Raleigh

[John]

Maybe

"Owner of bike maker Raleigh files for insolvency"

Be a shame if they disappear for good as I'm sure many of us have owned a Raleigh at some point. They don't seem to have kept up with modern trends though and are now probably looked upon as a lower level bike company. The owner of Raleigh also own Haibike who are huge in the e-bike market, be interesting to see if someone steps in for them

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gv45w4j8eo

[DaveE]

It's a shame on one level

But I can't feel too sad as I've not considered them as a viable option since I was a kid

Same with all the hand wringing about Jaguar etc, no one can really claim to feel all that sad if at the same time they've actually chosen to not buy one of their products

"It's a shame someone else didn't waste their money on one"

[mik]

But I can't feel too sad as I've not considered them as a viable option since I was a kid

That.

[Mito Man]

I wonder if the local bike industry is in trouble similar to the car industry, especially with the advent of ebikes. China make the best batteries and motors and surely a bike is very simple compared to a car.

[Jobbo]

If they still hand-brazed steel frames in Nottingham I'd be sad. But I think they're just one of many generic bike brands these days.

[Rich B]

i thought they’d long gone tbh. Sad from a nostalgic POV but bike tech moves fast (except for chains and derailleurs for some reason, presumably the efficiency is hard to beat).

[duncs500]

Same with all the hand wringing about Jaguar etc, no one can really claim to feel all that sad if at the same time they've actually chosen to not buy one of their products

"It's a shame someone else didn't waste their money on one"

Of cause you can claim to feel sad about it.

I mean it's not your fault the products are not good enough, if they were even on a par with another product you'd have probably bought it due to liking the brand. They've really had to go the extra mile with shitness if they have a good brand reputation and still can't sell their products!

It's sad that they haven't done a good enough job as custodians of the company.

[Carlos]

Their modern stuff always seemed to be behind the curve and a lot more expensive than similar looking Chinese or own brand Halfords stuff so not really surprising

My dad still rates them just because his last road bike was a Raleigh Banana circa 1990

[Sundayjumper]

They stopped making bikes in the UK a looong time ago*. Even when I worked in a bike shop in the early nineties they weren’t aspirational. Seventies/eighties was their peak.

Edit - 2002.

[speedingfine]

They stopped making bikes in the UK a looong time ago*. Even when I worked in a bike shop in the early nineties they weren’t aspirational. Seventies/eighties was their peak.

Edit - 2002.

Surely you all wanted an Activator in the nineties tho? Right?

OK I've now googled and apparently it was 'immensely heavy', 'made of gas pipes' and nicknamed the Craptivator. Yeah cycling was never really my thing...

[speedingfine]

Read in the Telegraph that we threatened to bomb Argentina with Raleigh Activators if they invade the Falklands again.

[Rich B]

They stopped making bikes in the UK a looong time ago*. Even when I worked in a bike shop in the early nineties they weren’t aspirational. Seventies/eighties was their peak.

Edit - 2002.

Surely you all wanted an Activator in the nineties tho? Right?

OK I've now googled and apparently it was 'immensely heavy', 'made of gas pipes' and nicknamed the Craptivator. Yeah cycling was never really my thing...

Yeah, the Activator (and the later “full suspension” Activator II) were pretty universally ripped into when we were kids. On a par with skodas in the 80s!

[dinny_g]

no one can really claim to feel all that sad if at the same time they've actually chosen to not buy one of their products

This really but it’s a shame all the same.

I had:

• Dido

• Boxer

• Strika

• Grifter

• Super Burner

• Maverick MTB

[DaveE]

I never had a Raleigh bike

Even as a kid

(Small violin) We didn't have much money so my bikes we always second hand until one Christmas when I got a Halfords own brand racer

[jamcg]

I had a Raleigh max as my first bike. Weighed a ton. Had cantilever brakes that did nothing.

Second bike was a 1999 Raleigh max aero, when v-brakes were first released, going downhill on it, probably hit something like 20mph and pulled the front brake like I did on the old one. And that kids was the first time I went over the handlebars

[jamcg]

I never had a Raleigh bike

Even as a kid

(Small violin) We didn't have much money so my bikes we always second hand until one Christmas when I got a Halfords own brand racer

If you still had it, it would probably be worth a few hundred now

[mik]

Second bike was a 1999 Raleigh max aero, when v-brakes were first released, going downhill on it, probably hit something like 20mph and pulled the front brake like I did on the old one. And that kids was the first time I went over the handlebars

I got a Gitane racing bike when I was a youngster. It was a "Christmas and Birthday present".

The brakes handles were reversed (left handle operated front brake, right handle rear). The cycling shop told us this was because it was French - no idea if that was true (quick google suggests it may be), or it was just an assembly error, but it caused me to take a dive over the handlebars, and several mates who asked for a shot too (despite me warning them).

[John]

I had

Chipper (complete with stabilisers for a time)

Tomahawk (looked like a mini Chopper)

Chopper (complete with many mirrors, flag on a pole and possibly the loudest klaxon known to man)

[speedingfine]

Did the Chopper come with the Beetle? Seems to be some overlap at car shows I've been to

I had a second hand Boxer, then a Burner when the BMX craze was over and everyone was into mountain bikes

[Jobbo]

Second bike was a 1999 Raleigh max aero, when v-brakes were first released, going downhill on it, probably hit something like 20mph and pulled the front brake like I did on the old one. And that kids was the first time I went over the handlebars

I got a Gitane racing bike when I was a youngster. It was a "Christmas and Birthday present".

The brakes handles were reversed (left handle operated front brake, right handle rear). The cycling shop told us this was because it was French - no idea if that was true (quick google suggests it may be), or it was just an assembly error, but it caused me to take a dive over the handlebars, and several mates who asked for a shot too (despite me warning them).

European bikes did tend to favour the brakes being the opposite way round. I acquired a sit-up-and-beg bike at university for 50p which only had one brake, the front (fortunately) mounted on the left hand side of the bars. It looked terrible and had a very loose headset and seat so it never got nicked, but it was surprisingly fast (single speed, but well chosen ratio) and the brakes worked well other than the jolt as the headset shifted