Dating 70s Raleigh Professional

RS said:

I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional through an
estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9 and yes I
have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

A dozen roses and a new Brooks saddle might get you hooked up. -bg

Campagnolo Nuevo Record rear derailleurs were stamped with the year, at
least for some years in the 70s. Look carefully and you might find it.
--
Thomas David Kehoe
Casa Futura Technologies
http://www.casafuturatech.com

in article [email hidden], RS at
[email hidden] wrote on 10/21/06 2:21 PM:

Quoted message said:

I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional through an
estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9 and yes I
have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

"RS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional through

an

Quoted message said:

estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9 and

yes I

Quoted message said:

have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

There was an arcane numbering code stamped into the bottom bracket on a
lot of Raleighs. Do a Google search and maybe you can find the key.

Chas.

"Burke Gilman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

RS said:

I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional

through an

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9

and yes I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

A dozen roses and a new Brooks saddle might get you hooked up. -bg

Some Phil Tenacious Oil might help too.... ;-)

Chas.

The "Retro Raleighs" site seems to exist no longer, but "A" would have
been the first year of production - 1969?

RS said:

I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional through an
estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9 and yes I
have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

The "Retro Raleighs" site seems to exist no longer, but "A" would have
been the first year of production - 1969?

RS said:

I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional through an
estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9 and yes I
have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

1969 might make sense. Virtually all components are upgraded. Better parts
then what was on the bike but of course to a collector degrades the value of the
bike. I see people paying silly prices for Campy Nuovo Record stuff on Ebay and
a clean all original Professional went for $1500 fairly recently.

thanks

* * Chas said:

"Burke Gilman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

RS said:

I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional

through an

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9

and yes I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

A dozen roses and a new Brooks saddle might get you hooked up. -bg

Some Phil Tenacious Oil might help too.... ;-)

Chas.

"Candy is nice but liquor is quicker"

* * Chas said:

"Burke Gilman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

RS said:

I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional

through an

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9

and yes I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

A dozen roses and a new Brooks saddle might get you hooked up. -bg

Quoted message said:

Some Phil Tenacious Oil might help too.... ;-)

Surely not on the first date!

--

John ([email hidden])

"Fred" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

* * Chas said:

"Burke Gilman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

RS wrote:
> I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional

through an

Quoted message said:

> estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9

and yes I

Quoted message said:

> have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
> information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

A dozen roses and a new Brooks saddle might get you hooked up. -bg

Some Phil Tenacious Oil might help too.... ;-)

Chas.

"Candy is nice but liquor is quicker"

Southern Comfort - Instant paint remover!

RS,
It seems like your bicycle is a 1973 or 1974. The AXXXX serial number
would normally fit the 2nd number system of 1966, but it sounds like
your's is newer. Later on in sheldon's dating page there are some
notes including "There are several documented cases of '73 and '74
Professionals, Internationals, Competitions and RRAs with "A" serial
numbers. Let the color scheme, decals and components be your guide,"
that seems to describe your bicycle more accurately. See also
http://retroraleighs.com/professional.html
I think sheldon picked up the content of the former retro raleighs site
within his own site.
best of luck, it sounds a lovely ride.
z

RS said:

I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional through an
estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9 and yes I
have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

There are a couple of things you can do:

- post a photo somewhere (or email me) and I or others can give you
some input. More photos of more components, more decals, more lugs is
better. There are some distinctive features that pin things down.

- on top of the rear campy derailleur there is a stamp "Pat 72" or
something similar. That is the year the derailleur was made - if it's
original, that dates the bike +/- to a model year.

"RS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional through

an

Quoted message said:

estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9 and

yes I

Quoted message said:

have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

How are the seat stays attached to the seat tube? That can help date
your bike.

Also as someone else mentioned, post a link to some pictures. That will
really help.

Chas.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

"RS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional through

an

Quoted message said:

estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9 and

yes I

Quoted message said:

have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

How are the seat stays attached to the seat tube? That can help date
your bike.

Also as someone else mentioned, post a link to some pictures. That will
really help.

Chas.

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

"RS" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have what I think is an early 70s or so Raleigh Professional through

an

Quoted message said:

estate situation, its silver color. The serial number is A94S9 and

yes I

Quoted message said:

have looked at Sheldon's site but this doesn't quite fit into his
information. Can anyone help date this bike? Thanks.

How are the seat stays attached to the seat tube? That can help date
your bike.

Also as someone else mentioned, post a link to some pictures. That will
really help.

Chas.

Good idea on the images, I'll get some out in a day or so.

1974. I have the exactly the same bike as you. look at the fine
print at the bottom of the page on sheldon's website. You can
also look at 3 other places to get dates for the bike :

1. crankset should say <3>, meaning 1973 crankset.
2. rear mech should say "PAT 73", meaning 1973 mech
3. open up the hubs, look at the INSIDE of the locknuts, they
should say CAMP 73, meaning 1973 hubs, they should be large
flange hubs. Wheels are likely replaced since so many people
dislike tubular tires, so this part is most likely to be replaced.

a bike built in year X almost always has campy parts from year (X-1),
before just-in-time manufaturing was invented ...

If you have all of these items and dates, you can be certain your bike
is a 1974 bicycle, just like mine.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

By the way, if you really do think you have a 1966 bicycle, it would
have to have a centerpull cable hanger brazed onto the rear seat
stays. Campagnolo sidepulls had not been invented in 1966. That
would identify the bicycle as 1966, and i think the original color
scheme would be white/black/red.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

Donald Gillies said:

By the way, if you really do think you have a 1966 bicycle, it would
have to have a centerpull cable hanger brazed onto the rear seat
stays. Campagnolo sidepulls had not been invented in 1966. That
would identify the bicycle as 1966, and i think the original color
scheme would be white/black/red.

That is not true. Most bikes did not have centerpull hangers brazed-on;
typically they were a quick-release hanger that attached to the pinch bolt
in the rear (and the headset in the front). While some did have a
braze-on hanger, I don't think the Raleigh Pro did.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | The motor car reflects our standard of living and gauges the
_`\(,_ | speed of our present life. It long ago ran down Simple Living,
(_)/ (_) | and never halted to inquire about the prostrate figure which
fell as its victim. -- Warren G. Harding

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

1974. I have the exactly the same bike as you. look at the fine
print at the bottom of the page on sheldon's website. You can
also look at 3 other places to get dates for the bike :

1. crankset should say <3>, meaning 1973 crankset.
2. rear mech should say "PAT 73", meaning 1973 mech
3. open up the hubs, look at the INSIDE of the locknuts, they
should say CAMP 73, meaning 1973 hubs, they should be large
flange hubs. Wheels are likely replaced since so many people
dislike tubular tires, so this part is most likely to be replaced.

a bike built in year X almost always has campy parts from year (X-1),
before just-in-time manufaturing was invented ...

If you have all of these items and dates, you can be certain your bike
is a 1974 bicycle, just like mine.

- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA

Don,

virtually all components have been replaced, so really I'm just dating the
frame.

RS said:

Don,

virtually all components have been replaced, so really I'm just dating the
frame.

I'll second (third?) the A serial numbers running later. I have a '73
Comp that uses the A series.

As noted, stays, paint schemes, and braze ons, also help date the
frame.