Re: [CR]Raleigh Generally Speaking

(Example: Framebuilders:Rene Herse)

From: <Hughethornton@aol.com>
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 17:08:47 EDT
Subject: Re: [CR]Raleigh Generally Speaking
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org


Throughout the 1950s, and some time before, I think that Raleigh saw themselves as producers of mass-market bikes and effectively ignored the enthusiast market, with the RRA as a token offering that was expensive and outdated in its over-long retention of a choice between hub gear and fixed wheel.

One might think that their racing program with riders like Reg Harris would be directed at the enthusiast market, but about the only place I saw it extensively advertised was Boys' Own magazine - directed at prime customers for Lentons, not RRAs. Ray Booty was an amazing time trialist on his Raleigh, but you couldn't go to your local Raleigh dealer and buy one like it, even though it was a close relative of the RRA. In the late 50s they produced a works road bike with cotterless crankset and Campagnolo gears, and again you couldn't buy one.

My first real bike was a used Raleigh Super Lenton, with a nice butted 531 frame and 4 Benelux gears. But when I started to feel weighed down by all the steel bits - handlebar stem, cranks, hubs, rims - I found out that so much was dimensionally peculiar to Raleigh that I couldn't upgrade it, so I had to start again with something else. Bye-bye Raleigh.

It was only in the 1960s that Raleigh started catering for the enthusiast market, by which time it was probably a bit late, but they produced some really nice bikes out of the Carlton factory in Worksop and later at Ilkeston. And when they successfully went roadracing, you could buy a bike that looked just like the pros' and a very good bike too. If they had done this 20 years earlier, they might have had a good club following in the 50s and enthusiasts might have been buying Raleighs instead of frames from small builders or copies of bikes that the Continental pros rode. But commercially they maybe got it right because they lasted longer than the makers of a lot of Continental pro team bikes.

I sense that the major interest in old Raleighs now does not extend far beyond the Worksop and Ilkeston bikes - definitely the high point for enthusiasts.

Hugh Thornton Cheshire, England

In a message dated 20/06/2006 22:08:25 GMT Standard Time, doug@kingsweir.plus.com writes:

It has always amazed me the amount of interest shown in the Raleigh bikes by the folks mainly in the USA . There has been many discussions and debates over the years which has always interesting to one and all. No one can fault the marketing by the Raeigh Industries and the quality of their products. I understand the manufacturing of these machines have been produced both here and in the States but Im uncertain whether the same designs or frame finish and components were used by both countries. Every credit must go to this great Company for their contribution to cycling in general over the past years.

Now it brings me to the point I wanted to make and my personel views based on my experiences regarding the popularity of Raleigh bikes in use both domestic and sporting use over the years. Firstly their use and being a household name for the working family population who were lucky enough to own "an all steel bike" despite its weight and fitted with all the needs anyone could wish for. Secondly and to my observations on the sport/lightweight machines which is always the most popular side of the subject by most folk. I cannot ever remember these bikes been popular with the club folk here , both for touring and racing alike. The outlets in the UK were numerous and Raleigh Agency cycle shops were everywhere but when it came to the serious cyclists they had little or no response to speak of. I must say the Raleigh Lenton was in my memory about the only model who made the grade in any worthwhile numbers but these were far short of an enthusiasts idea of a lightweight. Other models were plenty around the time because of their popular professionals Reg Harris, Eileen Sheridan and Ken Joy to name but a few.

My conclusion is Raleigh never were the machine for the hoards of the serious cyclists here in the UK .Mostly they chose to have their frames handbuilt from one of the more popular well known builders in their area and then build up their bikes to their own specifications.

Doug Smith
North Dorset
UK