SBDU Nottingham – My TI-Raleigh SB4059

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SB8790 1987 Raleigh SBDU Nottingham Reynolds 531c – Model Classification

November 23, 2018November 23, 2018 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

When I add a traditional horizontal top tube SBDU bike to my collection it can sometimes take a few careful measurements and a little bit of knowledge of the bike’s history to figure out something as subtle as whether it was built for road racing or time trials. The obvious style of SB8790 leaves me with no doubt about it’s intended purpose – I’m still going to measure and document it because that’s my process, but the 24″ front wheel and the top tube that slopes dramatically to meet the fork tells me all I need to know!

My Specialist Bicycle Development Unit Wanted List – An Update

November 13, 2018November 13, 2018 Neil McGowran 1 Comment

Over the years since bike number one arrived (SB4059), I’ve continued to look at what I’m collecting and I’ve tried to add frames that plug any gaps that my collection has. It’s been nearly three years since I last wrote about my “wanted list”, so as 2018 is coming to a close, I thought I would spend a little time and look again at how my collection and the “wanted list” is doing.

SB4059 1980 TI-Raleigh Team Pro Reynolds 753 Frame and Fork

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Buying a Specialist Bicycle Development Unit (SBDU) Bike with Confidence

November 10, 2018November 10, 2018 Neil McGowran 2 Comments

I always find this topic a sad one to write about. I get sad when I know that someone is spending money on a bike that may not be what they think it is and I could have helped to provide some info if only I was asked. That sad feeling prompts me to write blog posts like this; seeing SBDU bikes mis-represented by sellers; unintentionally or not, isn’t good. Do the sellers really not know what they are selling, or do buyers really just not know what they are buying? I can’t stop some sellers writing what they write in their ads but I certainly can help buyers with some helpful advice, and help them to read the signs and to spot a potential dud. I never call out a seller directly, their business is their business, but I’m always available to help any potential buyer.

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Frame Weights of Specialist Bicycle Development Unit (SBDU) Reynolds 753 and 531 Frames

September 30, 2018September 30, 2018 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

Frame weight… it’s often talked about, requested and used as a measure to try and determine tubing type. From my own experience I can see several factors that affect final weight and I frequently see through my own documentation process that frame weight can be very random and time and again I see that it can be impossible to correlate frame weight to frame size to frame tubing.

Raleigh Frame Numbers 1973 Onward Blog Header

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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

August 30, 2018August 30, 2018 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

This isn’t intended to be an Internet resource of Raleigh frame numbers! If you are reading this for anything other than SB number sequences from the SBDU then please make sure you corroborate my information with other resources.

This blog post covers a basic background of things I’ve learnt about Raleigh frame numbering systems during my own research over the last few years, from the introduction of ‘W’ numbers at TI-Raleigh’s Worksop Carlton factory in late 1973, extending through to the late 1990s and Raleigh’s Special Products Division. The only numbers I’m confident about are the Specialist Bicycle Development Unit (SBDU) SB frame numbers at Ilkeston. Some of this blog post, especially the late 80s / early 90s is what I will call ‘work in progress – thinking out loud – still formulating things in my head‘ type of work, there just aren’t enough bikes available at the moment to provide more accurate detail.

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SB8790 Raleigh SBDU Nottingham Reynolds 531c 1987 Lo Pro Road – New Arrival

July 11, 2018July 16, 2018 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

Emails dropping into my Inbox on a lazy Saturday afternoon are quickly becoming the best kind of email! The one I received last Saturday offered a mint condition frame together with it’s original Raleigh box and some documentation! Now that is an offer that needs serious consideration. The images came through a couple of days later and they displayed a frame that was every bit as described… built up but probably never ridden, maybe the closest I’ll ever get to a New SBDU frame.

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SB9000 SBDU Nottingham Raleigh Banana Reynolds 753R Low Profile Track Pursuit Frame – New Arrival

February 2, 2018 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

eBay! Love it or loathe it, every now and then it does serve a purpose.

Personally I loathe it and while I’m definately not a fan, it has actually accounted for a small amount of my new arrivals. I do prefer to collect frames that fly under the radar but sometimes you see a frame that is too nice and too special to ignore. So I watch the bids and try to figure out where an item’s price is going and what, if anything, it could add to my SBDU collection. On balance, SB9000 had more positives than negatives. The benefits I’d gain for my collection outweighed the one big negative which was that it had been viewed by thousands online and I clearly wasn’t the only bidder who wanted it.

My TI-Raleigh SBDU New Arrivals SB4933 SH377T GH6175

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A Review of My SBDU and TI-Raleigh 2017 Ramblings.

January 24, 2018March 12, 2018 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

What an amazing year!

MORE frames, MORE posts, MORE visitors, MORE views, MORE comments, MORE questions and MORE people helped!

