In 1902, Sturmey-Archer gears were added to the product range. It grew rapidly and within a few years was a large public company capitalised at £100,000 (equivalent to about £5m today). Frank Bowden, a successful lawyer and convert to cycling, bought the firm in 1887 and in December 1888 founded The Raleigh Cycle Company as a limited liability private company. Raleigh Street, Nottingham, was the site of a small workshop which in 1886 started producing diamond-frame safety bicycles at the rate of three a week. The list below is one I’ve used over the years, when buying vintage bicycles, to remember when those companies were still ‘original’ before being taken over by Raleigh: A Raleigh Superbe is surely the most practical vintage bicycle to own and use on a regular basis.Ĭomprehensive records of Raleigh frame numbers is another very useful factor: you can check the age of your Raleigh at the bottom of this page. And for those of us who collect ‘old black bikes’ Raleigh provided a wonderful supply and variety. The history of The Raleigh Cycle Co offers an excellent insight into the history of cycle manufacturing in Great Britain. 1900: FRANK BOWDEN of Raleigh on the left
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