The Raleigh Bicycle Company is a bicycle

Bicycle

A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....

 manufacturer originally based in Nottingham, UK

Nottingham

Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...

. It is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. From 1921 to 1935 Raleigh also produced motorcycles and three-wheel cars, leading to the formation of the Reliant

Reliant

Reliant was a British car manufacturer. The company was traditionally based at Tamworth in Staffordshire, England, but in 2001 it moved to nearby Cannock. It ceased manufacturing cars shortly afterwards.-History:...

 Company.

Early years

Raleigh's history started in 1887, in Raleigh Street, Nottingham. Frank Bowden, a prosperous 38-year-old, bought a bicycle made by Messrs. Woodhead, Angois and Ellis, because his doctor had told him to ride a bicycle for his health. Bowden was impressed by his bicycle and went to Raleigh Street to find the makers. Woodhead, Angois and Ellis were making three bikes a week. Bowden made them an offer and bought the business. Production rose and three years later he needed a bigger workshop, which he found in a four-storey building in Russell Street. He changed the company's name to Raleigh Cycles to commemorate the original address.

In six years Bowden created a business which became the biggest bicycle manufacturing company in the world and occupied seven and a half acres in Faraday Road, Lenton

Lenton, Nottingham

Lenton is an area of the City of Nottingham in the county of Nottinghamshire, England. Politically, it falls within the Nottingham South constituency. Most of the area lies within the electoral ward of "Dunkirk and Lenton", however the "Lenton Triangle" area, considered by most residents to be part...

, Nottingham.

Sir Frank Bowden died in 1921 and his son Sir Harold Bowden, 2nd Baronet

Sir Harold Bowden, 2nd Baronet

Sir Harold Bowden, 2nd Baronet, GBE , was the chairman and chief executive of the Raleigh Bicycle Company and Sturmey-Archer Ltd from his father's death in 1921 until his own retirement in 1938...

 took over as
chairman and chief executive, guiding the company through the next 17 years of expansion.

In 1939 Raleigh opened a bicycle factory at 6 Hanover Quay, Dublin, Ireland and commenced bicycle production there. The Raleigh (Ireland) business expanded and moved to 8-11 Hanover Quay, Dublin in 1943. The plant produced complete bicycles and Sturmey-Archer

Sturmey-Archer

Sturmey-Archer is a manufacturing company originally from Nottingham, England. It primarily produces bicycle hub gears but has also produced motorcycle hubs....

 hubs, and remained in production until 1976, when the factory burned down. Models produced there latterly were the Chopper and Triumph 20. The head badges changed in the late 1960s, possibly after the passing of the Trade Descriptions Act in the UK. Dublin-made machines no longer had "Nottingham England" on the Heron or Triumph head badge, the panel being left blank instead.

Motor vehicles

In 1899 Raleigh started to build motorcycles and in 1903 introduced the Raleighette, a belt-driven three-wheel motorcycle with the driver in the back and a wicker seat for the passenger between the two front wheels. Financial losses meant production lasted only until 1908.

In 1930 the company acquired the rights to the Ivy Karryall, a motorcycle fitted with a cabin for cargo and a hood for the driver. Raleigh's version was called the Light Delivery Van and had a chain drive. A two-passenger version was followed by Raleigh's first three-wheel car, the Safety Seven. It was a four-seat convertible with shaft drive and a maximum of 55 mi/h. A saloon version was planned, but Raleigh shut its motor department to concentrate on bicycles again. Chief designer T. L. Williams took the equipment and remaining parts and moved to Tamworth

Tamworth

Tamworth is a town and local government district in Staffordshire, England, located north-east of Birmingham city centre and north-west of London. The town takes its name from the River Tame, which flows through the town, as does the River Anker...

, where his company produced three-wheelers for 65 years. The leftover parts from Raleigh carried an "R", so Williams chose a matching name: Reliant

Reliant

Reliant was a British car manufacturer. The company was traditionally based at Tamworth in Staffordshire, England, but in 2001 it moved to nearby Cannock. It ceased manufacturing cars shortly afterwards.-History:...

