Show us your Raleigh?!?

[Alwaysbroken]

Surprised they're only 35's, they looked bigger than that. I run black reflex (not pimp ones like you ) Delta Cruiser+ 35's on my Raleigh hybrids and there's loads of clearance. I'd be interested to know how the puncture resistance of your non-plus version of the tyre compares to the plus. I got a whole year out of mine without The Fairy visiting, and some of that was gravel & canal towpaths.

Thanks for that! You got me thinking, just dig out an ancient pair of Shimano RX100 callipers from the bottom of my spares bin, high and wide arch, I now have clearance

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Picked up a cheap Pioneer, the original aim being to pass it on to a friend of mine who wanted a better commuting/pub bike to replace a full-sus BSO he's riding. Only trouble is, on collecting, it turned out to be an immaculate, totally original one-owner Jaguar 18, and my mate is a nightmare who doesn't look after bikes - having wrecked his last hybrid in a beer-involved late-night incident. Reluctant to supply him with a really nice Raleigh to bash & trash, I had a lightbulb moment; I built him a much less nice Pioneer instead using a 18-23 steel frame and other parts from my salvaged spares pile - and decided to keep the really nice one for myself!..

It's a 1997 Model, Nottingham-built, but welded 4130 cro-moly not lugged 501 as on my Pioneer Trail. Really good to ride, the geometry appears more relaxed at the head tube than the lugged version and it feels like a Tourer. I can appreciate why @Rickshaw Phil regards his one so highly, Once set up properly, you could ride one of these all day long without crippling yourself. It's also completely changed my views on gripshift gears, which I used to loathe having previously experienced BSO ones. These, however, are a real pleasure to use and give precise effortless changes once the indexing is correctly adjusted.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Picked up a cheap Pioneer, the original aim being to pass it on to a friend of mine who wanted a better commuting/pub bike to replace a full-sus BSO he's riding. Only trouble is, on collecting, it turned out to be an immaculate, totally original one-owner Jaguar 18, and my mate is a nightmare who doesn't look after bikes - having wrecked his last hybrid in a beer-involved late-night incident. Reluctant to supply him with a really nice Raleigh to bash & trash, I had a lightbulb moment; I built him a much less nice Pioneer instead using a 18-23 steel frame and other parts from my salvaged spares pile - and decided to keep the really nice one for myself!..

View attachment 457724

It's a 1997 Model, Nottingham-built, but welded 4130 cro-moly not lugged 501 as on my Pioneer Trail. Really good to ride, the geometry appears more relaxed at the head tube than the lugged version and it feels like a Tourer. I can appreciate why @Rickshaw Phil regards his one so highly, Once set up properly, you could ride one of these all day long without crippling yourself. It's also completely changed my views on gripshift gears, which I used to loathe having previously experienced BSO ones. These, however, are a real pleasure to use and give precise effortless changes once the indexing is correctly adjusted.

I'm glad you like it. When stuff starts to wear out you'll find it's also eminently upgradable. In standard form it'll take a 7 speed block without any issues and the rear dropout spacing is 132.5mm so a 135mm cassette type hub will slot in with a slight bit of finger pressure. A very versatile bike.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I'm glad you like it. also eminently upgradable. In standard form it'll take a 7 speed block without any issues

Even if it had been a beater, it would have been well worth a Pony of anyone's money. Given it's the top of the range Pioneer and virtually as new apart from shabby tyres it's a hell of a lot of bike for very little dosh. I've yet to even find any noticeable blemishes on the paint! (I can't see the Frame Number either, it's not on the BB, but that's another matter).
If the tyres ARE original, being the same type you PM'd me were on yours, I reckon it can't have more than about 1,000 miles on it - so average 1 mile a week or less over 22 years!. My 501 Pioneer Trail is also nice (I still prefer the lugged frames), but it's got signs of having been much more used, this one is barely run in. It just doesn't have any of the scuff marks that bikes acquire from being parked leaning against things, and hasn't got a propstand so must have been leaned.
.
TBH, I really don't see much benefit to going beyond 6-speeds on the back; having grown up riding 14-28 5-speeds I regard them as a bit gappy between 4th and 5th, so a 6-speed with a ratio difference of only two teeth is a luxury in comparison that makes the higher gears much more user-friendly. One oddity though is the freewheel on this one is a close-ratio 14-24, which is very strange choice for a hybrid type bike! I can't believe it's ever done enough miles to wear out a freewheel, and I can't see some old boy wanting to fit closer-ratio "racing" gears to a flat-bar bike either! Presumably it was fitted by Raleigh from new......

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Even if it had been a beater, it would have been well worth a Pony of anyone's money. Given it's the top of the range Pioneer and virtually as new apart from shabby tyres it's a hell of a lot of bike for very little dosh. I've yet to even find any noticeable blemishes on the paint! (I can't see the Frame Number either, it's not on the BB, but that's another matter).
If the tyres ARE original, being the same type you PM'd me were on yours, I reckon it can't have more than about 1,000 miles on it - so average 1 mile a week or less over 22 years!. My 501 Pioneer Trail is also nice (I still prefer the lugged frames), but it's got signs of having been much more used, this one is barely run in. It just doesn't have any of the scuff marks that bikes acquire from being parked leaning against things, and hasn't got a propstand so must have been leaned.
.
TBH, I really don't see much benefit to going beyond 6-speeds on the back; having grown up riding 14-28 5-speeds I regard them as a bit gappy between 4th and 5th, so a 6-speed with a ratio difference of only two teeth is a luxury in comparison that makes the higher gears much more user-friendly. One oddity though is the freewheel on this one is a close-ratio 14-24, which is very strange choice for a hybrid type bike! I can't believe it's ever done enough miles to wear out a freewheel, and I can't see some old boy wanting to fit closer-ratio "racing" gears to a flat-bar bike either! Presumably it was fitted by Raleigh from new......

