Thanks Sam.... there is actually so little out there on TI/BCC. I didn't even know until recently Hercules were independent until 1937 when they resisted a buy-out by Raleigh and instead fled into the open arms of BCC. The point is that consolidation, buy-outs, mergers and "branding" was going on the British cycle industry long before that "wicked" TI-Raleigh!
Further, were the lightweights made by ALL of these mass production firms that much different or better say by the mid 1950s?? Dunelt, Sunbeam, Dawes.. they all offered what LOOK like the same top-end lightweights all made of double-butted Reynolds, frames and forks, with all of the best components. Even then it was build and paint a frame and hang stuff on it. It's fun to sneer at a "top-end" Dunelt Defender club bike but judging from the specs alone, it was no worse than a lot of more ritzy brands. And cheaper.
Here's where the absolute mass of British lightweights work against them I think in the esteem of many. Can one covet what is common? I suspect Phillips alone had more returned defective bikes in a year than Cinelli made in five, not a reflection of bad quality, just churning out what the much bigger market demanded. Someone on the CR list stated that Raleigh made 10,000 Internationals in 1973 (?) alone... think on that for a moment!
Peter Kohler Washington DC USA
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