NEW TI RALEIGH 753 40TH TDF ANNIVERSARY MODEL v.2

[IJohnson]

On the frames resultant quality I expect the frames were produced where they were because that's where a good number of their frames are now produced and that's where the procurement department have all their links and contacts.

Would they have been much better having the frames produced here in the UK by someone who has a bit of history when it comes to this sort of thing probably yes

If they didn't get them produced in their spiritual home then would they have been better getting someone in say the US to produce the frames? Again probably yes as the economies of sheer scale that are the US mean that manufacturing of the required quality exists in higher numbers than it does here which is evidenced but quite a few well conceived retro inspired products made in the US, it would also I feel have opened up a much larger potential market.

So I can't help thinking this really is a missed opportunity For Raleigh because they didn't put enough effort in. When Zoop was doing his thing they were selling bikes world wide in huge numbers with manufacturing happening in a lot of the larger markets around the world and images of bikes in those team colours used on a lot of the marketing literature world wide even if there weren't models sold in those colours. So the potential nostalgia market should have been sufficiently large but my instinct is Raleigh's actual market for this retro inspired bike was actually quite small, in reality mostly home grown and no I don't think it ever was really aimed at us.

The fact it wasn't made in Britain is probably the least disappointing aspect of the whole story.

The Taiwan bike industry can produce anything you want at whatever quality level you are prepared to pay for. I suspect the reason this bike has cheap dropouts, bumpy welds/brazing and out of spec tube lengths is because that's what Raleigh ordered!

 

[Rapparee87]

Quite a high price put on nostalgia these days..

www.bricklanebikes.co.uk/olmo-competiti ... gJD-_D_BwE

 

[pigman]

Re: Re:

TI-Raleigh were the only apparently British brand consistently visible amongst the continental trade teams. I think they had one British rider, Bill Nickson.

not forgetting Dave Lloyd and John wainwright

As for the rest of your post, yes, that's how it really was

 

[Rapparee87]

Re: Re:

TI-Raleigh were the only apparently British brand consistently visible amongst the continental trade teams. I think they had one British rider, Bill Nickson.

not forgetting Dave Lloyd and John wainwright

As for the rest of your post, yes, that's how it really was

Didn't Phil Bayton ride for TI-Raleigh at the same time as Dave Lloyd? For a short time.

 

[torqueless]

Re:

Afaik those riders had returned to the domestic (UK) scene by 1977. Bill Nickson was the only Brit left riding continental tours and classics for Raleigh?

 

[allenh]

Re: Re:

Given all that, I find it difficult to believe in the existence of a demographic contingent who satisfy these three criteria

I take your point torqueless and on to a certain extent agree but I don't think I made mine sufficiently well. The more I think about the market for this bike the more I'm convinced this bike was never really aimed at those who had any real interest in those criteria back then, had it been they would (I hope) have made a much better job of it.

My feeling is this bike was aimed more at all those snotty oiks who in the late 70's/early 80's lusted after a Europa or whatever the prevailing team colours model was in the various markets back then. Raleigh's marketing and livery trickle down back then was very good indeed,and the race team was to my mind more marketing tool than anything else so those team colours Raleigh's were everywhere and that legion of grown up snotty oiks with their Europa's who now have a decent disposable income are more where I think this bike was aimed.

 

[bagpuss]

Re:

Was there any actual market research done prior to build ? I may have missed it of course .

 

[Jamiedyer]

Nice to see the new thread playing nicely.
The old one wasn't to do with mods not liking it, it was to do with complaints regarding the way the thread headed. To the point where any normal discourse is gone and it turns into page after page of close to the bone 'humour' with nothing to do with the thread. Some not very nice posts directed to certain individuals and certain individuals that just don't know when to quite. The thread being divisive didn't as mentioned show the diversity of replies it showed almost bullying behaviour.

Hopefully this one will stay the way it has started.
As you were, gentlemen

Jamie

 

[Rapparee87]

Re: Re:

Given all that, I find it difficult to believe in the existence of a demographic contingent who satisfy these three criteria

I take your point torqueless and on to a certain extent agree but I don't think I made mine sufficiently well. The more I think about the market for this bike the more I'm convinced this bike was never really aimed at those who had any real interest in those criteria back then, had it been they would (I hope) have made a much better job of it.

My feeling is this bike was aimed more at all those snotty oiks who in the late 70's/early 80's lusted after a Europa or whatever the prevailing team colours model was in the various markets back then. Raleigh's marketing and livery trickle down back then was very good indeed,and the race team was to my mind more marketing tool than anything else so those team colours Raleigh's were everywhere and that legion of grown up snotty oiks with their Europa's who now have a decent disposable income are more where I think this bike was aimed.

Those same snotty oiks with the high disposable income aren't shy about highlighting poor build quality in their other high end material stuff, so I can't imagine they would be impressed with the rear dropouts, welds etc. That's assuming they notice of course.

 

[pigman]

Re: Re:

That's assuming they notice of course.

And I think that was the point, they wouldn't. But if that's correct, then it begs the question s, why involve joop? They don't know him, just say it's like the 80 tour winning bike and why 753? They wouldn't know how esteemed that was. It would have made more sense to knock a team coloured bike out in mid level alloy or steel