.
Raleigh also made mopeds in the late fifties

1950s

The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...

 and sixties

1960s

The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...

 as the bicycle market declined.

Postwar bicycle production

After World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Raleigh became known for its lightweight sports roadster

Roadster (bicycle)

A roadster, aka English roadster, is a type of utility bicycle once common in Britain and still very common in Asia, Africa, Denmark and the Netherlands, however, during the past several years, traditionally styled roadster bicycles have gained considerable popularity in the United States and...

bicycles, often using Sturmey-Archer three and five-speed transmissions. These cycles were considerably lighter and quicker than either the old heavy English utility roadster or the American "balloon-tire" cruiser

Cruiser bicycle

Cruiser bicycles, also known as beach cruisers, combine balloon tires, upright seating posture, single-speed drivetrains, and straightforward steel construction with expressive styling...

 bikes. In 1946, Raleigh and other English bicycle manufacturers accounted for 95% of the bicycles imported into the United States.

Raleigh's sports roadster, or English racer bicycles were exported around the world, including the United States. The company continued to increase imports to the United States until 1955, when a rate increase in foreign bicycle tariffs caused a shift in imports in favour of bicycles from West Germany

West Germany

West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....

 and Holland. However, this proved only a temporary setback, and by 1964, Raleigh was again a major selling brand in the U.S. bicycle market.

Expansion and mergers

While bicycle production had steadily risen through the mid-1950s, the British market began to decline with the increasing affordability and popularity of the automobile. For much of the postwar era, British bicycle manufacturers had largely competed with each other in the export market. The 1950s saw the creation of the British Cycle Corporation under the Tube Investments Group which owned Phillips, Hercules, Sun, Armstrong, and Norman

Norman Cycles

Norman Cycles was a British bicycle, autocycle, moped, and motorcycle manufacturer based in Ashford, Kent, England.The company and its products are remembered today by the Norman Cycles Club which is based at Willesborough Windmill, in Willesborough, Ashford...

. In 1957 Raleigh bought the BSA

Birmingham Small Arms Company

This article is not about Gamo subsidiary BSA Guns Limited of Armoury Road, Small Heath, Birmingham B11 2PP or BSA Company or its successors....

 Cycles Ltd., BSA's bicycle division, from the parent group. BSA had itself acquired Triumph Cycle

Triumph Cycle

Triumph Cycle Co. Ltd., based in Nottingham, England, was a bicycle manufacturing company.-History:The genesis of what would become Triumph Cycle Company began during 1884 when Siegfried Bettmann emigrated to Coventry in England from Nuremberg, part of the German Empire. In 1885, aged 20 years,...

 Co. Ltd. only five years previously. In 1960, Tube Investments acquired Raleigh and merged the British Cycle Corporation with Raleigh to form TI-Raleigh which had 75% of the UK market. TI-Raleigh then acquired Carlton Cycles in Worksop

Worksop

Worksop is the largest town in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England on the River Ryton at the northern edge of Sherwood Forest. It is about east-south-east of the City of Sheffield and its population is estimated to be 39,800...

, England, at the time one of the largest semi-custom lightweight makers in the U.K. Raleigh brands acquired and marketed were Phillips Cycles

Phillips Cycles

Phillips Cycles Ltd. was a British bicycle manufacturer based in Smethwick near Birmingham, England. Its history began early in the 20th century and ended in the 1980s by which time it had become part of Raleigh Industries, itself a part of the Tube Investments group. For a number of years, the...

 and Hercules Cycle

Hercules Cycle and Motor Company

For the German Bicycle and Motorcycle manufacturer see: Hercules Fahrrad GmbH & CoThe Hercules Cycle and Motor Company Limited was a British bicycle manufacturer founded on 9 September 1910 in Aston in England....

