My TI-Raleigh SBDU Blog

I have written hundreds of posts about the SBDU, their frames and a few other random topics. Have a browse, scroll through the pages, click the links and have a read.

If you would like to ask a question simply hit the [Get in Touch] link in the menu.

Frame Preservation Required. A Bargain New Arrival with Issues and a Missing Fork. An Original SBDU Ilkeston Team Pro Under £100

One of my top collecting aims is to document and preserve the originality of SBDU frames, especially the TI-Raleigh scheme ...
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Hennie Kuiper (HK276) TI-Raleigh 1976 Team Road Frame – New Arrival

Hennie Kuiper! Yes, HK276 has arrived and sits in my collection right next to other TI-Raleigh riders such as Jan ...
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SBDU Nottingham Raleigh Track Champion SB8850 Reynolds 531c – Stripdown

I'm kicking off the New Year with the spanners and getting stuck into SB8850. Every bike I receive comes apart ...
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SBDU Ilkeston SB1861 TI-Raleigh Team Pro Reynolds 531 – Moving Things On. Rebuild (Part Two)

SB1861, built at SBDU Ilkeston in late 1977 is back in the workstand, I need to get this bike completed ...
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MK5 Professional – Worksop Carlton Raleigh – 1981 Team Professional New Arrival

MK5 Professional? What's that all about? Yes, this is an unexpected step back into the area of Worksop frame production ...
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SBDU Frame Number Mystery – Solving a Puzzle

It's time to figure out the correct SBDU frame number for my frame stamped as SB4522. Is that number correct? ...
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Worksop Carlton Raleigh – Giro D'Italia? Carlton BMB Team? MK 1 Raleigh Professional?

As if I don't already have enough projects. As if I don't already have enough plans to fulfil and enough ...
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My TI-Raleigh Blog – What do I have planned for 2020

What do I have planned next year for My TI-Raleigh Blog? Tricky question as most things with me and my ...
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Campagnolo 50th Anniversary Super Record Raleigh Ilkeston SBDU Reynolds 753 Bike – New Arrival

This is probably the only bike that has had a pre-new arrival post. I wrote about this Campagnolo 50th Anniversary ...
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Raleigh SBDU Track Bike SB8850 (Nottingham) Reynolds 531c – New Arrival

This was a quick decision, a moment of thought before pressing the button. It was a lovely Raleigh SBDU track ...
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Iscaselle Tornado – The Last Piece of the Puzzle for my Ilkeston SBDU Reynolds 753 TI-Raleigh Team Pro SB4059?

I often ask myself if this bike will ever be finished. Is it good that I think there is always ...
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Raleigh SBDU Frame Identification – Knowing Your Details and Identifying Frames

What happens when a frame looks like an SBDU build but you aren't too sure? A frame may have several ...
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A Reynolds 753 Ilkeston Raleigh SBDU with Campagnolo Super Record 50th Anniversary Group – Built for Denton Cycles, But What’s the Frame Number

There is no doubt that this bike is fitted with a Campagnolo Super Record 50th Anniversary Group. There is also ...
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A MAVIC Build Update – SB7393 Raleigh SBDU Ilkeston 1985 Reynolds 531 Professional

SB7393 is a 1985 Reynolds 531 Professional SBDU bike that I picked up last year. Since then I've slowly been ...
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TI Raleigh UK Team Bike G4582 ‘D R’ Dave Rollinson 1972 MKIV Professional – New Arrival

I'm definately dipping my toes into the unknown with this one. This MK. IV Raleigh Professional frame is a break ...
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The SBDU Fast Back

Although an SBDU frame may be best known for the oversize seat stay cap design, it was the SBDU fast ...
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Featured Frames – The Pick of my TI-Raleigh SBDU Collection

Did you know I have a "Premier League" of frames within my SBDU collection? I call the lucky ones that ...
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TI-Raleigh Team Cees Priem (CP.1.79) Reynolds 753 Road Frame – New Arrival

It's amazing what can happen in a matter of minutes. I had my feet up, relaxing on a Sunday morning, ...
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My SBDU Collection… What’s Been Happening Recently?

It's always nice to sit down and have a think about where my SBDU collection is and to plan where ...
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SB4944 1982 SBDU TI-Raleigh Reynolds 531SL Aero

An SBDU 531SL Aero frame? SB4944 was an impulse buy from quite some time ago. I saw it listed on ...
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SB2589 Raleigh Ilkeston SBDU ‘Special’ Reynolds 753 1978 Road Frame – New Arrival

I've bought a few frames from Hilary Stone over the years. He's been the source for some of my best ...
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My TI-Raleigh SBDU Forum Members Image Galleries

In a previous blog post I introduced the new TI-Raleigh SBDU forums which are part of a larger 'Community' project ...
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SB3235 Raleigh SBDU Ilkeston Reynolds 753 1979 Road Frame – New Arrival

My site has taken over all of my spare time recently. I've been expanding it so I can let people ...
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A New TI-Raleigh SBDU Forum

I must be slightly mad for creating a TI-Raleigh SBDU Forum, this has the potential to really increase my blog ...
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Imperial Diameter Tubing Reynolds 753 Raleigh SBDU Ilkeston 1978 Road Frame SB1995 Seat Pin Size

