looking for a 56 cm road bike

at 56 cm road bike...nothing fancy. dont have time to look thru the posts to see if anything is being sold at the moment...if anyone has anything could ya please get ahold of me...

Thanks

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by mfa cycle factory on March 11, 2010 at 2:39pm

To my understanding and based on my perusal, the rest of the frame is carbon steel ( based on the label....but is kind of evasive...because steel is iron and carbon ), but the inside triangle is 531. ..So since it wasnt full 531 it was labeled carbon steel, and it wasnt a racer like the pro model.

My sources:

http://www.raleighbikes.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1522

Here are the pro models

http://radpropaganda.org/raleigh-team-pro-timeline/

However, if i am incorrect, which I dont mind being, because the history on some of these bikes are like the kennedy files ( pages stuck together), well, I stand corrected.

Moc Artsy said:

Does your Rapide have a Reynold's 531 decal? I thought it was only the earlier Nottingham Rapides, which were high-end bikes with Campagnolo components, that were made with 531 main frame tubing. The made-in Taiwan Rapides were entry-level bikes, and my Taiwan Rapide frame had a "Made with Raleigh Carbon Steel" label at the bottom of the seat tube. It is surprisingly light, though.
Here's an early Nottingham Rapide: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amphalon/sets/72157607764205794/ A later Nottingham Rapide:
http://picasaweb.google.com/matt.sparkes/RaleighRapide#
And here's their poor cousin the Taiwanese Rapide:
http://oldtenspeedgallery.com/owner-submitted/scott-ls-as-god-inten...
Not to put too fine a point on it, but I think they recycled the name as Schwinn did with the unfortunate Paramount, which somehow turned into a cheap mountain bike.
I'd be interested to know if your bike does have a 531 label.

mfa cycle factory said:
not sure what you are looking for.

but I have four frames that are between 56cm and 58 cm. Schwinn Traveler

Raleigh (some fucker rattlecanned it,but I'm getting it powered coated....so I don't know which model it is).

Raleigh Rapide ( inside triangle is 531 Reynolds,made by the Taiwanese.....I'm in the process of building it as I speak)

Beacon ( 1207 high tensile steel with chrome fork blades)

I'm not sure what kind of road bikes you are into,but I only build
fixed and single speed bikes.....

let me know.

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Permalink Reply by Aaron Mooney on March 12, 2010 at 12:39am

bikesdirect.com has very good deals for usually les that 400 dollars.

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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on March 12, 2010 at 2:29pm

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/bik/1639887269.html
in case that goes away, for the record:
56cm Schwinn World Sport - $150 (Chicago)
Date: 2010-03-11, 6:25PM CST
Reply to:...
For sale

55-56cm Schwinn World Sport
Suntour Shifters
Suntour Spirit Front Derailer
Suntour Honor Rear Derailer
Needs some cleaning done, but a great commuter bike. $150 obo

I'd say that $150 is high for a World Sport. Then again, people are listing Continentals for $100 or more on CL.

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Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on March 12, 2010 at 6:09pm

It's the older Nottingham Rapides that were 531 only on the inside triangle, but they were also labeled as such, like the bikes in the photos. The catalogue and specs indicate only the main frames are 531.
I'm not sure when the manufacture moved to Taiwan and the Rapide became Raleigh's answer to the Varsity, but as late as 83 they were still making the Campy derailleur equipped high-end bike. Presumably yours (and mine) are later than this. Here's the details and specs from their 1983 and 1982 catalogues:

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Raleigh83/ral83_08.jpg

http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Raleigh82/8_specs.jpg

(This is an interesting and useful site for research with lots of old catalogues.)

I wish my frame were Reynolds 531, but using that tubing on the Taiwan Rapides would have been like Schwinn using Columbus tubing on a Varsity. I only posted this because I'm sure you don't want to misrepresent a frame or build you are selling.

mfa cycle factory said:

To my understanding and based on my perusal, the rest of the frame is carbon steel ( based on the label....but is kind of evasive...because steel is iron and carbon ), but the inside triangle is 531. ..So since it wasnt full 531 it was labeled carbon steel, and it wasnt a racer like the pro model. My sources: http://www.raleighbikes.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1522

Here are the pro models

http://radpropaganda.org/raleigh-team-pro-timeline/

However, if i am incorrect, which I dont mind being, because the history on some of these bikes are like the kennedy files ( pages stuck together), well, I stand corrected.