, Rudge, BSA, and Sun

Sun (motorcycle)

The Sun Cycle & Fittings Co. Ltd. was an English manufacturer of motorcycles, mopeds and bicycles. The company was based in Aston, Birmingham.The company was founded as James Parkes & Son, a brass foundry producing lamp fittings and various other products...

, however these were cheaper machines in The TI-Raleigh range. Production was switched to Nottingham, however the Sun branded bicycles were made in the Carlton factory at Worksop, England.

As a vertically integrated manufacturer in the mid 1960's, TI-Raleigh owned Brooks

Brooks England

Brooks England is a bicycle saddle manufacturer in Smethwick, Birmingham, England. It has been making leather bicycle saddles since 1866, when it was founded in Hockley, Birmingham....

 (one of the oldest saddle makers in the world), Sturmey-Archer (pioneer of 3-speed hubs), and Reynolds

Reynolds Cycle Technology

Reynolds Cycle Technology is a manufacturer of tubing for bicycle frames and other bicycle components based in Birmingham, England established in 1898.-History:...

 (maker of 531 tubing). Carlton, which had been unable to make inroads in the USA market after a failed rebranding deal with Huffy

Huffy

The Huffy Corporation is an American importer and manufacturer of inexpensive mass-market bicycles. It was founded in 1887 when George P. Huffman purchased the Davis Sewing Machine Company and moved its factory to Dayton, Ohio. Seven years later, in 1894, Huffman adapted the factory to...

, found success in the late 1960s by recasting itself as "Raleigh-Carlton", a Raleigh-logo'd bike with some Carlton badging, and using the US dealer network to import and distribute bikes.

The Raleigh Chopper

The Raleigh Chopper

Raleigh Chopper

The Raleigh Chopper is a children's bicycle, a wheelie bike, manufactured and marketed in the 1970s by the Raleigh Bicycle Company of Nottingham, England. Its unique design became a true 70s cultural icon, and is fondly remembered by many who grew up in that period...

was launched in Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 June 1969 as a children's bicycle. It went on sale in the UK in 1970 and sold well, and was a key factor in reviving the company's fortunes. The Chopper featured a 3-speed Sturmey-Archer gear hub, shifted using a top-tube mounted gear lever reminiscent of the early Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson

Harley-Davidson , often abbreviated H-D or Harley, is an American motorcycle manufacturer. Founded in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, during the first decade of the 20th century, it was one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression...

 suicide shifter

Suicide shifter

Suicide shifter is a common name for a motorcycle hand-shifter, found on early designs from around the turn of the 20th Century to the 1940s or 50s, and reappearing on modern retro styled custom motorcycles and choppers...

 — one of its "cool" features. Other differences were the unusual frame, long padded seat with backrest, sprung suspension at the back, high-rise handlebars, and differently sized front (16") and rear (20") wheels. Tyres were wider than usual for the time, with a chunky tread on the rear wheel, featuring red highlights on the sidewall. The price was from approximately £32 for a standard Chopper to £55 for the deluxe. Two smaller versions, the Chipper and Tomahawk, also sold well.

The Mk 2 Chopper was an improved version from 1972. It had the option of five-speed derailleur gears, but kept the gear lever. The Mk 2 also moved the rear wheel further back, to help prevent the bike tipping up

Wheelie

In vehicle acrobatics, a wheelie is a vehicle maneuver in which the front wheel or wheels come off the ground due to extreme torque being applied to the rear wheel or wheels. Wheelies are usually associated with bicycles and motorcycles, but can be done with other vehicles such as cars, especially...

. The Chopper remained in production until 1982, when the rising popularity of the BMX

BMX

Bicycle motocross or BMX refers to the sport in which the main goal is extreme racing on bicycles in motocross style on tracks with inline start and expressive obstacles, and it is also the term that refers to the bicycle itself that is designed for dirt and motocross cycling.- History :BMX started...

 bicycle caused sales to drop off. However, the Chopper almost single-handedly rescued Raleigh, selling millions worldwide.

