How has Raleigh touched your cycling life?

[Sandra6]

My one and only new bike as a child was a Raleigh disco -it was blue. I really wanted one with a seat on the bike and tassles but it was out of budget so the disco it was.
I got it when I was 7 and rode it for years, then it lived in the shed for a couple more before being given to a neighbours daughter. Her older brother did it up and it was passed down to her neice years later. I think they gave me a fiver for it.

 

[gbb]

Never had new bikes as a kid, but i remember i had a Raleigh that had solid tyres ...and at some stage a Raleigh 5 speed, but with traditional town type straight bars.
Raleigh Chimera, my first new roadbike, steel, forerunner to the Airlites, heavy but very very dependable over the 6000 miles i had it. I doubt it was made in the UK, but the quality was good for a budget bike.
Still have a 531 Raleigh Clubman, made at Special Products in Worksop, very very smooth although dated in its looks now of course.
Having spent most of my formative years in Nottingham, Raleigh was a huge employer then....i've always had a soft spot for Raleigh, they seem as English as tea and scones.

 

[outlash]

I briefly owned a chopper when I was a wee one but had a lengthy love affair with an Ultra Burner while my brother had a Pro Burner. Schmoov .

Before I bought my current bike, I almost went for the airlite 100 but...


Tony..

 

[Twilkes]

When I was little, Raleigh was the Mars Bar/Coke/Walkers of bikes, although I never had one myself. Bought one of the last model Raleighs to be made in the UK in 2000, did Jogle on it and treated it like poo until it was stripped for parts when I left it outside the Computer Science building of Manchester University for two months because it had a puncture. Treat 'em mean.....

Have a Raleigh Pioneer now which cost about £300 and has done me well, survived some 200 mile weekends with a tent on the back, and is now slowly dying in a winter commute. It fits me well and rides like a shire horse. I have no idea what bike I would buy if this one went kaput, hopefully I can just keep replacing parts on it. Although that brings to mind the mop that has only needed two new heads and three new handles.....

 

[tony111]

I'm with the Raleigh Wayfarer gang, was it available in blue or blue, or is my mind playing tricks on me ? I was 16 and used it for work as an apprentice plumber, had a rack on the back that could hold a bag of tools that weighed a ton.

 

[TheJDog]

I had Dawes, then a Peugeot, then a Raleigh Clubman that lasted me from 16 to 28. Great bike, 531 frame, comfy, think the best I ever did on it was around 85 miles or so. Spent every summer in the hills on that bike all through school and uni.

 

[TheDoctor]

First new bike was a Raleigh, and my first decent road bike (and now my fixed) was a Raleigh DynaTech 401 Ti.

 

[HLaB]

My first bike was a Raleigh Chippy

I then (much to his disgust) inherited my brother's Chopper, then his 5sp Raleigh Racer and then got a new Raleigh BMX then a new Raleigh Mtb. So I guess Raleigh ad a big influence on my early cycling life. In my adult cycling career I've deserted them but my Bianchi came from a lbs that was well known as MacDonalds Raleighs, much to the owners disgust even 10 years or so since they abandoned the brand.

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Still got my 25 year old Raleigh Merlin.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Through most of the 1990's I commuted on a home brewed bike built on a Raleigh 531 frame


It started life as a fixed then was converted to 6 speed and then to 12.

Some years later I had one of their cheapies.

heavy and slow, 14 or 16 speed I can't remember which, I never went well on it and replacing it with my Pearson was an excellent move, I used it on the turbo a bit and eventually gave it to the husband of one of the wife's friends.

 

[ColinJ]

I had a tricycle when I was very young.

My first bicycle was a singlespeed Raleigh which I got when i was about 9 years old. I rode that until it fell to bits 3 years later and then I got another Raleigh, a 5-speed racer. I rode that for a couple of years until it was stolen from the school bike sheds.

I didn't own a bicycle again until 1989, for which - huge thanks, Greg Lemond!

 

[TheDoctor]

This must be about 20 years old, although it hardly got any significant mileage. Its my "don't care if it gets stolen" bike, runs surprisingly well though.

View attachment 16448

Got one of those out in the garage - I was given it in the summer.
Halfway through turning it into a cheap heavy tourer - 21 speed, V brakes, butterfly bars and 1.6" slicks.

 

[MrJamie]

Got one of those out in the garage - I was given it in the summer.
Halfway through turning it into a cheap heavy tourer - 21 speed, V brakes, butterfly bars and 1.6" slicks.

Cool, would be interested in which bits you choose, especially the drivetrain. I kept the cantis on mine, replaced the cables and put koolstop pads on, which made them good despite the crappy levers. I replaced the seatpost for a longer one & seatpost collar, put my old gel saddle on it, replaced the pedals and the bottom bracket. The axle snapped trying to go up a steep hill , so replaced the back wheel. Also, new tubes and 26*2.00 M+ Tour tyres. The thing that bugs me and im not sure if its the headset or just the angle of the fork/bars, but the handlebars turn a little too easily, so if you go over a ridge its really easy to twist the handlebars as the wheel cant move.

 

[Andrew_Culture]

My MTB is a Raleigh

Ditto, it has not been good to me.

 

[Leaway2]

Computer Science building of Manchester University

I worked there as a tech, 1978 - 1984.