Britain has a proud history of bicycle design and manufacture. Though now just subsidiary of the Dutch mega-corporation Accell Group, the Raleigh Bicycle Company used to be a herald of British manufacturing. Many of their subsidiary companies are looked back upon wistfully for their quality and ubiquity in the bike markets of yore: Sturmey-Archer (internal hubs), Brooks (saddles and bags), Reynolds (steel tubing).
The bike market began to shrink as automobiles had roads and rules paved to make them a cheap option for personal transport in the mid-20th Century. British manufacturing took several large hits throughout the late 20th century, leaving only a few bike manufacturers alive in the 21st.
We are proud to sell bikes and accessories from what remains of this manufacturing tradition: Pashley bicycles, Brompton folding bikes, and Brooks saddles and bags.
You can see what business was like at Raleigh in this recently digitized 1940 film “How a Bicycle is Made” hosted on the British Council Film’s website:
The era of huge vertically integrated manufacturers may be over, but British made bicycles have shown the virtues of this slimmer profile. Take a look at these films about Pashley bicycles and Brompton folding bikes:
A short documentary about Pashley:
A short documentary about Brompton:
We would be remiss to not include our favorite saddle manufacturer, Brooks of England:
If you’d like to see, or test ride, a Pashley, Brompton, or a Brooks (these saddles are equipped on many bikes in our shop) – stop by our shop some time!
Any questions? Email us at info@flyingpigeon-la.com