Raleigh is one of the world's oldest and best-known 

 brands. Established in 1887 in Nottingham, England, we’re still based in our hometown. Discover our more than 130-year old tradition, our passion for cycling and our vision for the future.

Bangers n’ mash. Westminster Abbey. A good cuppa. There are a few things that perfectly sum up British spirit – and Raleigh is one of them. Whether it’s for crossing the finish line at the Tour de France or crossing the street to your best mate’s house, our bikes are a well-loved part of British history. 

From Burners and Choppers to Grifters and Vektars, we’ve imagined and reimagined the world of cycling more times than we could possibly count. 130 years of dreaming, designing, building, riding. And, after all that time, we’ve come to the same conclusion we started with – we just bloody love bikes.

 Group, a European company that owns a wide range of bike brands throughout Europe.

By partnering with Accell Group, we work with brands all over the world to share the latest knowledge and tech, giving us insider info that helps us make our bikes the best they can be.

But that doesn’t mean we’ve forgotten our roots. That’s why Raleigh HQ can still be found in our hometown of Nottingham – always and forever.

Raleigh was founded in 1887 by Sir Frank Bowden. Bowden had discovered a love for cycling after experiencing its health benefits firsthand after a spell of bad health.

Despite the rising popularity of the car, the 1920s saw Raleigh become a world leader in bicycles, capable of producing 100,000 cycles annually as well as 250,000 hub gears, 15,000 motorcycles and 50,000 motorcycle gearboxes.

During the Second World War (1939-45), Raleigh concentrated on munitions work. Despite the war, Raleigh saw healthy sales and production rose to an impressive 5,400 cycles per week.

1948 saw Reg Harris win two silver medals in the Olympic games; one for individual and the other tandem sprints. The following year, Raleigh signed Harris as a professional rider. Reg's famous red Raleigh bike is still kept at Raleigh HQ today.

In 1969 the esteemed Raleigh Chopper was introduced to the market and a whole new segment of the market was opened up, both in the UK and other developed markets; toy cycles. The Chopper sold an incredible 1.5 million units!

It was quickly apparent that a follow up to the popular Chopper was needed, and so the Raleigh Grifter was born. The Grifter was launched in 1976 and resembled a BMX bike, but had mudguards and a 3-speed hub.

In 1980 cyclist Joop Zoetemelk won the Tour De France riding for the TI-Raleigh-Creda team; TI Raleigh also won the team prize, setting a new record for the number of stage wins.

The ’80s saw the launch of the Burner series which sold over a million units across the range and became the must-have bike of the times. Alongside the launch of the Burner Raleigh invested heavily in a BMX team, with Craig Schofield and Andy Ruffell being the most famous team members.

In 1985 the Raleigh BMX team took part in the World Championships in Canada. It was a huge event with 14 nations, 680 riders and 28 classes. The team came 5th in the medal count and Schofield won the Superclass 20 inch title; his bike was the Raleigh Team Aero Pro Burner.

RALEIGH HISTORY

RALEIGH HISTORY