RE: [CR]Raleigh Bikes

(Example: Framebuilding:Restoration)

From: <"kohl57@starpower.net">
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2008 17:03:56 -0400
Subject: RE: [CR]Raleigh Bikes


I am surprised this is even being debated i.e. did British "clubmen" r ide Raleighs? First, it would be helpful to define the ERA in question. Bu t if I am to assume it's c. 1961-1979ish then I wouldn't be surprised. Why?

Because there were no Raleigh badged true lightweights being sold in the U K at the time!! The last Raleigh badged all Reynolds complete bike in the UK

was the RRA Moderne in 1958. The only thing left was the very rare (top of my "Holy Grail" list!) Raleigh Record Tour of Britain frameset c. 1962-6 6. You didn't buy Raleighs in the UK if you wanted a lightweight racing or club bike, you bought a CARLTON. So we when Yanks prattle on about Ralei gh Pros and Raleigh Internationals, we really mean CARLTONS. Same bike, sam e factory. So if our British members can tell us that no clubmen rode Carltons then we'd be getting somewhere. Did they? I suspect the notor ious snobbery of British club circles distained Carltons almost as much as Falcons or Holdsworths being "mass produced" and not geographically-centred. Does that indicate their quality was poor? Not the Falcon or Holdsworth I own.

Now, all this Raleigh bashing would have to stop dead in its tracks if you

talking Raleigh SBU at Ilkeston or indeed the all-conquering TI Raleigh Team 1975-1986. Or indeed Reg Harris. Or Ray Booty. I seem to recall he did rather well on an RRA with a quaint SA AC hub. Like a world's record. In the 1950s. Or the enormous influence Raleigh had in developing cycling h ere in the USA, including pro racing.

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