Two days ago I got a catalogue (really, an enormous flyer) for Raleigh in 1979, which i hope to scan and give to the http://www.bulgier.net catalogue archive.
I am reminded of the "Rampar" name and those bicycles that Raleigh sold which were made very inexpensively in Asia. There are about 8 models listed in this catalogue. It seems to me that this effort did more to kill the Raleigh brand then most of the subsequent mistakes and financial collapses experienced by Raleigh.
The name itself does not sound good. The name has no meaning and no story and even a japanese name like "Fuji" or "Nishiki" or "Kabuki" is more cool than "Rampar" which was the name given to Raleigh accessories in the early 1970's. The bikes came out at the same time as the TV series "Emergency" and I am thinking about "Rampart, 451, we have a bicycle here that's clearly in distress." There was almost never a flagship Rampar - hardly ever a model above the Raleigh Record - and certainly there were never two flagship bikes. My 1979 catalogue lists the "Rampar Superb" (a full suntour superb model with tange tubing in 1979.) This would be a cool bike, with a brass finish over tange tubing and clearcoated - if the white circular Rampar decals didn't have all the look of AVERY GUMMY LABELS STRAIGHT FROM WALGREENS.
As for workmanship, nearly all Rampar bikes have the workmanship of a Raleigh Record. Rampar bikes have pipe-tube lugs. They seldom had two-tone paint - they didn't outlines the lugs in gold (why outline a lug when its just a circular pipe tube) - and the bikes had such innovative names as "R-1", "R-14", R-3a", and other ingenious and imaginative names.
The marketing guy who invented this brand shouldn't just be shot - he should have been shot and then boiled in hot oil.
I guess this was Raleigh exploiting and diluting their brand, the way Schwinn cannibalized the Paramount name in the late 1980's to make a quick buck. In the end, both companies screwed themselves.
- Don Gillies
San Diego, CA