Raleigh Bicycle Company

The Raleigh Bicycle Company is a bicycle manufacturer originally based in Nottingham. It is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. From 1929 to 1935 Raleigh also produced motorcycles and three-wheel cars, leading to the formation of the Reliant Company.

Raleigh produced three-speed bicycles which it sold round the world. It later made lightweight racing machines using Reynolds 531 light weight tubing and, in the 1970s, produced the Raleigh Chopper bicycle for children. It was a success and revived the company's fortunes. The company's special products division made race frames, including those used by the Raleigh professional team of the 1970s. Presently Raleigh as a company owns the Diamondback Bike brand as well.

History

Raleigh's history started in 1887, in Raleigh Street, Nottingham. A prosperous 38-year-old, Frank Bowden bought a bicycle made by Messrs Woodhead, Angois and Ellis because his doctor had told him to ride a bicycle for his health. Bowden was impressed by his bicycle and went to Raleigh Street to find the makers. Woodhead, Angois and Ellis were making three bikes a week. Bowden made them an offer and bought the business. Production rose and three years later he needed a bigger workshop, which he found in a four-storey building in Russell Street. He changed the company's name to Raleigh Cycles to commemorate the original address.

In six years Bowden created a business which became the biggest in the world and occupied seven and a half acres in Faraday Road, Nottingham.

The motor experiment

In 1899 Raleigh started to build motorcycles and in 1903 introduced the Raleighette, a belt-driven three-wheel motorcycle with the driver in the back and a wicker seat for the passenger between the two front wheels. Financial losses meant production lasted only until 1908.

In 1930 the company acquired the rights to the Ivy Karryall, a motorcycle fitted with a cabin for cargo and a hood for the driver. Raleigh's version was called the Light Delivery Van and had a chain drive. A two-passenger version was followed by Raleigh's first three-wheel car, the Safety Seven. It was a four-seat convertible with shaft drive and a maximum of convert|55|mi/h|km/h|abbr=on. A saloon version was planned, but Raleigh shut its motor department to concentrate on bicycles again. Chief designer T. L. Williams took the equipment and remaining parts and moved to Tamworth, where his company produced three-wheelers for 65 years. The leftover parts from Raleigh carried an "R", so Williams chose a matching name: Reliant.Raleigh also made mopeds in the late fifties and sixties as the bicycle market declined.

Expansion and merger

Production rose but the market declined in the 1950s and 1960s as the sale of cars rose. Raleigh began to buy failing rivals. In 1956 it bought BSA Cycles. In 1960, Raleigh acquired Carlton Cycles in Worksop, England, at the time, one of the largest semi-custom lightweight makers in the U.K. Raleigh also acquired Phillips Cycles, Triumph and Hercules. Most of the employees of these companies were moved to the Carlton Cycles facility in Worksop, England.

Also in 1960, The Tube Investments Group purchased Raleigh and renamed it TI-Raleigh. As a vertically integrated manufacturer in the mid 1960's, TI-Raleigh owned Brooks (one of the oldest saddle makers in the world), Sturmey Archer (pioneer of 3-speed hubs), and Reynolds (maker of 531 tubing). Carlton, which had been unable to make inroads in the USA market after a failed rebranding deal with Huffy, found success in the late 1960s by recasting itself as "Raleigh-Carlton", a raleigh-logo'd bike with some Carlton badging, and using the US dealer network to import and distribute bikes.

Sales of Raleigh Lightweights increased but were flat after the bike boom peaked in 1973.

In 1982 facing financial pressure, Raleigh of England licensed the Huffy Corporation to manufacture and distribute Raleigh in the USA [ [http://www.mombat.org/Raleigh.htm Raleigh Museum ] ] . Huffy was given instant access to a nationwide network of bike shops. Meanwhile, the "Carlton" factory in Worksop was closed and a few select employees were transferred to Nottingham. The renamed Raleigh Cycle Company of America sold bikes in the US while the rest of the world, including Canada, received Raleigh Cycle Company of England bikes. By 1984, all Raleighs for the American market, except the top-of-the range Team USA and Prestige road bikes (Made in Nottingham), were produced in the Far East.Fact|date=May 2007 Bridgestone produced most of the asian machines.

Derby International bought Raleigh USA in 1988 from Huffy.Fact|date=May 2007 Today, Raleigh of America parts and frames are mass-produced in China and Taiwan for Derby and assembled in shops.

