Raleigh Cycle Company

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Raleigh chopper

Raleigh Cycle Company [ ˈrɔːli saɪkəl ˈkʌmpəni ] is the name of a British vehicle manufacturer that was founded in 1887 by Frank Bowden in Nottingham and initially manufactured bicycles .

history

The company was named Raleigh after the street in which it was located, Raleigh Street . From 1930 to 1934 the company also produced motorized three-wheeled vehicles and thus laid the foundation for the establishment of this type of vehicle in the United Kingdom.

In the 1970s, the Tom Karen- designed Raleigh Chopper became a resounding success, rescuing the company from its financial crisis that had persisted since the 1960s. The bicycle was sold millions of times around the world, in Germany the type was known as the " Bonanzarad ".

In 1974 the company subsidiary Raleigh Germany was founded. In 2001 the company was bought by the Derby Cycle works . The final assembly of the components supplied from the Far East takes place today in Cloppenburg , Lower Saxony . That is why the company advertises with the slogan "Best of Britain - Made in Germany".

In October 2011 the Dutch Pon Holdings (see also Ben Pon senior and Ben Pon junior ) took over Derby Cycle Holding GmbH .

History of motorized tricycle production at Raleigh

Raleigh Tricar (1904)

In addition to the bicycles known as safety bicycles, belt-driven motorcycles were produced in 1899. In 1903 the Raleighette was created , a motorized three-wheeler with chain drive in which the driver sat over the rear drive wheel and the passenger in front of him sat in a basket seat between the two front wheels. Due to financial losses, this concept was abandoned in 1908 and only bicycles and motorcycles were produced.

The Motor Taxation Act of 1921 gave three-wheeled vehicles a special place in UK tax law. After Raleigh had initially supplied parts for the Ivy Karryall three- wheeler , the company acquired the rights to the vehicle in 1930 and called its version Light Delivery Van , basically a motorcycle with a cabin for driver and cargo, the drive was via a chain. In 1933 a two-seater variant was introduced.

In the same year, the three-wheeled automobile Safety Seven was also created , an open four-seater with an aluminum body on an ash wood frame. The approx. 17 HP (12.5 kW) strong, 742 cm³ two-cylinder engine conducted the power via a drive shaft to the rear wheels and accelerated the vehicle to over 80 km / h. The Safety Seven was popular because of its low consumption , and a closed version was also planned.

However, in 1934 Raleigh decided to stop the production of motorized vehicles and concentrate only on bicycles. The chief designer T. L. Williams took over the tools and the remaining parts and started his own production of three-wheeled vehicles under the name Reliant . With the Reliant Regent , the concept of the Karryall was initially continued, and from 1954, based on the Safety Seven, the Reliant shelf was produced , which became the forefather of the well-known Reliant Robin .

Bicycle technology

Raleigh made its wheels almost entirely from Reynolds tubing of various grades. The company produced everyday bikes, mountain bikes and high quality racing bikes. The company obtained the dropouts for racing bike frames from Gipiemme and Campagnolo.

Cycling

For a long time, the Raleigh company had a direct connection to professional cycling. The TI-Raleigh team deserves special mention at this point. In 1980 Joop Zoetemelk was able to win the Tour de France on a Raleigh racing bike. In the mid-1980s, the Raleigh team was also sponsored by Panasonic . In addition, the company equipped the French team Système U at the end of the 1980s .

During the 1980s, Raleigh supported various British cycling teams, including Raleigh Banana and Raleigh Weinmann . The most famous Raleigh drivers were Paul Sherwin, Malcolm Elliott , Mark Bell, Paul Watson, Jon Clay and Jeff Williams.

In the early 1990s, Raleigh equipped its own mountain bike team.

In 2009 the formation of a new British cycling team called Team Raleigh was announced.

photos

  • Raleigh road bike frameset from Reynolds 501

  • Raleigh label on a late 1980s racing bike

  • Raleigh saddle in turbo shape

  • Raleigh Brazil racing bike

literature

  • Harald H. Linz, Halwart Schrader : The International Automobile Encyclopedia . United Soft Media Verlag, Munich 2008, ISBN 978-3-8032-9876-8 .
  • George Nick Georgano (Editor-in-Chief): The Beaulieu Encyclopedia of the Automobile. Volume 3: P – Z. Fitzroy Dearborn Publishers, Chicago 2001, ISBN 1-57958-293-1 . (English)
  • George Nick Georgano: Cars. Encyclopédie complète. 1885 à nos jours. Courtille, Paris 1975. (French)

Web links

Commons : Vehicles of Raleigh  - Collection of images

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ http://www.raleigh-bikes.de/de/ueber-uns/historie.html
  2. ↑ http://www.raleigh.co.uk/Company/History/
  3. ↑ Pon takes over majority of Derby Cycle. Retrieved April 24, 2014 .
  4. ^ Raleigh - Weinmann 1986
  5. ^ Raleigh back in the peloton from 2010