Raleigh Road Bikes and Frames for Sale, New and Used
Like most manufacturers of bicycles, Raleigh has long been associated with racing, and has sponsored a number of professional teams. The most notable was the TI Raleigh team in the 1970s and 1980s, but the cycles have scored victories in the Olympic games and other events, too. Raleigh sponsored its first mountain bike team in the early 1990s. Here, we offer Raleigh Road Bikes and frames for sale. More about Raleigh bicycles is covered below...
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Raleigh Bicycles - Vintage And New
Raleigh was founded in Nottingham in the late nineteenth century. It was first located in Raleigh street in 1887, which is where the company's name came from. Begun by a man who was impressed with the bicycle he'd just purchased, the company started out as a three man shop, producing three bicycles per week. Just three years later, production was high enough that a larger workshop was needed. The company was moved to Raleigh street, but the name remained. Within six years, the business that would one day become the world's biggest bicycle producer had begun.
Motorcycle production began in 1899, and continued until 1908. However, in 1930, production of Raleigh motorcycles started up again, as well as the first three wheel cars. These were eventually produced under the Reliant company name, and were around for many years. Mopeds were also made in the late 1950s and 1960s.
Raleigh's real chance occurred after World War II. There was a boom in interest in bicycles, and Raleighs's light weight sports roadsters in three and five speeds were extremely popular. Ligher and faster than the old English roadsters or American cruisers, these bikes were excellent commuting and town bicycles, making them extremely practical. Enthusiasts still collect these machines and even ride them daily. In 1946, Raleigh and other English manufacturers made up ninety-five percent of US imports. English racers were exported around the world.
Bicycle production continued to rise through the mid 1950s, but the British market began to decline as cars became cheaper and more readily available. Tariffs on the US market also drove demand down. Raleigh's response was to buy up smaller rivals, including the famous Triumph Cycle company, Hercules, and Carlton Cycles. The employees were retained, though most were moved to the Carlton facility.
The Raleigh Company itself was owned by Tube Investments, a vertically integrated manufacturer that also owned one of the oldest bike saddle makers, a tubing manufacturer, and Sturmey-Archer - maker of three speed hubs. Later on, lightweight geared road bikes were also introduced, and Raleigh offered a large percentage of the bikes sold in the US bike boom during the 1970s.
The Raleigh Chopper started out as a US release in 1968. Intended as a children's bicycle, it never took off in that capacity. In 1970s, it went on sale in the UK, and sold well there. The chopper stayed in production until 1980, and has been credited with keeping the company afloat. Millions of these unusual bicycles were sold around the world.
In the late 1970s, Raleigh's US production and US name was purchased by Huffy, which later sold it to Derby International. Derby sold many of the Raleigh companies to other brands, and a management buyout disposed of the remaining companies. This company continues to own the company and produce bicycles under the Raleigh name. These bicycles are produced in Taiwan and China, like many other brands, and assembled elsewhere. Other divisions, including Raleigh Denmark and Raleigh Canada, still make bicycles in their own countries.