In a year where the size of my collection doubled, I was able to use all the frames at my disposal to add so much more information to the content of the blog. My initial aim 7 years ago was to share everything I found and that is still very much my main focus; when others appear to want to hold onto information, I’ve shared and shared and shared some more! It’s clear from reviewing the more popular posts that anything about timelines and specifications are top of the list, so hopefully I can get more written in 2018! But for now, here is a summary of the 5 posts that received the most views in 2017 (together with total views since the post was published)…

My TI-Raleigh Specialist Bicycle Development Unit SBDU Ilkeston Frame Details

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SBDU Rarity – Can Adding Some Context Correct Common Perceptions

October 11, 2017 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

What would you consider rare about the Specialist Bicycle Development Unit (SBDU)? I’ve heard people say that SBDU Reynolds 753 frames are rare… are they, or is that just perception? Defining something as rare really has to be done carefully, and in relation to the context of the subject. The way things are perceived is not always the way things actually are.

SB8851 SBDU Nottingham 1988 Reynolds 753R Services des Courses Bike

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SB8851 1988 SBDU Nottingham Services des Courses Reynolds 753R – New Arrival

June 27, 2017August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

Finding bikes built by the Specialist Bicycle Development Unit (SBDU) that aren’t what they appear to be is part of the appeal of bike hunting and collecting for me. These are bikes and frames are hiding in plain sight, often with other builders frame transfers or paint schemes. They are flying under the radar, going unnoticed, and masking their real origins. SB8851 is a prime example. It is fitted with Dave Quinn transfers and came with a story that it was ordered from and built by Dave, but a closer look the at those frame features gave it away.

SB8868 SBDU Nottingham 753R Raleigh Banana

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SB8868 753R Services des Courses 1988 SBDU Nottingham Raleigh Banana Complete

March 3, 2017April 20, 2018 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

I’ve not got much to write in this post as the pictures will hopefully say everything. This Raleigh Banana has been an awesome bike to build, a real blast from the past. I took it to the studio today to capture it looking its best…

SB8868 SBDU Nottingham Reynolds 753R Raleigh Banana Vittoria Corsa

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SB8868 753R Services des Courses 1988 SBDU Nottingham Raleigh Banana Rebuild

January 22, 2017August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran 3 Comments

To say that I’m happy with how 2017 has started is an understatement! My first SBDU bike for the year is built and it is stunning. My 753R Raleigh Banana is complete; and it has been such an enjoyable build to do. From getting the 753R SBDU frame looking its very best with new transfers, to working with probably the greatest group set ever made, Shimano Dura-Ace 7402, it has been a joy to work on this bike.

SB8868 SBDU Nottingham Reynolds 753R Raleigh Banana Frame

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SB8868 753R Services des Courses 1988 SBDU Nottingham Raleigh Banana Ready to Build

January 21, 2017August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

I’ve been collecting a few items for this build since getting my hands on the frame in December last year. It’s been a bit of a stretch as Christmas has drained funds, but I now think I’ve got all the components needed to get this built. I’m not putting myself through the ordeal of going for a period correct team build. Instead, I’m going for all the things that I love in bikes and bike components. This means I will actually come close to team spec, but retain some freedom to tailor the build for the parts that I like and the overall look that I prefer.

SB1688 1977 SBDU Ilkeston TI-Raleigh Team Pro Reynolds 531

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Are You Thinking About Buying a TI-Raleigh. Ask The Questions Before You Buy.

December 20, 2016August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran Leave a comment

A little bit of a quick random post but inspired by a recent online ‘incident’ from a seller of a bike frame.

My TI-Raleigh SBDU Collection December 2016

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A Collection of Collections My Raleigh SBDU Collection Obsession

December 15, 2016August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran 9 Comments

The time is 9PM on Thursday 15th December 2016 and my SBDU obsession has recently added the latest frame to my collection. The collection currently totals 17 SBDU frames and bikes. When I look at these frame and bikes it amazes me how many times I can break them down into different sub-categories, or smaller, more specific collections. So out of these 17 frames and bikes, what smaller collections do I have…

SB8868 SBDU Nottingham 753R Services des Courses Dura-Ace 7400 Front Derailleur

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SB8868 753R Services des Courses 1988 SBDU Nottingham Raleigh Banana Dura-Ace 7402

December 15, 2016August 22, 2017 Neil McGowran 1 Comment

This build is moving quickly! I found an amazing condition Dura-Ace 7400/7402 series group set from the late 1980s almost immediately after getting my hands on the frame. And when I say amazing condition, I mean absolutely astounding condition. This is an almost perfect Dura-Ace 7402 8 speed group with down tube levers and single pivot SLR brakes. I can’t wait to build this bike!

SB8945 CInelli Super Corsa Bottom Bracket

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SB8945 753R Services des Courses 1988 SBDU Nottingham New Arrival

August 5, 2016August 19, 2018 Neil McGowran 5 Comments

I’m stepping out of my comfort zone with this one. Although this is an SBDU frame, it was built after the Ilkeston era when the SBDU relocated to Nottingham. I’ve always concentrated my blog and research on frames built at Ilkeston, but his frame was just too tempting. I think I took about 3 seconds to decide to buy it and a further 3 seconds to decide how to build it. It also gets me off the ’13’ frames mark and up to 14 (I’m not superstitious, I just really wanted another frame).

Tag: SBDU Nottingham