At some point during the six weeks I spent retrofitting a vintage Super Course, I stumbled upon a fascinating history of the Raleigh company. The Story of the Raleigh Cycle is an insider’s description of Raleigh and the incredible impact it had on England and the rest of the world. It chronicles the evolution of the company from its start as a small craftworks on Raleigh Street in Nottingham to the largest bicycle manufacturer in the world.

I am not particularly interested in history books, but this one captured my imagination. Certainly, the book carried more meaning for me than it may for the average reader. I was modernizing a frame that carried the Raleigh brand.

But even if you don’t have a vintage Raleigh in your Park floor-stand, the historical photographs and illustrations will give you a view into the crucial moments in the evolution of the modern “safety” bicycle, of track racing in the era of the great Reg Harris, of cyclotouring as it was enjoyed by enthusiasts, and of early twentieth century assembly line manufacturing. The writing style is relaxed and helped me to understand, perhaps for the first time, the role the bicycle played in the economic expansion of England and its trading partners throughout the world.

The book was written by Gregory Houston Bowden and published in 1975 at the height of the 10-speed bicycle boom. Bowden is the great grandson of Raleigh founder, Sir Frank Bowden. The familial relationship between the author and the founder yield a history that is biased toward the Raleigh point of view on most things. Yet, as a reader, you will happily grant the author his perspective; Bowden’s access to the extended “Raleigh family” throughout Europe and North America makes the people he describes and the stories he tells extremely vivid. I often felt as if I was sitting in front of a fire at an English pub listening to Bowden tell them first hand.

The books introduces the reader not just to the executives who guided the business, but to the men and women who devoted their lives to designing, building, testing and racing some of the most important frames and components of the last 100 years. The book provides insight into the development of the Raleigh Sports (a bike that became the standard of transportation for those who could not afford a car), of the Sturmey-Archer 3-speed hub, of the Dynohub and Dynolamp lighting system, and of Brooks saddles.

Two aspects of the book make The Story of the Raleigh Cycle particularly interesting to the long distance rider. The first are the tales of the test rides and rambles taken on the early 3-speeds to “Land’s End.” Always unsupported and often solo, these riders were typically company employees, striking out to test new designs over routes that would challenge the strongest mountain bike rider on the best of today’s equipment. It is remarkable that these cyclists made these treks on bicycles with just three gears.

The second is the fact that despite its size, Raleigh never lost touch with the tools, techniques and materials that produced the highest quality precision bicycles used by the most demanding racers. Twice during its history, it centralized the manufacture of its road frames in facilities where frames would be hand-built, first with the acquisition of Carlton Cycles, and later, when it opened the Ilkeston factory, where a team of six frame builders finished about 30 bicycles each week.

The Story of the Raleigh Cycle is a great read and a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in front of a warm fire on winter days when the weather makes riding impractical. Though no longer in print, this hard backed, first (and only) edition is not overly difficult to find but it’s not cheap. Amazon , Alibris, and AbeBooks have them in stock for $30 to $100, depending on quality and availability. Ones I have seen on eBay been offered by private parties in England, and sell for about the same price.

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