Reorganization and new ownership

In 1979, production of Raleigh 531 butted-tube bicycles reached 10,000 units a year. In 1982, rights to the Raleigh U.S.A. name were purchased by the Huffy Corporation. Under the terms of the agreement, Raleigh of England licensed Huffy to design and distribute Raleigh bicycles in the USA, and Huffy was given instant access to a nationwide network of bike shops. The renamed Raleigh Cycle Company of America sold bikes in the US while the rest of the world, including Canada, received Raleigh of England bikes. At that time, production of some Raleigh models were shifted to Japan, with Bridgestone

Bridgestone

The is a multinational rubber conglomerate founded in 1931 by in the city of Kurume, Fukuoka, Japan. The name Bridgestone comes from a calque translation and transposition of ishibashi, meaning "stone bridge" in Japanese....

 manufacturing most of these bikes. By 1984, all Raleighs for the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 market, except the top-of-the range Team Professional (made in Ilkeston) and Prestige road bikes (Made in Nottingham), were produced in the Far East

Far East

The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...

.

In 1987, the leading German bicycle manufacturer Derby Cycle bought Raleigh USA from Huffy. Today, Raleigh Cycle Company of America parts and frames are mass-produced

Mass production

Mass production is the production of large amounts of standardized products, including and especially on assembly lines...

 in China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 and Taiwan

Taiwan

Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...

 for Derby Cycle and assembled in other plants. Raleigh of Denmark

Denmark

Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...

still offers traditional rod-brake models.
At Raleigh of England, the "Carlton" factory in Worksop experienced strikes and was closed and a few select employees were transferred to Nottingham in 1981. The High-end, one of one kind bicycles and framesets were produced in Ilkeston Special Bicycle Developments Unit (SBDU) from 1974 to 1989 under the guidance of Gerald V O'Donovan, this production was moved to a new "Raleigh Special Products" division in Nottingham.

Raleigh Canada has had a factory in Waterloo, Quebec

Waterloo, Quebec

Waterloo is a city in Quebec, included in La Haute-Yamaska Regional County Municipality, in the administrative area of Montérégie. The population as of the Canada 2006 Census was 4,054...

 since 1972.

Derby Cycle acquired Diamondback Bicycles

Diamondback Bicycles

Diamondback Bicycles is a major bicycle brand that is based in Kent, Washington and has the same owners as the Raleigh Bicycle Company. Diamondbacks are sold in many countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom...

 in 1999.

In the same year, Raleigh ceased volume production of frames in the UK and its frame-making equipment were sold by auction.

In 2000, Derby Cycle controlled Raleigh USA, Raleigh U.K., Raleigh Canada, and Raleigh Ireland. In the latter three markets, Raleigh was the number-one manufacturer of bicycles. Derby Cycle began a series of divestitures, selling Sturmey-Archer

Sturmey-Archer

Sturmey-Archer is a manufacturing company originally from Nottingham, England. It primarily produces bicycle hub gears but has also produced motorcycle hubs....

 to SunRace of Taiwan, and sold Brooks

Brooks England

Brooks England is a bicycle saddle manufacturer in Smethwick, Birmingham, England. It has been making leather bicycle saddles since 1866, when it was founded in Hockley, Birmingham....

 to Selle Royal

Selle Royal

Selle Royal is an Italian manufacturer of bicycle saddles. The company acquired Brooks in 2002 and Crank Brothers in 2007....

 of Italy. In 2001, following financial problems, there was a management buy-out of all the remaining Raleigh companies led by Alan Finden-Crofts

By 2003, assembly of bicycles had ended in the UK with 280 assembly and factory staff made redundant, and bicycles were to come "from Vietnam and other centres of 'low-cost, high-quality' production." Only the final assembly takes place in the german town of Cloppenburg

Cloppenburg

Cloppenburg is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, capital of Cloppenburg District. It lies 38 km south-south-west of Oldenburg in the Weser-Ems region between Bremen and the Dutch border. Cloppenburg is not far from the A1, the major motorway connecting the Ruhr area to Bremen and Hamburg...

