Raleigh Pioneer range, 80s, 90's.

[Fourelms]

I really fancy adding one of these to the fleet. Cheap, cheerful, old skool and the one I road recently was sooooo smoooooth on the road with great geometry for my nearly 60 old back.

Does anyone know the hierarchy of these?

I've seen frames with lovely lugged construction and non lugged frames (Taiwan sourced?)

Indexing, non Indexing gears.

I've seen, Trail, Spirit, Classic, Elite etc too.

Mad shell suit paintjobs to quite sophisticated metallic fades.

I've found one german reference to a 91 Pioneer Spirit weighing in at 14 kg....if that's correct, sounds good to me for an equipped hybrid.

I do know that nice examples seem to sell fairly quickly on Market Place etc.

Any help very welcome.

 

[Cycleops]

I'm sure @SkipdiverJohn will want to comment as he's a great fan and has a couple.
I know these were produced over a number of years and models. Top spec had Reynolds 501 tubing (Spirit & Elite) and is the one to go for, although the more humble gas pipe versions (18-23 tubes) were good. Double, single and triple chainrings available.
Make sure you buy one with alloy rims, steel are not good in the wet.
Gumtree and eBay are awash with them so take you time and pick a good one.
John will be able to give you more information.
Good luck and to the forum.

 

[Fourelms]

Many thanks for your help

 

[Fourelms]

Not forgetting the Jaguar variant too

 

[Cycleops]

And the Endeavour which is 501

 

[Illaveago]

Not forgetting the Jaguar variant too

My friend has a Jaguar and really likes it and prefers it to his Dawes Shadow . It is a dark metallic blue with twist grip shifters.

 

[Fourelms]

And the Endeavour which is 501

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

To really understand the full extent of the Pioneer range, ideally you need to peruse the contents of a few Raleigh catalogues from the 1990's and see where each variant fits in.
There must have been over a dozen in total, and it's confusing.
The Pioneer was a very clever concept, because by using the same basic geometry frame (setting aside the Elite type here) Raleigh managed to offer a full spread from the most basic 6-speed jobs with 18-23 hi-tensile frames up to the 18 and 21 speed fully equipped models with racks, mudguards and cro-moly steel either lugged or welded.

Even the lowest spec versions are reliable bikes that will withstand sustained daily use. If you can find a good one for the right money, the Jaguar is probably the best of the bunch because it's a fully-kitted all-weather bike as it comes with no need to then spend more on fitting accessories to. You could quite feasibly use one as a flat bar tourer as they ride well enough to cover long distances. It's false economy to buy a bike equipped only for dry weather without any cargo, if you actually want an all-weather bike you can carry stuff on. The Trail was marketed as a sort of MTB-lite, so didn't come fully kitted but did have the better Reynolds 501 frame. My one had been retro-fitted with a rack and guards before my ownership, so is just as useful to me as a Jaguar.

The most common type appear to be the Classic and Classic Commuter, which are solid workhorses, but definitely won't appeal to the bike snobs as there is nothing flash about them. Reynolds 501 lugged or 4130 welded cro-moly frames are the ones to look out for, but don't turn down a sound bargain 18-23 or unmarked welded frame bike just because it's not a high spec. I believe all Nottingham-built Pioneers had British made frames.
There's very little between any of them in terms of how they ride, the better frames are slightly lighter and nicer but the differences aren't big and not a deal breaker.
Be aware the welded frame has a longer top tube than the lugged frame, which affects how the bikes fit different proportioned riders. A later 23" welded frame rides larger than a 23 1/2" lugged does, so the welded versions are better suited to riders with shorter legs and longer upper bodies. If you have longer legs and a shorter body you will probably find the lugged frames fit better size for size - but try for yourself!