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Raleigh bicycles began as a small frame shop operated by three men (Angois, Ellis, and Woodhead) in 1886
on Raleigh street in Nottingham, England. It became an official business in 1888 when the shop was purchased by Frank Bowden
who named the workshop The Raleigh Cycle Company. Production was about three bikes per week. In 1902, Raleigh buys Sturmey-Archer.
In 1960, Raleigh and Tube Investments (producer of Reynolds bicycle tubing) merged becoming TI Raleigh. In the same year,
the Carlton factory in Worksop was purchased to produce all of the higher quality hand built cycles for TI Raleigh. In 1974,
Raleigh completed its facility in Ilkeston and moves its production of hand built high quality cycles from Worksop to Ilkeston.
Production of Reynolds 531 db bikes reaches a count of 10,000 per year. In 1988, Raleigh is purchased by Derby International
Corporation. TI Raleigh became a very large affair and was responsible for a great deal of research into frame tubing and
bicycle design.
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