Raleigh Record Ace

[philtalksbx]

This one started life as a bit of a fettling, see what happens kind of thing. It's beginning to turn into something a bit more than that so time to start its own thread.

I saw a frame advertised on eBay during lockdown. Not far away, big enough for me and at a decent price. Some dents in the top tube and a bit scruffy but for a 1983 Raleigh Record Ace it looked worth a shot. The goal is to build a smart bike that rides beautifully and can still get me up some of Oxfordshire's steeper climbs. It won't be authentic and doesn't have to be as this is a bike to ride and tinker with for a while.

At home I looked at ways to remove or reduce the dents and improvised a frame block from an old stem. It worked surprisingly well, so tick vg.

Not at all sure on the green colour scheme, but I like the decals so thought I could keep them as a nod to its origins but otherwise head off in another direction. Ford Diamond White is very available and has proved to be very smart on the metal. To compare the dent before and after, here it is now...

It's left a bit of a bubble under the decal but is otherwise sorted - stand back three feet and it's all good. The frame as a whole now comes up like this...

I'm very happy with the paint choice - the black and gold decals (thank you H Lloyd) are really sharp against the white. I'm thinking tan bar tape and hoods, brown leather saddle and will transfer the running gear from my 90's Claud Butler, which is a slightly naff frame but coming together around Dura-Ace 7700 9-speed with downtube shifters.

 

[AndyRM]

That looks very smart, looking forward to seeing the progress.

 

[Cycleops]

Did the colour inspiration come from the golf balls?
Should look nice when finished. Be sure to post an update.

 

[philtalksbx]

I have been patient (honest) and tried not to touch the RRA frame to let the paint harden. I gave up on that this afternoon with a bit of free time and a box of bits including new arrivals, who can resist?

Two bottom bracket options and so the narrower one went on and the small ring fouled the chain stay. Remove and replace. Headset was a pain, particularly the crown race but that will sort itself out on the first shakedown ride. A nice 3TTT stem and bars from eBay and the Aksiums fit with a bit of persuasion on the rear.

Very happy with progress, waiting on some more eBay stuff and a seat post that is different (26.8) to all the others I have in stock, so will follow up maybe next weekend.

Note the j-cloth protecting the paint from contact with the table. It is still a bit fragile and will need a lot of care for quite a while. Not my natural approach I’m afraid but I’m not going to wait until September to do this build.

 

[MntnMan62]

What a beautiful bike. I love the new paint job. Nice and crisp. I had a regular Raleigh Record (no ace) when I was a kid back in the 1970's. Unfortunately I was careless and it got stolen. But I loved that bike. This is the closes picture I could find of what it looked like. The dark gray color seems to be not often seen. Mine had the shifters mounted up near the stem and a leather (Brooks?) saddle on it that was very comfortable.

 

[Grant Fondo]

I have been patient (honest) and tried not to touch the RRA frame to let the paint harden. I gave up on that this afternoon with a bit of free time and a box of bits including new arrivals, who can resist?

Two bottom bracket options and so the narrower one went on and the small ring fouled the chain stay. Remove and replace. Headset was a pain, particularly the crown race but that will sort itself out on the first shakedown ride. A nice 3TTT stem and bars from eBay and the Aksiums fit with a bit of persuasion on the rear.

Very happy with progress, waiting on some more eBay stuff and a seat post that is different (26.8) to all the others I have in stock, so will follow up maybe next weekend.
View attachment 537763
View attachment 537764
View attachment 537765
Note the j-cloth protecting the paint from contact with the table. It is still a bit fragile and will need a lot of care for quite a while. Not my natural approach I’m afraid but I’m not going to wait until September to do this build.

Fantastic! Thats a BIG frame

 

[philtalksbx]

Fantastic! Thats a BIG frame

It is, but at 6’1” it kinda works for me. Narrows the competition when buying so got it for a good price.

 

[philtalksbx]

What a beautiful bike. I love the new paint job. Nice and crisp. I had a regular Raleigh Record (no ace) when I was a kid back in the 1970's. Unfortunately I was careless and it got stolen. But I loved that bike. This is the closes picture I could find of what it looked like. The dark gray color seems to be not often seen. Mine had the shifters mounted up near the stem and a leather (Brooks?) saddle on it that was very comfortable.

View attachment 537767

That’s nice, they did some good stuff around that time and they stand up well. I did up a Veloce (a bit later model I know) and my son uses it in London. They take modern gear well, his is a 1x10 using Shimano 105 and works really well. This one will keep the downtube shifters but in 9-speed form and a Campy front triple to give me all the range I could ask for.

 

[Foghat]

Nice renovation.

I bought a Record Ace in 1983, my first quality bike, £250 it was. Quite decent, but looking back at the 52/42 14-28 6-speed gearing makes me wince a bit, considering I rode sections of the South Downs Way on it. Was unimpressed by the single set of bottle cage bosses too, but had many youthful adventures with the bike. Sold it in the late 80s.

Not at all sure on the green colour scheme

Ice Green was a classic defining characteristic of Raleigh Record Aces in the 1980s, and I liked it.

Not mine!

 

[Gunk]

I bought a Classic earlier this year which I tidied up and sold, it was about the same size as yours, I could barely ride it being only 5’8” the chap was huge that bought it!

 

[raleighnut]

My much modified Raleigh Road Ace, keep meaning to get it re-painted

 

[philtalksbx]

Oops, schoolboy error on an 80's frame - looks like my nice 105 brakes aren't going to work here so it is back to the Tektro extra-long reach callipers. I would have preferred the Shimanos but some things just aren't meant to be. Does anyone have a better combination that puts dual-pivot brakes on an 80's frame with the long drop from the bridge?

Chin up though, the Charge Spoon saddle arrived and with a nice clean seat post looks the part...

I'd also appreciate some thoughts about the downtube shifters and matching them with band-on fittings.

I'm going 9-speed with a Dura-Ace 7700 rear mech and have some matching downtube shifters. The RRA does not have brazed-on mounts, and I have the original Suntour levers with the Raleigh logo on the brand. A very nice and elegant solution but friction shift only and I'd prefer to use the indexed DA levers. The Suntour's don't have the square section boss that would make them compatible and allow swapping the DA levers onto the Raleigh band, shame. I've not had much luck with after-market band-on bosses, they tend to be so clunky - the ones I have in my bin are shown below.

That band is just ugly - does anyone have any experience in matching these parts, or could recommend a more elegant solution?

 

[Gunk]

I'd stick with the Suntours

 

[philtalksbx]

I'd stick with the Suntours

I may just do that, haven't used friction shifters for years, a new voyage of discovery!

 

[philtalksbx]

And as if by magic....