History – Heritage – Tradition – Innovation – Today

December is here and the end of calendar year 2007 is near. One of the interesting, challenging, and sometimes frustrating aspects of working in the bicycle industry is the “what year is it?” conundrum. At Raleigh we (and most of the bicycle industry) launched our 2008 product line several months ago. Currently we are selling the last of the 2006/2007product…launching the new 2008 line…and working hard to develop a fresh, innovative, and creative 2009 product line. Is it any wonder that when asked what year it is we hesitate before answering or often get it wrong?

Throughout 2007 there have been many inquiries from Raleigh enthusiasts around the world about whether or not there would be any anniversary products or other items relating to our 120th Anniversary which the year 2008 brings to us. We of course love the idea of creating anniversary products and without hesitation want to celebrate and honor 120 years of history, heritage, and tradition. Ultimately we decided to focus on Raleigh as a 21st century bicycle company – the products we design and manufacture need to meet the needs of today’s riders and the Raleigh of the future.

Raleigh has always been a forward thinking company with a tradition of innovation; today Raleigh continues that tradition with sophisticated, forward thinking designs that utilize advanced technologies and materials. To honor Raleigh’s historical tradition of innovation, we will be taking you through Raleigh’s history and introducing you to key models from the past that broke the mold of traditional bicycle design. In juxtaposition, we will also highlight our current bicycles that follow this same forward thinking innovation. We hope you will find these postings about our tradition and heritage an appropriate celebration of 120 years of Raleigh history as well as a celebration of our current and future products inspiring and useful.

Enjoy the Ride!