Yes, that 14-24 is the same freewheel that mine had from new. Seems a bit of an odd choice by Raleigh but gives a fairly nice spread of gears provided you don't want to tackle anything really steep. In my case though I have the Shropshire Hills close by which made me want something better for climbing.

On mine the frame number is on the underside of the bottom bracket. Not sure why it would be missing on yours.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Yes, that 14-24 is the same freewheel that mine had from new. Seems a bit of an odd choice by Raleigh but gives a fairly nice spread of gears provided you don't want to tackle anything really steep. In my case though I have the Shropshire Hills close by which made me want something better for climbing.

On mine the frame number is on the underside of the bottom bracket. Not sure why it would be missing on yours.

Thanks, Phil. Useful to get first-hand info from someone with a bike from new as you know it has not been messed with by a previous owner. Maybe Raleigh had a stock of road bike 14-24's they needed to use up and figured (probably correctly) that the typical Jaguar 18 buyer wasn't a hardcore hill-climbing cyclist?.
When you look at the overall "package"; very traditional Raleigh decals, nice but understated paint, mudguards, rack, good saddle, big-volume tyres, easy-change gears etc - I get the impression this model was aimed at a rider of conservative taste, who might otherwise use a 3-speed roadster but wanted a better choice of gearing and had the means and willingness to spend a little extra cash for that versatility. Not cheap at just under £500 in today's money, but I'd buy one if they were still made today and there wasn't a bargain secondhand market.

Is your frame number fully obscured by the BB gear cable guides? I couldn't see anything staring me in the face when I inverted the bike and wiped the whole frame down with a white spirit rag to clean it the other day. Normally at least part of a Raleigh frame number is visible on the BB even with the guides fitted in position.

 

[mcshroom]

Have a check on the back of the seat tube about a 1/4 of the way from the top. That's where my two mid-80s Criteriums were marked, though the marking is pretty faint

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

No, my frame number isn't obscured by the cable guide. Perhaps hidden somewhere else on the bike or it managed to miss that part of the process somehow?

 

[raleighnut]

Thanks, Phil. Useful to get first-hand info from someone with a bike from new as you know it has not been messed with by a previous owner. Maybe Raleigh had a stock of road bike 14-24's they needed to use up and figured (probably correctly) that the typical Jaguar 18 buyer wasn't a hardcore hill-climbing cyclist?.
When you look at the overall "package"; very traditional Raleigh decals, nice but understated paint, mudguards, rack, good saddle, big-volume tyres, easy-change gears etc - I get the impression this model was aimed at a rider of conservative taste, who might otherwise use a 3-speed roadster but wanted a better choice of gearing and had the means and willingness to spend a little extra cash for that versatility. Not cheap at just under £500 in today's money, but I'd buy one if they were still made today and there wasn't a bargain secondhand market.

Is your frame number fully obscured by the BB gear cable guides? I couldn't see anything staring me in the face when I inverted the bike and wiped the whole frame down with a white spirit rag to clean it the other day. Normally at least part of a Raleigh frame number is visible on the BB even with the guides fitted in position.

Maybe Raleigh thought that with a triple on the front a 24 was big enough on the back, as you say earlier a 14-28 can be a bit 'gappy' with a 5 or even a 6

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Have a check on the back of the seat tube about a 1/4 of the way from the top. That's where my two mid-80s Criteriums were marked, though the marking is pretty faint

No, my frame number isn't obscured by the cable guide. Perhaps hidden somewhere else on the bike or it managed to miss that part of the process somehow?

I've upended it again and had another look, still no obvious numbers in either place! Very strange. Must be a fake one!

Maybe Raleigh thought that with a triple on the front a 24 was big enough on the back, as you say earlier a 14-28 can be a bit 'gappy' with a 5 or even a 6

You could ride it up the side of a house in 28/24 bottom gear. It got me up a really steep subway ramp in 28/20 the other day with no dramas without breaking a sweat. It's only at the extremes most riders are going to use their bottom bottom gear; a heavily-loaded bike combined with a fearsome gradient and maybe a headwind thrown in. I'd say your typical Jaguar 18 buyer probably did nothing more demanding than a few miles of relatively easy lightly-laden gravel/bridleway exploring.

 

[further]

Here is my latest Raleigh

a Granada in nice condition.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

That's really nice, although it looks a rather large size from the head tube! Shame they aren't still making the stuff we like on here. When you think about it, up until the end of the 1990's we were really spoilt for choice when it came to nice quality and attractive British-made steel bikes. Now if you like your quality traditional-looking steel, you've either got to go custom and pay big bucks or buy used and keep the old stuff going.

 

[further]

That's really nice, although it looks a rather large size from the head tube!

60cm seat tube fits me well.I try to keep the old stuff going.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

60cm seat tube fits me well.I try to keep the old stuff going.

23 1/2" in old money then - my own ideal size. Looked at least 24" to me. Maybe the TT is a tad shorter than on my 23 1/2" frames, making the had tube a bit longer? Or it's got a high BB ground clearance?
I think a lot of old steel is being preserved, maybe that's why the secondhand market is low. Lots of vintage steel, not so many vintage riders buying.. Most of the stuff I find abandoned or dumped in skips is of the more modern mass-produced aluminium hybrid or BSO MTB variety.

 

[ren531]

My Raleigh Lenton 1952