# Raleigh Portage



## Rixtir (May 7, 2006)

Hi, Newbie here with a question. I just bought my first mountain bike (not counting my Bianchi Project 3)-- a Raleigh Portage made in Canada. I took a chance on it because it was cheap, and thought it *might be* the touring bike that had the same name, but it turns out that it isn't. It's got a lugged steel frame, horizontal top tube, bullmoose handlebars, and a mix of low-end components.

I almost decided to sell it once I realized that it wasn't related to the touring bike, but it's kind of cool looking with that lugged steel frame and bullmoose handlebars, so I've decided to hang onto it. Is there anybody here who can tell me more about these bikes? There are no tubing stickers on the frame, so I'm assuming it's gaspipe-- is that correct? Can anybody tell me how I can date my bike-- err, I don't want to uhh, you know, I just want to know when it was made.


----------



## crust & crumb (Mar 4, 2006)

from what i recall, the frame employs raleigh's proprietary low end tube set (555 i think the designation was) which is the equivalent to reynolds 520. the bike takes 650b wheels (think randonneurs and japanese pass hunters), which have become quite popular with iBOBs and retrogrouches alike. circa 1984. hope this helps.


----------



## Rixtir (May 7, 2006)

Thanks! 

Are you sure about the wheels? I've got 26 inch wheels on this one, and the Raleigh Portage with the 650B wheels was the touring bike. Also, there's no "Raleigh 555" sticker, or any other kind of sticker on this frame. That confusion between the touring bike (650B wheels) and mountain bike (26 inch wheels), both with the same name, is what led me to take a chance on this bike. But it's clearly not the touring bike-- it has a 43.3 inch wheelbase, compared to the touring bike's 40.3 inch wheelbase.

Or did the mountain bike evolve into the touring bike? Does anybody know?


----------



## crust & crumb (Mar 4, 2006)

oops... it turns out i got a bit overzealous and neglected to read your whole post! sorry. i'm unfamiliar with the MTB version, but i'd be willing to bet it's also constructed of the 555 steel. a neat old steed all the same. 'd love to see a few pics.

cheers,

jesse


----------



## Rixtir (May 7, 2006)

It's definitely a heavy frame, but it seems like a nicely-built frame nonetheless-- nice enough that I decided to keep it and build it up as my grocery-getter/beater/foul weather commuter-- I envision it as a mountain bike-based porteur. A very cool old-school mountain bike built up as a porteur.

No camera yet, but I will post pics someday.


----------



## Rixtir (May 7, 2006)

I forgot to mention-- it's got double eyelets front and rear for racks and fenders. Seems kind of weird to have fender eyelets on a mountain bike, but there they are. Anyway, they'll come in handy for building a porteur.


----------



## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

Is it the white one with red decals?


----------



## Rixtir (May 7, 2006)

It's white, but has black decals. Word "Raleigh" on the seat tube, downtube sides, and fork blades, and word "Portage" on the top tube sides. Foil Raleigh Heron decal on the head tube, Raleigh Heron decal on seat tube above "Raleigh."


----------



## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

Standard low-end bike shopshop level bike form the mid-80s. I sold many many of them. Solid bikes. Went together well and didn't have much problems with maintenance. Very heavy. Sounds like you have worked out the perfect use for it. I always thought that "Portage" was a better model name than the Raleigh "Monger". Sold a ton of those though too


----------



## Rixtir (May 7, 2006)

crust & crumb said:


> oops... it turns out i got a bit overzealous and neglected to read your whole post! sorry. i'm unfamiliar with the MTB version, but i'd be willing to bet it's also constructed of the 555 steel. a neat old steed all the same. 'd love to see a few pics.
> 
> cheers,
> 
> jesse


I forgot, I do have a picture; not a good picture, but it is a pic. As you can see, it's got a rear fender-- the front fender is missing. Bullmoose handlebars (hard to tell in this pic), steel wheels, l-o-n-g wheelbase, double eyelets eyelets on stamped dropouts front & rear.


----------



## DeeEight (Jan 13, 2004)

The 87 version is what I had, hi-tensile steel frame, 12 speeds, low end parts, retailed for $239.99cdn in 1987. The portage was always the bottom end of the raleigh model line in the mid-late 80s. There wasn't a single piece of chromoly steel on the things. Every part was basically chromed or painted hi-tensile steel. Cheap of the cheap.


----------



## Rixtir (May 7, 2006)

DeeEight said:


> The 87 version is what I had, hi-tensile steel frame, 12 speeds, low end parts, retailed for $239.99cdn in 1987. The portage was always the bottom end of the raleigh model line in the mid-late 80s. There wasn't a single piece of chromoly steel on the things. Every part was basically chromed or painted hi-tensile steel. Cheap of the cheap.


I have a theory that Raleigh used the Portage in the Canadian market on their low-end mountain bike, and in the U.S. on their high-end touring bike. It's the only explanation I've come up with for the fact that they used the same name to denote two vastly different bikes during the same time period. The fact that your Portage was a Canadian bike adds more data to my theory.

Anyway, thanks for your input, the description of your '87 matches the Portage I've got. It does seem very low-end, but at the same time, it's got that cool lugged frame and bullmoose bars. I think it will make a good porteur, and the perfect bike to take when I can't risk having my Bianchi Project 7 stolen.


----------



## Rixtir (May 7, 2006)

bushpig said:


> Standard low-end bike shopshop level bike form the mid-80s. I sold many many of them. Solid bikes. Went together well and didn't have much problems with maintenance. Very heavy. Sounds like you have worked out the perfect use for it. I always thought that "Portage" was a better model name than the Raleigh "Monger". Sold a ton of those though too


Did you sell them in Canada or the U.S.?


----------



## bushpig (Nov 26, 2005)

I sold them in Canada. My understanding was that Raleigh Canada and Raleigh USA were completely distinct companies. I forget who was the corporate parent of Raleigh Canada, but I think it may have been Canadian tires. While I wouldn't race on that bike  I do think it makes an outstanding town cruiser. The price was reasonable when it was for sale and it was very popular as a consequence.


----------



## Rixtir (May 7, 2006)

Yep, it seems like it was built to soak up potholes while cruising through town.


----------

