The Raleigh Factory...

When you buy a Raleigh, you not only buy a bicycle, but a piece of history, because Raleigh has been around as long as the bicycle itself. It began in 1887, when 38-year-old Englishman, Frank Bowden was told he had only months to live. Rather than accept his fate, he chose to follow the advice of a doctor who told him to take up cycling to save his life. 

Six months later Bowden was fit and active and eager to track down the makers of the machine he had ridden back to health. He found them in a small workshop on Raleigh Street in Nottingham, England. There, three men were turning out three bicycles a week. 

On December 18, 1887, Bowden bought a share in the company, which, three years later, would grow to become the Raleigh Cycle Company. Its early commercial success was based on quality machines raced by international cycling champions. By 1892 Raleigh led the world in bicycle-racing success, winning over 2,300 prizes. And by 1896, Raleigh operated the largest cycle factory in the world. 

Bowden sought out the best technical minds in the business offering salaries they couldn't refuse, creating a company whose reputation couldn't be touched. Raleigh pioneered the 3-speed; the all-steel bike; the lower bottom bracket which allows riders to put their feet on the ground; the self-generating light; all advancements without which the bicycle we know today would not exist. 

Raleigh entered the American market in 1933 and today its US headquarters are south of Seattle in Kent, Washington. As always, Raleigh remains at the forefront of bicycle design, with its research-and-development teams focused on cutting-edge materials and technologies to take cycling and Raleigh into the next millennium.

2010 Raleigh One Way