Frank Bowden was notified by a physician to cycle a bike for the good of his health; his physician had granted him half a year to live, subsequent to a acute illness infected out of the country. Timely counsel as riding a bike was developing into the “in thing.” In 1887, Bowden acquired a bike from a shop that was producing 3 bikes weekly. He became so astounded such that he went to the Raleigh Street, Nottingham, locality of the establishment and later proposed to buy the firm.

Cycling being the modern fad, manufacture of course rose and greater grounds were sought and they were acquired in a different – Russell – Street. Bowden however, named his firm, Raleigh Cycles, in respect of the original place.

All the way to 1896, Raleigh turned out to be the biggest bicycle manufacturer all over the world and consequent to the development took up 7.5 acres at Faraday Road.

Motor cyclists were not left out and in 1903, Raleigh produced the Raleighette, a 3wheeler which was driven by a belt. Its rider occupied the back and the passenger, occupied a seat in the middle of the two front wheels. Monetary losses instigated the Raleighette’s closure in 1908;

In 1915, a baronet was made and became Sir Frank Bowden.

The very word, Raleigh is synonymous with bicycles worldwide and in the middle of the 20th century, was fundamentally the top in its field.

During late thirties and forties, Raleigh was making as much as twelve thousand bikes per week – 600,000 each year. The idiosyncratic Heron Head and “Made in Nottingham” was a familiar sight and demonstrated to the world this is a Raleigh bicycle.

A print ad of the moment commended the benefits of the Raleigh as being: “easy running ands proving its worth on the highways and byways of every continent” – yes, as well as in the war desolated Europe.

Around the early 60s and years after that, the simpler availability of inexpensive cars resulted in the deterioration of the erstwhile faithful bicycle, although Raleigh went on manufacturing them and had branches abroad. Ireland and Canada.

Now, any person riding a Raleigh has a great machine with a great and honored name.

Among the list of hobbies and interests of Doctor Josh Matteson is actually bicycles! During the decades he has become quite an expert and also started a Raleigh Bikes site, where you can easily find facts regarding just about all the models and particularly his favourite Raleigh Chopper. http://raleigh-bikes.net