.

Sport

Raleigh had a long association with cycle sport. Most notable is the TI-Raleigh

TI-Raleigh

TI-Raleigh was a Dutch professional road bicycle racing team between 1974 and 1983. The team was created and led by Peter Post.The team was successful in classics and in stage races. Riders included Joop Zoetemelk, Jan Raas, Gerrie Knetemann, Hennie Kuiper, Dave Lloyd, Urs Freuler, Henk Lubberding,...

 team of the 1970s and 1980s. In 1980 Joop Zoetemelk

Joop Zoetemelk

Hendrik Gerardus Jozef "Joop" Zoetemelk is a retired professional racing cyclist from the Netherlands who has emigrated to France. He started the Tour de France 16 times and finished every time, a record. He won the race in 1980 and also came eighth, fifth, fourth and second...

 won the Tour de France

Tour de France

The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

 on a Raleigh. In the mid 1980s the Raleigh team was co-sponsored by Panasonic

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co.

, formerly known as , is a Japanese multinational consumer electronics corporation headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Japan. Its main business is in electronics manufacturing....

. In 1984, riding Raleigh-badged bicycles, Team U.S.A. scored several impressive victories at the Olympic Games

Olympic Games

The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...

 in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

. The company also supplied bicycles to the French Système U

Système U-Gitane

Système U-Gitane was an French professional cycling team that was existed from 1986 to 1988 and which cycled on and promoted Gitane racing bikes. In 1989 the team was renamed Super U-Raleigh-Fiat and rode Raleigh racing bikes...

 team in the late 1980s where Laurent Fignon

Laurent Fignon

Laurent Patrick Fignon was a French professional road bicycle racer. He won the Tour de France in 1983 and in 1984. He missed winning it a third time, in 1989, by 8 seconds, the closest margin ever to decide the tour. He also won the Giro d'Italia in 1989, after having been the runner-up in 1984,...

 lost the 1989 Tour de France

1989 Tour de France

The 1989 Tour de France was the 76th Tour de France, a race of 21 stages and a prologue, over 3285 km in total. In the closest tour in history, Greg LeMond was behind by 50 seconds at the start of the final stage, a time trial into Paris. LeMond rode for an average speed of 54.55 km/h ,...

 to Greg LeMond

Greg LeMond

Gregory James LeMond is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States and a three-time winner of the Tour de France. He was born in Lakewood, California and raised in Reno, Nevada....

 by 8 seconds. The company's special products division made race frames, including those used by the Raleigh professional team of the 1970s. Presently Raleigh as a company owns the Diamondback Bike brand as well. During the 1980s Raleigh also supported British professional teams, including Raleigh Banana and Raleigh Weinmann. Raleigh's most notable riders were Paul Sherwin, Malcolm Elliott

Malcolm Elliott

Malcolm Elliott is an English professional cyclist, whose professional career has lasted from 1984 to 1997 when he retired and from 2003 up to the present day when he made his comeback in British domestic racing....

, Mark Bell

Mark Bell (cyclist)

Mark Bell was an English professional cyclist from Birkenhead. He rode for Britain in the Olympic Games, won the national road championship as an amateur and then a professional and was the first foreigner to win the Étoile de Sud stage race in Belgium. He died at 49 after collapsing at his home...

, Paul Watson

Paul Watson (cyclist)

Paul Watson is a former professional English road racing cyclist from Milton Keynes. He was national road race champion, raced in the Tour de France and made headlines finishing 6th in the Belgium classic La Flèche Wallonne.-Road:19841985...

, Jon Clay

Jon Clay

Jonathan Clay, better known as Jonny Clay is a British former professional track and road racing cyclist. A silver medalist in the individual pursuit at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, Clay was also part of the team pursuit line up which took the bronze medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.A...

 and Jeff Williams

Jeff Williams (cyclist)

Jeffrey "Jeff" Williams is an English former professional road racing cyclist from Manchester. He rode for Great Britain at the Olympic Games, and won several national championship titles.-Cycling career:...

