Raleigh is steeped in history and deserves a quick recap of its 135 years history in its own right.
Raleigh was founded in 1887 by Sir Frank Bowden. It is a cycling brand that is a household name in the UK, something quite rare these days. In the early 20th Century, Raleigh became a world leader manufacturing 100,000 cycles annually as well as 250,000 hub gears, 15,000 motorcycles and 50,000 motorcycle gearboxes.
During the second world war, it’s attention shifted to the war effort and munitions work but it still managed to grow it’s cycling business boosting production to over 5000 bicycles a week.
In 1969, one of the most recognisable and famous bikes in the world was introduced. The Raleigh Chopper. It’s iconic design led to 1.5 million units sold! In the mid-1970’s another iconic Raleigh bike was introduced, the Raleigh Grifter cementing Raleigh’s position in the marketplace.
By the 1980’s Raleigh had already made waves in the professional peloton with their Ti-Raleigh team and in 1980 they achieved the pinnacle of professional cycle racing by winning the Tour de France with Joop Zoetemelk from The Netherlands.
The 1980’s saw BMX arrive from the USA and Raleigh introduced it’s head-turning Burner series and created a pro BMX team. Andy Ruffell was one of their most famous members and helped the team to World Championship success in 1985.
As the BMX craze of the 1980’s began to subside, the 90’s saw Raleigh become the first UK cycle maker to mass produce suspension equipped mountain bikes and electric bikes too.
2004 saw a relaunch of The Chopper which was an instant hit again and then in 2010 Raleigh dipped it’s toe back into the world of professional cycling with Team Raleigh.
In 2012, Raleigh was purchased by Accell Group, one of the largest bicycle companies in Europe. It has an extensive portfolio of eighteen bicycle brands including Lapierre, Haibike which The Electric Bike Shop sell alongside Raleigh electric bikes.
In 2017, Raleigh celebrated it’s 130-year anniversary and firmly remains one of the most iconic and oldest cycling brands out there. It’s old and may not be British owned anymore but it is still a UK household name and it’s still in its hometown of Nottingham. Something the UK can definitely be proud of.
Electric bikes are now a major part of Raleigh’s cycle business not just under the Raleigh brand itself but as distributors of Haibike and Lapierre electric bikes in the UK too. We’ll be introducing Haibike and Lapierre in future articles, so let’s talk about the Raleigh Electric bike range.
Raleigh break their electric bike category into three:
Their website splits these further into Mens and Women’s electric bikes and segments step-through electric bikes too but we’ll roll these up into Electric Hybrid Bikes.
This category is bolstered by their key models
The Raleigh Array Ebike, for a lot of riders, is a first foray into the world of electric bikes. It’s fully loaded with rear hub motor, an external battery with a range of 50+ miles on a single charge, front suspension, guards and lights. A perfect first electric bike for commuting or leisure on a budget.
*note this bike is not available online, it is only available to purchase in store
The Raleigh Felix electric bike is a step up from the Array and offers similar benefits but importantly features a Bosch Active Line Plus motor and more gears.
Raleigh’s Motus range is currently moving from on-frame batteries to in-frame. There are still some Motus Electric bikes available which are being gently phased out and replaced by the Motus Tour. It’s rare to find a model available in so many colour choices these days. The Raleigh Motus Tour bucks this trend while still offering a choice of step through or crossbar frame, Bosch power and a feature-rich setup. A popular choice.
The Grand Tour moves the Bosch motor up a notch to an Active Line setup and is available in both derailleur and hub gears and crossbar and step through frame versions too. A model that transcends traditional segmenting of the electric leisure/trekking and city bike market. The Raleigh Motus Grand Tour electric bike can comfortably do both.
The Raleigh Centros Electric Bike is their flagship model. It comes with the raw power of a Bosch Performance Line motor as standard and a massive 625Wh battery which could see a range in excess of 100 miles. A choice of frame style, hub or derailleur gears, it offers fantastic value for money an attribute synonymous with Raleigh.
The Raleigh Stow-e-Away Electric bike has been one our best sellers for the last few years. Despite its very attractive, low price point, it features a 250w rear hub motor, 20-inch wheels, guards, a rack and lights, folding up into a footprint small enough to be carried on a train, into your office or stowed (pardon the pun!) in a cupboard at home.
*note this bike is not available online, it is only available to purchase in store
We currently offer two electric cargo bike models from Raleigh:
The Stride 2 is an award winning ecargo bike designed with practicality in mind. A great example of an alternative to typical car-centric family transport. Take the kids, the shopping, pets or whatever you want, the box can carry a meaty 80kg of whatever cargo you want and despite its apparent length, is pretty nimble around town. Have some fun on the school run. Throw in a Bosch Performance Line CX motor and a 500wh battery and your second car can be a thing of the past. Think how much £££ you would save?
The Pro Cargo Electric Bike is a nod to the commercial benefits of electric bikes. Misinformation and myths aside, the facts are that electric cargo bikes are cleaner, greener, faster and more efficient at delivering goods in urban environments and offer a tangible benefit to businesses that invest in them. Delivered with a clean canvas, there is no limit to the eye-catching livery you can adorn your new cargo bike with. Not just a logistics win, a marketing win too!
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