Reynolds 753 – My TI-Raleigh SB4059

SB632 1976 SBDU Ilkeston Beryl Burton Team 753 Track Pursuit Frame – Track End Repair

June 18, 2017June 18, 2017 by Neil McGowran 2 Comments

Back at the beginning of May, I had a weekend of frame repairs! SB4409 had new transfers and a bit of clear coat, while SB6560 had new gear lever bosses brazed into place. Before I tidied up and put the files away, I thought I’d squeeze in one more project; SB632. This is a special little frame that has had a modification at some point in its life to add a gear hanger and increase the thickness of the rear track ends to accommodate road wheels and gearing. This is the first step to restoring SB632 back to how it was originally.

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The SBDU and Their Use of Reynolds 753 Reynolds 753R and Reynolds 753T

May 17, 2017May 25, 2017 by Neil McGowran Leave a comment

There has always been lots said on the subject of Reynolds 753, and that doesn’t surprise me. This tubing had such an impact on the sport of cycling; the frames and their riders were breaking records before anyone even knew 753 existed! 753 frames are still sought after 40+ years following their introduction. You can’t go a day without the subject of 753 cropping up on the internet and the online debates and discussions mean that there are always stories and different opinions. But are these stories real and are the opinions accurate? What is truth and what is myth? What are these stories? Have I done enough research and accumulated enough data to either prove or debunk them?

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SBDU Ilkeston SB4409 1981 753 Dynaflite – Frame Transfer Restoration

April 16, 2017 by Neil McGowran 2 Comments

The Easter weekend has given me some free time so I decided to work on a couple of projects. SB4409 was the first frame to get some attention. It’s been sitting in the workshop for a few weeks while I continue to look at the amazing profile of these unique 753 oval tubes. The colour has grown on me too and it is now time to return the transfer scheme back to original.

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SB632 1976 SBDU Ilkeston Beryl Burton Team 753 Track Pursuit Frame – New Arrival (Part Two)

March 17, 2017March 24, 2017 by Neil McGowran 1 Comment

This is post number two looking at new arrival SB632, and I’m measuring geometry. How will this frame measure up? What size is it? How long (or short) is it? What angles does it use? What is the bottom bracket height? Does the fork clearance affect the frame geometry and size? More importantly, will the geometry give me any clues to enable me to pinpoint what this frame is? Lots of questions needing lots of answers!

Oh, and this is also my 100th published TI-Raleigh SBDU blog post! A small milestone that I’m very proud of.

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SB632 1976 SBDU Ilkeston Beryl Burton Team 753 Track Pursuit Frame – New Arrival (Part One)

March 1, 2017 by Neil McGowran Leave a comment

I’ve had another new arrival, not long after the 753 Dynaflite came into the workshop, I’ve found another rather special frame that just deserves to be in the collection. SB632 is much smaller than anything I would normally collect, but the significance of this frame meant I had to have it.

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SB3800 1980 SBDU Ilkeston TI-Raleigh Team Pro Reynolds 753 – Rebuild (Part Two)

October 16, 2016January 29, 2017 by Neil McGowran Leave a comment

Part two of the build for SB3800, a 1980 TI-Raleigh Team Pro 753; I don’t know if I prefer the first part of a build when the grease and dirt is involved, or the second part when you get down to the detailing. I like both parts but for me, it is all about the details!

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SB3800 1980 SBDU Ilkeston TI-Raleigh Team Pro Reynolds 753 – Rebuild (Part One)

October 8, 2016January 29, 2017 by Neil McGowran 2 Comments

I have a few SBDU frames in the queue waiting for a rebuild. Time is just conspiring against me – It is the one factor that I lack at the moment. I sometimes manage to squeeze 30 minutes every now and again to bolt a few pieces together; it’s so frustrating having the frames and having the parts but not having the time. Even time for blogging is at a premium at the moment and most or my posts are written late at night with my eyes squinting at the bright screen.

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SB3800 1980 SBDU Ilkeston TI-Raleigh Team Pro Reynolds 753 – Stripdown

October 4, 2016January 29, 2017 by Neil McGowran Leave a comment

I take all my new bikes apart! It’s what I do. There will always be a ‘Strip down’ blog post.

I don’t want to be riding someone else’s problems. Every nut and bolt gets separated and checked and greased and re-assembled. It means that when I ride a bike, I already know all about it and any issues it might have, I don’t want any hidden gremlins spoiling the ride.

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SB3800 1980 SBDU Ilkeston TI-Raleigh Team Pro Reynolds 753 – New Arrival

September 29, 2016January 29, 2017 by Neil McGowran 2 Comments

It’s amazing what you can find on your doorstep. SB6398, an SBDU 753 with a Super Record 50th Anniversary group set was hiding less than 20 miles from me; an amazing bike, in my size too. So what do you think were the chances of finding another SBDU 753 in my size, this time in TI-Raleigh colours, within 20 miles of me? Well the chances were good, it has just happened. Say hello to SB3800, a 1980 Team Pro 753.

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TI-Raleigh Creda Sturmey Archer Sportif Toe Clips SBDU Ilkeston Team Pro 753 SB4059

August 25, 2016January 29, 2017 by Neil McGowran 2 Comments

Is SB4059 ever going to be finished? The answer is probably no, but today I took another step closer when another piece of the puzzle slotted into place. I’ve had various sets of toe clips over the last 5 years but they have never been the period correct item. Period correct is what I am striving for with this build.

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