. It also sponsored a mountain bike team in the early 1990s that also raced in road events. In 2009 it was announced that they would be founding a new British cycling team called .

Archives

The Raleigh archives, including the Sturmey-Archer papers, are at Nottinghamshire Record Office.

Serial numbers

Most carbon-steel framed models were numbered sequentially, sometimes with a prefix letter. Here, we give a listing of the serial numbers used for bikes built from the mid 1960's and onwards at the Carlton/Worksop facility, which built the high-end derailleur models.

• 1966: Annnn
• 1967: Bnnnn
• 1968: Cnnnn
• 1969: Dnnnn
• 1970: Ennnn
• 1971: Fnnnn
• 1972: Gnnnn
• 1973: Hnnnn

In 1973-74 it appears Carlton was about to start repeating the sequence and several instances of the USA Raleigh/Carlton Competition, RRA, and Professional models have been seen with Annnn serial numbers. Then, a new sequence began in 1974.

Factory

• Canada - R
• Enid (USA) - E
• Gazelle (Holland) - G
• Handsworth - H
• Ilkeston - SB
• Ireland - D
• Malaysia - M
• Nottingham - N
• Worksop(Carlton, Sun, BSA, Triumph) - W

Month

• A - January
• B - February
• D - March
• E - April
• G - May
• H - June
• K - July
• L - August
• M - September
• N - October
• P - November
• S - December

Third Symbol is the year of manufacture, e.g. 4-9 would be 1974-1979, 0-3 would be 1980-83, and then the sequence repeats. Thus, 'WH4003203' would be the 3203rd frame built at Worksop in June 1974. In 1982, when Worksop production was moved to Nottingham, the division continued to produce frames with the 'W' designation.

The Special Build (SB) division used a serial number SBnnnn, assigned sequentially, starting in 1974. See the TI Raleigh Team Pros yahoo group for more details.

2010 Raleigh USA bicycle models

• Road: Team, Prestige, Competition, Grand Sport, Sport, RX 1.0, Record Ace, Clubman, Sojourn, One Way, Alley Way, Rush Hour, Rush Hour Flatbar

The Team, Prestige, and Competition use a Monocoque carbon fiber frame. The RX 1.0 is a cyclocross. The One Way, Alley Way, Rush Hour, and Rush Hour Flatbar are single speed.

• Mountain: XXIX Pro, XXIX+G, XXIX, Talus 29, Talus 8.0, Talus 5.0, Talus 4.0, Talus 3.0, Talus 2.0, Eva 8.0, Eva 4.0, Eva 3.0, Eva 2.0

• Performance Hybrid: Cadent FT3, Cadent FT2, Cadent FT1, Alysa FT2, Alysa FT1

• Hybrid: Misceo 2.0, Misceo 1.0, Calispel i8, Calispel 1.0, Detour Deluxe, Detour 6.5, Detour 4.5, Detour 3.5, Route 4.0, Route 3.0, Superbe Roadster, Classic Roadster, Roadster

• Comfort: Circa i8, Circa i3, Venture 4.0, Venture 3.0, Venture, Companion

• Cruiser: Retroglide 7, Retroglide, Special, Retro 20, Retro 16

• Women: Alysa FT1, Alysa FT2, Eva 2.0, Eva 3.0, Eva 4.0, Eva 8.0

http://www.raleighusa.com/

Historic models

• Burner
  Raleigh Burner
  The Raleigh Burner is a BMX bicycle first launched in early 1982 by the Raleigh Bicycle Company. It was a replacement of the Grifter. The name continued to 1988 and was brought back in early 2000s, although it has been nowhere near as successful sales wise as the 80s item...
  
