Guardian Interview: MD of Raleigh

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SamNichols

SamNichols

New Member
Location
Colne, Lancs
This is also an interesting:
"We have a smattering of presence within the national retailers but it is subservient to their own private label. Then independent retailing in the UK is a shambles. It is real Steptoe and Son stuff. Most of them will turn the lights off on a sunny day to save a bit of lecky. If you want to imagine the typical independent bike dealer, he is 50-60, highly cynical, miserable, moaning, scruffy. That's my customer. It is great."
 

LLB

Guest
SamNichols said:
This is also an interesting:
"We have a smattering of presence within the national retailers but it is subservient to their own private label. Then independent retailing in the UK is a shambles. It is real Steptoe and Son stuff. Most of them will turn the lights off on a sunny day to save a bit of lecky. If you want to imagine the typical independent bike dealer, he is 50-60, highly cynical, miserable, moaning, scruffy. That's my customer. It is great."

That is my LBS :smile:

I think he has a point :blush:
 

Smokin Joe

Legendary Member
I wonder if he has cottoned on to the fact that the "Scruffy Shambles" as he describes the retail outlets are busy helping to make vast profits for the likes of Trek and Giant?

I doubt if any of them could give a toss if they never saw another Raleigh again. Whinging bastard.
 

girofan

New Member
I bought a Raleigh 20 years ago. It had rusted around the bottom bracket and chainstays within 2 years!
Stop whingeing and make a decent frame at a good price or get out of the market! :sad:;)!
 

Chris James

Über Member
Location
Huddersfield
girofan said:
I bought a Raleigh 20 years ago. It had rusted around the bottom bracket and chainstays within 2 years!
Stop whingeing and make a decent frame at a good price or get out of the market! :sad:;)!

I had a Raleigh Winner bought for me about 25 years ago. It saw very hard use through my school days when I cycled everywhere. Got dug out of the garage when I wanted a commuter in Manchester and then was passed on to my brother in law for his commute to the railway station. It went to the tip last year but the frame was still fine.
 
Spooky coincidence! My ex-wife and I did a tour of Cornwall back in 1990. Me on a Raleigh Winner, her on a Raleigh Chiltern. It was hard bloody work...

I seem to recall Raleigh being the default bike manufacturer, in the same way that vacuum cleaners were all Hoovers. Haven't Saracen taken that niche now? I seem to see more of their cheap mtbs around than almost any other manufacturer.
 
i remember when the MTB 'boom' came along and Raleigh were caught on the hop, they then recovered and made some very decent bikes that got good reviews, they also had the top racing team at that time. trouble was, they didn't change the range the next year - whereas everyone else was updating theirs. they were left behind after managing to pull it out of the fire. such a shame, but they were too big to adapt to the quick changes of that time.

The reason Saracen are everywhere could be that they got in at that time, making some very good bikes at great prices... they are the new Raleigh in that fathers now are remembering that they started on a Saracen and so buy one for their kids.

when i was a kid the Raleigh brand was king, they made solid bikes and every kid aspired to own a Raleigh and every parent bought one. I think part of that remains, hence the kid's bike being the bestseller. they lost their high end though, so the next bike for the kid won't be a Raleigh. They need to have that top end back. they took a chance with their MTB range and it got them that kudos back, for a year. If this guy knew the business he'd be launching a top range of road bikes to get the 'shiny shiny' factor back and get the brand name back into the shops and the minds of cyclists.

can't see that happening though.
 
I've been to many trade shows where the staff from Raleigh strut around wearing their black uniform shirts like they own the fecking joint. Arrogant twunts. They are a laughing stock throughout the industry. The one and only reason they survive is because so many novices recognise the name because really the bikes are soo shoot. In fact they are the shittest they have ever been now that they have shifted production from Taiwan. We have some in storage, recently retired from the fleet, ordered by a previous employee because he was an idiot. Thirty odd bikes with not a straight drop-out between them.
 

PatrickPending

Legendary Member
Location
Leicester
Mmmm when I was small everyone rode a raleigh arena. Can't say I'd consider them nowadays, I just (rightly or wrongly) associate them with low end stuff - guess they have a bit of work to do to improve their image!
 
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