The British bike thread

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

I adore that. Absolutely stunning.

Vindec did some nice bikes.

 

[ferrus]

Whilst waiting for my car to be MoTd last year I sat in Nottingham Archives browsing through the Raleigh indexes of held documents, one of the accounts documents listed Raleighs companies - I was amazed that they owned so many of the British component manufacturers including Brooks, Bayliss Wiley, Nervar (formerly Williams).......etc the list was almost endless.

From the little I’ve heard, Raleigh squeezed so many companies into submission. They were ruthless with few being able to resist the monopolisation. Dunlop held firm though I think?

Frank Berto in his book The Dancing Chain is pretty scathing about Raleigh’s influence on British manufacturers (and incidentally, their repression of derailleur adoption over here).
Unfortunately I don’t have the book to hand as I lent it to a member

 

[3wheeler7]

Being Nottingham born and bred Raleigh ruled the roost around here when I was a lad in the late 60s and it wasn't until I joined the local cycling club that I realised that Raleigh were pretty down the pecking order as far as seriously sporting cycles were concerned, their focus was shifting as many bikes as they could as quickly as possible.
But gazing at club members' Bob Jacksons, Mercians and Hetchins was a totally new world to me, and the exotic components availble in the "proper" bike shops really opened my eyes. Raleigh couldn't compete on that level and when they tried I think they soon found out it was very costly so they stuck to making frames and bolting the good stuff on.

 

[Moto]

How about made in Wales ? Here are my 1990 British Eagle Pro-Carbons. One in 19" and one in 21".

 

[Nob]

How about made in Wales ? Here are my 1990 British Eagle Pro-Carbons. One in 19" and one in 21".

But there not the famed 753 Eagle that some joker was trying to sell on here some time ago…

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

I don't think carbon has a place here, sorry.

 

[grantoury]

I don't think carbon has a place here sorry.

Harsh

 

[Guinessisgoodforyou]

Harsh

Sorry mate, but plastic bikes? No.

 

[Moto]

Fair point. I'll just disappear back to my shed and dream that one day I too could own a proper metal bike .

 

[grantoury]

But there not the famed 753 Eagle that some joker was trying to sell on here some time ago…

I wonder if we will ever see one of those.