The Fall of Raleigh: How a Global Giant Became a Forgotten Brand

Getting a Raleigh was a British rite of passage.
Born in Nottingham in 1887, Raleigh grew into the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world, producing more than a million bicycles a year from a single factory.

The Chopper. The Grifter. The Budgie.
These weren’t just bikes. They were childhood milestones for generations of British families.
But as foreign competition intensified and manufacturing moved overseas, Britain’s cycling giant began a long decline.

So how did the world’s biggest bicycle brand end up as little more than a name on imported frames?

In this documentary, we tell the full story: Raleigh’s extraordinary rise, the golden age of British bicycle manufacturing, the pressure from low-cost imports, the closure of its iconic Nottingham factory, and the brand’s unusual afterlife in the modern era.

🚲 Did you have a Raleigh growing up? Which model? Tell us in the comments.
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GraftUK tells the real stories behind Britain’s most iconic brands.
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