My previous post turned up a couple of surprises about SB1995. The first, smaller surprise, was the owner's initials on ...
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Metric Diameter Tubing? Reynolds 753 Raleigh SBDU Ilkeston 1978 Road Frame SB1995

"Never assume with the SBDU". That is a phrase I say a lot. It is a mantra I repeat when ...
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Reynolds 753 Raleigh SBDU Ilkeston 1978 Road Frame SB1995 – Renovation Date

Recollections are a funny thing. Could you remember details or be precise about a specific date from maybe only a ...
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SB1995 Raleigh SBDU Ilkeston Reynolds 753 1978 Road Frame – New Arrival

It was a Thursday evening a couple of weeks ago, and as usual I was sitting in front of the ...
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Sorting, Arranging, Displaying – Finally Seeing the Efforts of my SBDU Obsession

I've been collecting for years. I can go for what seems like a lifetime without a new addition while at ...
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SB1861 1977 SBDU Ilkeston TI-Raleigh Team Pro Reynolds 531 – Back in the Workstand

A lot has happened since this bike last graced my workstand. I've just checked through my posts and I last ...
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For the Love of the SBDU. Building a Collection and Writing a Blog

I guess it's a passion... it didn't start out like this and I never intended it to be like this, ...
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My TI-Raleigh SBDU 2019 Projects: SB518 1976 Reynolds 531 Road Frame

SB518 is the third frame I have lined up this year to be painted in the TI-Raleigh colours (it's nice ...
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My TI-Raleigh SBDU 2019 Projects: SB632 Reynolds 753 Track Pursuit Frame

I have a few 2019 projects to complete and this is the second such project that happens to be a ...
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Roy Schuiten GP Lugano and Grand Prix des Nations 1975 TI-Raleigh Bike

Back in March 2018, a short but interesting email dropped into my Inbox... I am the son off Roy Schuiten ...
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My TI-Raleigh SBDU 2019 Projects: Jan Raas JR178T Reynolds 531 Double Butted Track Frame

This frame has eventually made it to the top of my list of projects. This is a Jan Raas frame ...
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A Review of My SBDU and TI-Raleigh 2018 Ramblings

Last year took a very different direction to 2017; that year was all about snapping up everything I could find, ...
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Motor Paced Stayer – Could it be a Jan le Grand Build for TI-Raleigh Rider René Pijnen

I'm going to make a bold statement right at the beginning of this blog post... my theory is that this ...
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A Mysterious Motor Paced Stayer Frame – New Arrival

Every now and then I spot something slightly different, something that I struggle to identify but which has the potential ...
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SB8790 1987 Raleigh SBDU Nottingham Reynolds 531c – Model Classification

When I add a traditional horizontal top tube SBDU bike to my collection it can sometimes take a few careful ...
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SB6560 531c Services des Courses 1984 SBDU Ilkeston Raleigh – Fork Restore

While I'm patiently waiting for the final few Dura-Ace 7400 series 6 speed components to arrive, I'm going to begin ...
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SB8200 1986 Raleigh SBDU Ilkeston Reynolds 531c Randonneur – New Arrival

I haven't written many 'New Arrival' posts this year after slowing down my collecting habit and being a bit more ...
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My Specialist Bicycle Development Unit Wanted List – An Update

Over the years since bike number one arrived (SB4059), I've continued to look at what I'm collecting and I've tried ...
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Buying a Specialist Bicycle Development Unit (SBDU) Bike with Confidence

I always find this topic a sad one to write about. I get sad when I know that someone is ...
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The Tools of My Trade – A Tour of my Workshop

I always get nice comments about my work space. It is often commented on when I post bike images. So ...
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Frame Weights of Specialist Bicycle Development Unit (SBDU) Reynolds 753 and 531 Frames

Frame weight... it's often talked about, requested and used as a measure to try and determine tubing type. From my ...
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SB6560 531c Services des Courses 1984 SBDU Ilkeston Raleigh – Planning the Team Colours Transfer Layout

SB6560 arrived in terrible condition with missing gear lever bosses and poorly applied transfers. It is a frame that has ...
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Shimano Dura-Ace 7400 6 Speed Rear Derailleur My Favourite Piece of Kit

What do you call it? Do you say Rear Derailleur, Rear Mech, Rear Mechanism, 'Mech' or just 'Gears'... they are ...
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Raleigh Frame Numbers 1973 Onward. Worksop Carlton and Nottingham Lightweight Unit Frames, Specialist Bicycle Development Unit (SBDU) and Raleigh Special Products Division

This isn't intended to be an Internet resource of Raleigh frame numbers! If you are reading this for anything other ...
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SB8790 Raleigh SBDU Nottingham Reynolds 531c 1987 Lo Pro Road – New Arrival

Emails dropping into my Inbox on a lazy Saturday afternoon are quickly becoming the best kind of email! The one ...
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SB7393 Raleigh SBDU Ilkeston Reynolds 531 Professional 1985 – Geometry and Design

Time Trial frame? Road frame? Or a bit of both? What exactly is it? SB7393 came with a story that ...
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