another number at the back of the seat tube, just below the seat cluster. NG 51478 . then another letter or number. I'll get the nitromors on it. Who is NG?

Could be a Raleigh "Aerospace Profile" frameset? They came in two types, one in Reynolds 501 Cr-Mo as either the Quasar (which I once owned) or Record Sprint, and another in bog-standard high-tensile carbon steel, in Raleigh-Panasonic team colours or as the Pulsar model. All had mudguard eyes, a single set of bottle bosses, two gear lever bosses and a braze-on front mech fitting.

David

Uranus

DavidBelcher wrote:

Could be a Raleigh "Aerospace Profile" frameset? They came in two types, one in Reynolds 501 Cr-Mo as either the Quasar (which I once owned) or Record Sprint, and another in bog-standard high-tensile carbon steel, in Raleigh-Panasonic team colours or as the Pulsar model. All had mudguard eyes, a single set of bottle bosses, two gear lever bosses and a braze-on front mech fitting.

David

Thanks David. I was starting to think Raleigh, the NG+7digits number behind the seat tube had me thinking NG=Nottingham??

All braze-on details as you say. Someone has slapped some 501 stickers on it but as it's a respray that doesn't prove much. 27.2mm Seatpin I associate with 531 rather than 501 but maybe not.

How would I tell the difference between a Quasar andr a Record Sprint?

DavidBelcher

Uranus wrote:

Thanks David. I was starting to think Raleigh, the NG+7digits number behind the seat tube had me thinking NG=Nottingham??

All braze-on details as you say. Someone has slapped some 501 stickers on it but as it's a respray that doesn't prove much. 27.2mm Seatpin I associate with 531 rather than 501 but maybe not.

How would I tell the difference between a Quasar andr a Record Sprint?

No difference at all in the frame bar the paint job (metallic blue-grey for Quasars, black for Record Sprints). Record Sprints had a lot of gold-anodised bits (Sugino GT cranks, Weinmann 500 brakeset, Sachs Rival rear mech) fitted to them, whilst the Quasar was notable for an early use of aero brake levers (Shimano Adamas).

David

Uranus

Thanks for the info David. Been looking at the frame more closely and come to the conclusion that it's not a respray after all, just a mass-production paint job! The 501 stickers must be original.

And as it's black, it's a Record Sprint. Circa 1984 I suppose.

It'll end up as my single-speed/fixed-gear, or on Ebay!