Raleigh in trouble.
- Thread starter oxoman
- Start date
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Rusty Nails
We remember
- Location
- Living in the slow lane
Let's hope it's not Mike Ashley.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- The Urban Fringe
Let's hope it is and the Raleigh albatross bankrupts him.
mustang1
Legendary Member
- Location
- London, UK
Raleigh should just engineer well-made badges and plonk them onto some far-east frames.
I have a soft spot for Raleigh just like the next guy, but reviving an old company doesn't really bring the old company back; at this point, it's just a name.
Edit: fixed typo.
This was a news bit I came across last month about Accell.
https://bikebiz.com/accell-group-se...documents-detail-radical-restructuring-plans/
I imagine a fair few brands will get snapped up on the 'liquidation' cheap.
https://bikebiz.com/accell-group-se...documents-detail-radical-restructuring-plans/
I imagine a fair few brands will get snapped up on the 'liquidation' cheap.
Andy in Germany
Legendary Member
- Location
- Rottenburg am Neckar
Wiener Bike Parts (who I think own XLC) is a major supplier in Germany, so I suspect they will be kept.
Mind you we'd order more from them if the search facility on their website actually worked, just saying: we often order from their main competitor, not because they're always cheaper but because we can find what we need quickly.
Mind you we'd order more from them if the search facility on their website actually worked, just saying: we often order from their main competitor, not because they're always cheaper but because we can find what we need quickly.
- Location
- Inside my skull
Ah well, there goes the Raleigh E-Chopper
Mr Celine
Discordian
- Location
- Waxing my moustache
My 1992 Pioneer went to the great skip in the sky over 10 years ago. Nice bike but dreadful paintwork. Chainstays rusted through.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- The Urban Fringe
Sir Walter would be turning in his grave.
Mine was a frame bought from eBay for the grand total of 99p. It's seena fair bit of use as my winter bike as I built it with hub dynamo and Sturmey-Archervhub gear.
Oddly enough, I've no rust, but my paintwork is badly scratched after being sent flying across the road when a twat in a Citroen t-boned me. I sometimes think about painting it, but it can just wear it's battle-scars just like the operation scar on my ankle from the op I had to have afterwards.
if theyd had any sense theyd have teamed up with Chris Boardman and produced his bikes as Raleigh Boardmans, sold through Halfords, job done.
amongst whom though ? 40-50 year olds reminiscing about the bikes they had as kids, there are multiple generations now younger than them for whom the Raleigh name means absolutely nothing at all, so thats not a sustainable way to market your business
FrankCrank
Old layabout
Yeah but, will it affect the value of my collection of Raleigh 20s?
Paul_Smith SRCC
www.plsmith.co.uk
- Location
- Surrey UK
I'd imagine if they are bought it will be by someone who doesn't disagree with you. It would take some clever marketing to get Raleigh on the radar of the younger generation, not to mention some extensive investment in R & D which would hopefully result in a quality product with a USP that deserves them being a viable consideration to anyone, no matter how old they are. Sadly, even if a buyer can be found I doubt the goal will be to reboot Raleigh into the market position they enjoyed 40 years ago or with the extensive range they had. I would not be that optimistic of seeing high end 'race' or 'endurance' bikes from them again. In fairness anyone putting that amount of time, energy and investment into bikes of high quality I'd have thought would want their own name on them.
Where I personally think they may potentially appeal is to a business that has their own route to market, who would focus on their entry level bikes, someone like Mike Ashley’s 'Frasers Group' which includes 'Evans Cycles' or Nick Thake of 'Cycle King' to name just a couple that spring to mind. In those examples both have a history of buying bike brands to sell through their own stores, the latter are already a dealer, they specialise in that entry level sector plus they are also a distributor that supply other stores. I personally think Raleigh would be a good fit for 'Cycle King', although they do seem to be quite settled with their current set up, in contrast the 'Frasers Group' are quite proactive at the moment; they have recently acquired Frog bikes.
Many customers do not fit into the 'enthusiast' category', the recreational rider will often walk into a LBS for advice and be happy to go with the stores recommendation; should they show them a Raleigh then that familiar name versus one they possibly don't recognise from a entry level competitor may well seduce them into choosing the bike with a 'Heron' on the headtube.
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