Lets avoid that comparison, please...
The shop I work at is a Raleigh dealer. Some of 'em are ok, but the majority of Raleigh's production road bikes bikes are aluminum Chinese and Taiwanese mass produced bikes. It'd be like comparing apples to oranges, with the exception of the two Columbus Nivachrome models we carried last year, and we couldn't sell those until they were deeply discounted. Raleigh USA is also currently owned by Diamondback USA.
Why apples to oranges? Well, any mass produced aluminum frame is not easily aligned if its off. I don't think the folks doing the work really have an awareness of the kind of recreational cycling we do here in the US, as evidenced by little things such as the backwards wrapped handlebar tape. I've never put an aluminum bike on the alignment table to check it, but sometimes I test new bikes at the shop, and handling characteristics lead me to think that alignment could well be off on some of those bikes. Not to say that every employee at Raleigh UK went cycling, and was huge on quality control but the cycling culture was certainly a greater part of the general culture in the region at the time. I may be making a leap of faith here but I'd hope that an awareness of this culture would have lead to better manufacturing standards, at least at a certain price point with the Raleigh of old. The 2500.00 Dura Ace/Ultegra equipped Raleigh Prestige still had backwards wrapped handlebar tape last year.
Oh, and the 2003 steel models didn't sell because most steel bike buyers are looking for a level of craftsmanship sorely neglected on these mass produced Columbus Nivachrome tig welded steel frames. The bikes were neat, Campagnolo equipped, but the welding was ugly.
Ann Phillips, Decatur GA
>Date: Fri, 5 Mar 2004 07:09:07 -0800 (PST)
>From: David Feldman <feldmanbike@yahoo.com>
>Subject: Re: [CR](CR) How the mighty have
>fallen
>To be contrarian, I'd like to slap a new Raleigh frame
>on my little aligning table and check it against, say,
>
>the '74 International I used to have. No bets on the
>old one being the straighter--it son't be! Also, sure
>modern bikes look similar to each other but how
>different do a '70's Paramount, Raleigh, Mondia,
>Crescent, and/or you name it look from each other with
>paint off?
>David Feldman
>Vancouver, USA