Raleigh Titainum Special Products division Titanium ?
sakkie57
Posts: 28
I do have a Raleigh Special products division and need to know if the frame is Titanuim. I did used a magnet and it really stuck on the steel. No alloy. Very light. Serial no start with j ( 1998 ) Will Raleigh UK help with serial no. to confirm. Dont know if they will have records. But i trust the forum will help.[url][/url]
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Looks like standard gauge steel tubing to me. Why do you think it might be Ti? Especially if you say the magnet stuck on to it well. Ti is only vaguely ferrous, so unlikely to get much attraction from a magnet.
Interesting use of chainstay protectors - on the seat stays...0 -
The seat clamp looks like what I recall my Raleigh 853 looked like.0
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The point that a magnet stuck to the frame very strongly let me wonder if its Titanuim frame. Previous owner mentioned it is Titanuim. Its great bike with good components.Full Shimano RX 100 Groupset . Shifters is 105 8 x 2 Shifters. 105 Headset. very light. Built 1998/ by Raleigh Special Products Division. I did look at 853 and will do more research. Many thanks for the help.0
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105 was bottom of the range in 1998 and I would expect that a Titanium frame would have come with higher spec. Mine came with 600 which is now Ultegra. Mine didn’t come with Crome forks, they come with a weight penalty so probably it might be a lower spec steel.
How do you know its from the special products division.0 -
If a magnet stuck to it,it's steel. Nice bike just ride it and have fun.0
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It has the RSP head badge, but to me it looks repainted/re-decalled and if that's the case, it could be literally anything.0
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It will be hard and difficult to find the decor labels. I will keep in mind that it was rebuilt and painted. Thank you.0
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If it was the original paint job which seems unlikely given it looks in great condition and it’s twenty years old. It would have the transfers on the seat tube saying what it was made of. However if it’s been resprayed this would explain it as some transfers were hard to source.
I guess this might not be the case these days.
Edit
Just out of interest I googled Raleigh Special products and there was a post from someone with the 1997 RSD catalog and your frame looks like the Raleigh Optima which has Reynolds Optima tubing.0 -
Webboo wrote:If it was the original paint job which seems unlikely given it looks in great condition and it’s twenty years old. It would have the transfers on the seat tube saying what it was made of. However if it’s been resprayed this would explain it as some transfers were hard to source.
I guess this might not be the case these days.
Edit
Just out of interest I googled Raleigh Special products and there was a post from someone with the 1997 RSD catalog and your frame looks like the Raleigh Optima which has Reynolds Optima tubing.
I agree with above statement. Titanium definitely is non magnetic [or classed as] My suggestion was it looks like the Optima tubing. I remember them being in a Blue colour. It wasn't a high spec frameset and I think was just above entry level but looked very nice. Hope the seller didn't charge you a titanium price. Does look nice though0 -
http://www.retrobike.co.uk > forum > viewtopic0
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Raleigh was owned by Tube Investments for quite a while and there was the TI Raleigh racing team so a lot of bikes were branded as such, this probably caused some confusion.0
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Thank you for all the advise. I will go with raleigh optima racing bikes. Great bike and in good condition. Will enjoy the ride. Many thanks its time for my next rare vintage bike. It is a hobby to buy rare vintage bikes and repair or refurbish them. This Raleigh is very good and pleased with the bike.0
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Veronese68 wrote:Raleigh was owned by Tube Investments for quite a while and there was the TI Raleigh racing team so a lot of bikes were branded as such, this probably caused some confusion.
I used to work just down the road from T.I. at Hinxton and was about to say the same thing. TI doesn't necessarily mean titanium...0