Raleigh of Denmark still offers traditional rod-brake models. Fact|date=May 2007

Raleigh Canada has had a factory in Waterloo, Quebec since 1972 which produces 300,000 bikes a year.Fact|date=May 2007 It employs 320 people, the last manufacturer of this scale in North America.Fact|date=May 2007

Derby International in 1997 acquired Diamondback. [http://www.hadland.me.uk/raleigh.htm Raleigh in the Last Quarter of the 20th Century ] ]

In 2000, Derby International controlled Raleigh USA, Raleigh U.K., Raleigh Canada, and Raleigh Ireland. In the latter three markets, Raleigh was the #1 manufacturer of bikes. Derby began a series of divestitures, selling Sturmey Archer to SunRace of Taiwan, and attempted to sell Brooks, which is now owned by Selle Royal of Italy. In 2001, following financial problems, there was a management buy-out of all the remaining Raleigh companies led by Alan Finden-Crofts. [ [http://canberrabicyclemuseum.com.au/non-australian%20manuf%20articles.htm Non-Australian manuf articles ] ]

The Chopper

The Chopper was launched in the USA in 1968 but was not successful. It went on sale in the UK in 1970 and did better. The bike featured a 3-speed Sturmey Archer gear hub, selected using a frame-mounted car-like gear lever — one of its "cool" features. Other differences were the unusual frame, long padded seat with backrest, sprung suspension at the back, high-rise handlebars, and differently sized front (16") and rear (20") wheels. Tyres were wider than usual for the time, with a chunky tread on the rear wheel, featuring red highlights on the sidewall. The price was from approximately £32 for a standard Chopper to £55 for the deluxe. Two smaller versions, the Chipper and Tomahawk, were also popular.

The Mk2 Chopper was an improved version from 1972. It had the option of five-speed derailleur gears, but kept the gear lever. The Mk2 also moved the rear wheel further back, to help prevent the bike tipping up. The Chopper remained in production until 1980, when BMX took over its market. However, the Chopper almost single-handedly rescued Raleigh , selling millions worldwide.

port

Raleigh had a long association with cycle sport. Most notable is the TI-Raleigh team of the 1970s and 1980s. In 1980 Joop Zoetemelk won the Tour de France on a Raleigh. In the mid 1980's the Raleigh team was co-sponsored by Panasonic. The company also supplied bicycles to the French Système U team in the late 1980s. Raleigh has also supported small British teams including Raleigh Banana in the 1980s. It sponsored a mainly mountain bike team in the early 1990s.

Archives

The Raleigh archives, including the Sturmey-Archer papers, are at Nottinghamshire Record Office.

ome models

*Burner
*Chopper
*Grifter

References

External links

* [http://www.raleighbikes.com Forum Dedicated to Raleigh Bikes - Global.]
* [http://www.raleigh.co.uk/ Raleigh corporate website - U.K.,USA,Canada, Germany, & Ireland]
* [http://www.bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/ Catalogue Archive, mostly Raleigh USA and some Raleigh U.K. 1960-1985]
* [http://www.mybyk.com/ebykr/blog/raleigh_for_the_masses_evolution_of_a_bicycle_giant Raleigh for the Masses: Evolution of a Bicycle Giant] on [http://www.mybyk.com/ MyByk]
* [http://www.raleighburner.com Raleigh Burner BMX Forum]
* [http://www.rideraleigh.com/ Raleigh Bicycles - Aus & NZ]
* [http://www.jaysmarine.com/bikecollection.html The Headbadge - Vintage English Bicycle Information]
* [http://www.hadland.me.uk/raleigh.htm Raleigh in the Last Quarter of the 20th Century]
* [http://www.madeinbirmingham.org Made in Birmingham-- Birmingham's industrial history site including cycles and motorcycles]
* [http://www.OldRoads.com/ Menotomy Vintage Bicycles] - Databases of antique bicycle photos, features, price guide and research tools. Very large archives.
* [http://www.carltoncycles.me.uk Carlton Cycles Enthusiast pages] from the Veteran Cyclist Club of the U.K.
* [http://www.mybyk.com/ebykr/blog/carlton_foundation_for_greatness Carlton: Foundation for Greatness] on [http://www.mybyk.com/ MyByk]
* [http://www.sheldonbrown.com/retroraleighs/ Retro-Raleighs] - models and year identification for high-end USA Raleighs, 1960-1980, maintained by Sheldon Brown.