The iconic British bike-maker, Raleigh Cycle has been sold to Dutch rival Accell for $100 million. Founded 125 years ago, Raleigh was once the largest bike manufacturer in the world, employing 8,000 people.
Make no mistake, Raleigh is still a going concern. It sold 850,000 bikes last year; its current brands include Avenir and Diamondback.
Nevertheless, there’s a heavy whiff of nostalgia in the press coverage of the sale, and rightfully so. In its day, the company’s workhorse models—marketed as “All-Steel” bicycles during a time when steel was a magical material—were the Volkswagen Beetles of self-powered, two-wheeled transport. Simple, inelegant, bulletproof and ubiquitous. The company also produced the Chopper, which was the preferred playground bike of the 1970s.
For a small taste of the importance of Raleigh in the history of biking, spend some time clicking around the Online Bicycle Museum or look at this mash note to the 1910 Raleigh All-Steel No 9 Gent’s 28″ Roadster.
