Re: [CR] Raleigh Professional

(Example: Framebuilding:Tubing)

Date: Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:04:51 -0500
From: Marcus Coles <marcoles@ody.ca>
To: CLASSIC RENDEZVOUS <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <137400.47677.qm@web82208.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
In-Reply-To: <137400.47677.qm@web82208.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [CR] Raleigh Professional


Jerome & Elizabeth Moos wrote:
> The Pro was a Carlton design. I think it was first badged as Raleigh ( but with a couple of Carlton decals as well) in the mostly white 69/70 ve rsion. However, the original Carlton design did not have the Brampton fa stback stays. That came in the 70's under Raleigh ownership, although I think those bikes, or at least some of them, were still being built at Wo rksop, so one might argue they were still a Carlton design, even though C arlton was now a part of Raleigh. It seems the transition from Carlton t o Raleigh was a gradual one that took about 15 years. One could probably argue for several events as the end of the Carlton era. The opening of Ilkston, the fire at Worksop, the final closing of Worksop, the appearanc e of the Team Pro with no Carlton markings, or the disappearance of Carlt on markings from all high end Raleighs. AFAIK, all these events took pla ce at different times in the 70's. In the early 70's all the high end Ra leighs, the Pro,
> International, Competition and Grand Sport carried Carlton decals in a ddition Raleigh, unless they were the specific Carlton versions of severa l of these, which would carry Carlton markings only. And AFAIK, they were all made at Worksop until Ilkston opened, and several of them for some y ears after that. I believe the Team Pro was the first high-end Raleigh a fter the Carlton acquistion not to carry Carlton markings. (There were a couple of strange models in the mid-70's like a revival of the RRA and a Truimph-badged pro bike, but I don't know if these predated the Team Pro ). Several 531 models continued to carry Carlton markings into the mid an d perhaps late 70's but I'm not sure that continued as late a 1980. I th ink is fair to say that most of the bikes we think of as classic Raleighs , with the exception of the Team Pro, were essentially Carltons.
>
> Regards,
>
> Jerry Moos
> Big Spring, Texas, USA
>
> At the lower end of things. My Brother's 1968 Raleigh Record had remnants of a Carlton Rider Decal on the seat tube and triangular belt decals on the forks and also had the white Carlton brake hoods. On my Father's 1978 Super Course the only Carlton marking is a vertical

"CARLTON" decal on seat tube, so the identification kept going at least that long.

Marcus Coles
London, Ontario, Canada.