Canuk
Senior Retro Guru
From 1942 onwards, Raleigh were mostly focused on essential war munitions production, and consequently only 158,000 bicycles were produced that year.
But already the following year, this rose to 183,000. During the war, Raleigh supplied 200,000 cycles to HM Government and HM Forces so its core business remained active. In August 1944 George Wilson reported that "a good deal of development work had taken place in connection with cycle design" adding in October that "excellent progress had been made with reference to improved design and equipment for post-war."
In January 1945 Raleigh established an experimental shop to develop new Sturmey-Archer gears and lighting and also new bicycles. By the end of the War in August, Raleigh were producing 6,000 frames a week and Sturmey Archer had resumed hub production at a rate of 5,000 a week.
But already the following year, this rose to 183,000. During the war, Raleigh supplied 200,000 cycles to HM Government and HM Forces so its core business remained active. In August 1944 George Wilson reported that "a good deal of development work had taken place in connection with cycle design" adding in October that "excellent progress had been made with reference to improved design and equipment for post-war."
In January 1945 Raleigh established an experimental shop to develop new Sturmey-Archer gears and lighting and also new bicycles. By the end of the War in August, Raleigh were producing 6,000 frames a week and Sturmey Archer had resumed hub production at a rate of 5,000 a week.
, it is probably true that among a certain generation of Briton that Reg Harris is as remembered today as "riding a Lenton Sports" as much or more as he is for being British Olympic Champion and one of the top track cyclists of the post-war era. And his cycling career predated both the war and his connection with Raleigh and continued after it including winning the British Championship in 1974 aged 54, on a 1949 vintage Raleigh.
