Raleigh 753 frame advice required

[pubrunner]

I've recently acquired a (mid 1980s) Reynolds 753R (the imperial size 753 racing tube set) frame - it has a Raleigh SB number and 753R decals, so I presume that it is 753 ?

The rear dropouts are 126mm; I heard that 753 frames cannot be cold-sprung.

What would be the best choice for wheels - should I go for a 7 speed cassette or should I look for a 6 speed freewheel ?

Anyone have any such wheels (126mm ) to sell ?

Can anyone tell me what the original seat bolt would have been like ?

Any other advice about suitable bits would be gratefully received.

Thank you

 

[swee'pea99]

I was surprised to hear you can't cold set it - I always thought you could cold set any steel. But according to http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?p=160620&sid=78f79120684ca45d612e6cb6f1c2ef05 you're quite right, tho' only on account of it won't 'hold' a new shape, but springs back. Which makes me at least think it's probably possible to use a 130mm - I've used lots on 126mm frames...and I've never cold set one. Just a bit of a grapple to get the wheel in, but it's perfectly doable. I'd go for a 7-speed.

Nice find by the way...I think you're going to enjoy that quite a lot.

 

[MartinC]

Yes - it looks like a 753 Road frameset. I would stay with 126mm hubs, springing a 753 frame is probably a bad idea - 753 is heat treated and very stiff. You could easily damage it trying You can still get 126mm threaded or cassette hubs - try Spa Cycles or Byercycles. It looks like the seat cluster is made to take a Campag or Miche type seat bolt (try http://www.campyoldy.co.uk/stocklist.htm).

 

[pubrunner]

Yes - it looks like a 753 Road frameset. I would stay with 126mm hubs, springing a 753 frame is probably a bad idea - 753 is heat treated and very stiff. You could easily damage it trying You can still get 126mm threaded or cassette hubs - try Spa Cycles or Byercycles. It looks like the seat cluster is made to take a Campag or Miche type seat bolt (try http://www.campyoldy.co.uk/stocklist.htm).

Thank you for your reply !

I contacted Bob Jackson's & Brian Rourke's this morning; they both told me that 753R cannot be cold set. Bob Jackson's said that some 753 frames were built with 531 stays and could be cold set, but if a frame is made entirely from 753 it cannot be coldset. Both also said that it would be wrong to try to force-fit a 130mm rear wheel to fit, since the frame would be in a 'state of tension' and would be more likely to fail.

I've just spotted these hubs - could they be built hub into a suitable wheel ?

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Suntour-Suntour-6-Speed-126-mm-OLN-Hubs-without-Skewers-36-Hole--Polished-Silver-4530.htm

IF I were to use a 126 mm oln hub for a cassette, would any 6 or 7 speed cassette fit ? Would there be any sort of restriction in the range ?

Thank you for your undoubted patience !!!

 

[NickM]

Don't buy a Suntour cassette hub - Suntour cassettes will be very difficult to find.

My preference would be Mavic 501 hubs, possibly the best ever made for a screw-on freewheel - 126mm ORLN ones come up on eBay fairly regularly.

Or, since it has horizontal dropouts, you might consider turning it into a rather superior fixed-gear or singlespeed bike...

 

[pubrunner]

Don't buy a Suntour cassette hub - Suntour cassettes will be very difficult to find.

My preference would be Mavic 501 hubs, possibly the best ever made for a screw-on freewheel - 126mm ORLN ones come up on eBay fairly regularly.

Or, since it has horizontal dropouts, you might consider turning it into a rather superior fixed-gear or singlespeed bike...

Thank you for your reply !

I've currently got three hubs as possibilities (all for freewheels 126mm)
Mavic 501s, C-Record & (modern day) Suntour Superbe Pro
Might it be worth 'splashing out on a Royce hub ? Would I notice any difference ?
Are they 'much of a muchness' or does one of these stand out ?

 

[Ian H]

Thank you for your reply !
...Both also said that it would be wrong to try to force-fit a 130mm rear wheel to fit, since the frame would be in a 'state of tension' and would be more likely to fail...!

I am not sure a 2mm difference would be critical. Few wheels fit exactly, so stays are often forced in or out a mm or so. There's far more 'tension' exerted on a frame just by sitting on it.

 

[pubrunner]

On the top pic, a sort of 'tab' can be seen (below the top tube and close to the head stem) - what is it for ?

 

[NickM]

It's for a race number - a sign of a real racing frame

 

[pubrunner]

Is there any reason why the seat stays on my frame fasten in such a way - right at the top & back of the seat tube ?

Does it confer any advantage ?

The bike on Ebay (link below) is also 753; but it is entirely different to my frame. It has different stays.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Raleigh-Speci...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR?hash=item2c521ac9e4

There appears to have been quite a lot of variety amongst the Raleigh Special Division bikes.

A contact has offered me a '126mm 7sp Ultegra 6402 HyperGlide compatible cassette hub' - would that be suitable for my bike ?

Regards.

 

[NickM]

The frame was probably made to order, and the customer obviously liked Italian styling!

The Ultegra hub will do very nicely. 7-speed Shimano-compatible cassettes are easy to find:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=958

 

[MartinC]

Both also said that it would be wrong to try to force-fit a 130mm rear wheel to fit, since the frame would be in a 'state of tension' and would be more likely to fail.

If you fit a 130mm hub into the 126mm rear end the faces of the drop outs won't be parallel and when you tighten the QR it will force then into alignment. Because 753 stays are very stiff all the stress will be where the drop outs are silver soldered (753 couldn't be brazed normally because the temperature was too high and would undo the heat treatment of the steel tubing) to the stays. This is why Bob Jackson and Brian Rourke are saying not to do it - I certainly wouldn't argue with them.

New 7 speed Shimano cassettes are still easy to find. New 6 & 7 speed freewheels are obtainable but not common. I can't recall if old SunTour cassette hubs will take a Shimano cassette (depends on the spline pattern they used). SunTour cassettes are extremely hard to find and the spacing won't match Shimano indexing. Campag and Shimano 7 speed cassette/freewheel spacing is the same. Obviously if you're going to use a friction shift transmission spacing won't matter. A cassette system gives a more robust hub - many people (including me) used to bend axles on freewheel hubs 'cos the drive side bearing was much closer to the centre line of the axle.

 

[NickM]

...I can't recall if old SunTour cassette hubs will take a Shimano cassette...

IIRC, the final year of production did (they had seen the writing on the wall by then), but those hubs are rare because Suntour had already blown it and weren't selling much stuff.

I'll get me anorak...