  
• Chopper
  Raleigh Chopper
  The Raleigh Chopper is a children's bicycle, a wheelie bike, manufactured and marketed in the 1970s by the Raleigh Bicycle Company of Nottingham, England. Its unique design became a true 70s cultural icon, and is fondly remembered by many who grew up in that period...
  
  
• Grifter
  Raleigh Grifter
  The Raleigh Grifter was a children's bicycle manufactured and marketed from 1976 and until early 1983 by the Raleigh Bicycle Company of Nottingham, England. It was the "must have" bicycle of its time and bridged a gap between the Raleigh Chopper and the Raleigh Burner models...
  
  
• Cyclone
  Raleigh Cyclone
  The Raleigh Cyclone is an historic model of bicycle manufactured by the Raleigh Bicycle Company.It is a 15-gear mountain bike which is very smooth to ride on short or long trips. It has 26-inch wheels with bull bars, and was first manufactured in 1996. It uses Shimano SIS gear shifters....
  
  
• RSW14
• RSW16
• Twenty
  Raleigh Twenty
  The Raleigh "Twenty" is a small-wheeled bicycle which was introduced to the market in 1968 as a competitor to the original Moulton bicycle. Raleigh already had a more direct competitor in the RSW-16 bicycle. Initially it was not aggressively marketed, but it was a much better bicycle than the RSW-16...
  
  
• Peak
• Superbe
• Amazon
• Dynatech
• Mtrax

In Media

In the 1986 Bike messenger

Bicycle messenger

Bicycle messengers are people who work for courier companies carrying and delivering items by bicycle. Bicycle messengers are most often found in the central business districts of metropolitan areas...

 film Quicksilver

Quicksilver (film)

Quicksilver is a 1986 feature film starring Kevin Bacon. Written and directed by Thomas Michael Donnelly, the film also includes Jami Gertz, Paul Rodriguez, Louie Anderson, Laurence Fishburne, and Rudy Ramos.-Plot:...

 a variety of Raleigh USA bicycles are used. 1984-85 roadbikes

Road bicycle

The term road bicycle is used to describe bicycles built for traveling at speed on paved roads. Some sources use the term to mean racing bicycle...

 are used throughout by notable players in the movie. Kevin Bacon's bicycle is a singlespeed '84 Raleigh Competition. While no differentiation is made in the film, at least three different configurations are seen on Bacon's bike during the movie: Fixed-gear, singlespeed, and outfitted with 0-degree trick forks during various scenes in Bacon's apartment. A possible freewheel is suggested early in the film when Bacon dismounts while in motion and a distinct clicking sound is heard until the bike stops moving. A 1984/5 Raleigh Grand Prix is used for the opening chase sequence, and a 1984 or '85 Super Course makes a brief appearance in the opening credits.

In the 1985 move American Flyers, David Sommers played by David Marshall Grant, is seen riding through St. Louis, Missouri, on a Raleigh bicycle from that same era. Later in the film Specialized bicycles are used for the race scenes in Colorado and training.

External links

• Raleigh corporate website - U.K.
• Raleigh USA
• Raleigh Denmark Makes older Raliegh bikes.
• Raleigh bicycle at the Open Directory Project
  Open Directory Project
  The Open Directory Project , also known as Dmoz , is a multilingual open content directory of World Wide Web links. It is owned by Netscape but it is constructed and maintained by a community of volunteer editors.ODP uses a hierarchical ontology scheme for organizing site listings...
  
  
• Retro-Raleighs - models and year identification for high-end USA Raleighs, 1960-1980, maintained by Sheldon Brown
  Sheldon Brown (bicycle mechanic)
  Sheldon Brown was an American bicycle mechanic and technical authority on bicycles. He contributed to numerous print and online sources related to bicycling, bicycle mechanics and maintenance, including his own website — and received numerous awards for his contributions.-Biography:Brown...
  
  
• Raleigh Bikes Forum - A users forum run by fans of Raleigh Bikes covering all countries, maintained by RaleighBikes.com
• Raleigh Serial Numbers through the Years
• Raleigh Serial Numbers Memo