Moc Artsy said:
Does your Rapide have a Reynold's 531 decal? I thought it was only the earlier Nottingham Rapides, which were high-end bikes with Campagnolo components, that were made with 531 main frame tubing. The made-in Taiwan Rapides were entry-level bikes, and my Taiwan Rapide frame had a "Made with Raleigh Carbon Steel" label at the bottom of the seat tube. It is surprisingly light, though.
Here's an early Nottingham Rapide: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amphalon/sets/72157607764205794/ A later Nottingham Rapide: http://picasaweb.google.com/matt.sparkes/RaleighRapide# And here's their poor cousin the Taiwanese Rapide: http://oldtenspeedgallery.com/owner-submitted/scott-ls-as-god-inten... Not to put too fine a point on it, but I think they recycled the name as Schwinn did with the unfortunate Paramount, which somehow turned into a cheap mountain bike.
I'd be interested to know if your bike does have a 531 label.

mfa cycle factory said:
not sure what you are looking for.

but I have four frames that are between 56cm and 58 cm. Schwinn Traveler Raleigh (some fucker rattlecanned it,but I'm getting it powered coated....so I don't know which model it is). Raleigh Rapide ( inside triangle is 531 Reynolds,made by the Taiwanese.....I'm in the process of building it as I speak)

Beacon ( 1207 high tensile steel with chrome fork blades)

I'm not sure what kind of road bikes you are into,but I only build
fixed and single speed bikes.....

let me know.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by mfa cycle factory on March 12, 2010 at 10:14pm

Hmm, Very interesting......That does make sense - the varsity analogy, that is.

Like most cycle manufactures in the mid to late 80's( and even early 80s), Raleigh outsourced some of their models to taiwan to cut back on cost and labor.

I guess raleigh really wanted to cut cost by going away from 531 and using carbon steel to produce the rapide. To my understanding, carbon steel is really hard to weld, because it has less ductility.

Thanks for the vintage info and feedback.

Moc Artsy said:

It's the older Nottingham Rapides that were 531 only on the inside triangle, but they were also labeled as such, like the bikes in the photos. The catalogue and specs indicate only the main frames are 531.
I'm not sure when the manufacture moved to Taiwan and the Rapide became Raleigh's answer to the Varsity, but as late as 83 they were still making the Campy derailleur equipped high-end bike. Presumably yours (and mine) are later than this. Here's the details and specs from their 1983 and 1982 catalogues: http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Raleigh83/ral83_08.jpg
http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/Raleigh82/8_specs.jpg

(This is an interesting and useful site for research with lots of old catalogues.)

I wish my frame were Reynolds 531, but using that tubing on the Taiwan Rapides would have been like Schwinn using Columbus tubing on a Varsity. I only posted this because I'm sure you don't want to misrepresent a frame or build you are selling.

mfa cycle factory said:
To my understanding and based on my perusal, the rest of the frame is carbon steel ( based on the label....but is kind of evasive...because steel is iron and carbon ), but the inside triangle is 531. ..So since it wasnt full 531 it was labeled carbon steel, and it wasnt a racer like the pro model. My sources: http://www.raleighbikes.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1522
Here are the pro models

http://radpropaganda.org/raleigh-team-pro-timeline/

However, if i am incorrect, which I dont mind being, because the history on some of these bikes are like the kennedy files ( pages stuck together), well, I stand corrected.

Moc Artsy said:
Does your Rapide have a Reynold's 531 decal? I thought it was only the earlier Nottingham Rapides, which were high-end bikes with Campagnolo components, that were made with 531 main frame tubing. The made-in Taiwan Rapides were entry-level bikes, and my Taiwan Rapide frame had a "Made with Raleigh Carbon Steel" label at the bottom of the seat tube. It is surprisingly light, though.
Here's an early Nottingham Rapide: http://www.flickr.com/photos/amphalon/sets/72157607764205794/ A later Nottingham Rapide: http://picasaweb.google.com/matt.sparkes/RaleighRapide# And here's their poor cousin the Taiwanese Rapide: http://oldtenspeedgallery.com/owner-submitted/scott-ls-as-god-inten... Not to put too fine a point on it, but I think they recycled the name as Schwinn did with the unfortunate Paramount, which somehow turned into a cheap mountain bike. I'd be interested to know if your bike does have a 531 label.
mfa cycle factory said:
not sure what you are looking for.

but I have four frames that are between 56cm and 58 cm. Schwinn Traveler Raleigh (some fucker rattlecanned it,but I'm getting it powered coated....so I don't know which model it is). Raleigh Rapide ( inside triangle is 531 Reynolds,made by the Taiwanese.....I'm in the process of building it as I speak) Beacon ( 1207 high tensile steel with chrome fork blades)
I'm not sure what kind of road bikes you are into,but I only build
fixed and single speed bikes.....

let me know.