Raleigh SBDU - Specialist Bicycle Development Unit

NervexProf

Fascinating feature here:

http://www.classiclightweights.co.uk/bu ... lders.html

ratsbeyfus

Great article - I never realised that Raleigh's were ridden by so many winners. Where did it all go wrong?

andy162

After a few years of searching I managed to find a SBDU Raleigh. It's an original Team issue bike, Panasonic colours, 753 tubing, 6spd Super Record....it lives in the house & gets an outing now & again when the sun's shining. Odd chaingang too, the ol' girl can still gallop a bit!

It's a great thing to ride, quite lively really. Weighs less than my Ribble winter hack. Was planning on doing L'eroica this year but work commitments came first. Next year hopefully?

priory

my first proper lightweight was a raleigh elix.



I still remember the first ride. It flew with me hanging on. Mind you , I was a bit fitter then.

Raleigh always made good bikes, but their main business crashed into chinese imports and the management and unions were too late to react by throwing in the towel and going for imports and quality only.
Special products survived a bit longer but it was said in the shops that customers would not buy anything that said raleigh on it however good it was because it became associated with mass produced competition for low end imports.
I admired a really good pair of rsp's at je james' in the late 90's and the salesman wanted me to make him an offer. At that moment Icouldn't; wish I had, though

andy162

Raleigh Elix for me too! Was the summer of '89 when I got it. Cost me £349 at the time. I wanted the Delta ( model up, 105 group) but the shop didn't have my size so I got the Elix instead.

I cherished that bike & it the first bike I competed on as a 16yr old junior. I replaced it with another Raleigh, one of those Dyna-rod creations from the early 90's as the Elix met a sticky end.

SteveCHT

I had the Delta, my dad got it the year I was born, cycled it everywhere. I got it when I was 16 but it was stolen soon after. I was gutted.

jimwin

ratsbeyfus wrote:

Great article - I never realised that Raleigh's were ridden by so many winners. Where did it all go wrong?

I have an 853 frame now loaded with Athena 11-speed and HRM. The frame is still a cracker. I've considered replacing it with carbon, but it's such a joy to ride. I have a cycling buddy who's at the same level with a Spesh carbon-framed wonder bike but I can still pip him at the post with this Raleigh. Where indeed did they go wrong?

- JimW

ratsbeyfus

They seem to be more respected abroad. I met a dutch guy in the summer on a modern Raleigh going up Alpe D'Huez, but never see them on the roads around here. I'd love to see them being ridden on the Pro Tour and becoming popular again. I adored my older brother's Light blue anodised Raleigh-Carlton 'racer' when I was kid.