Wartung englischer Drei-Gang-Fahrräder: Unterschied zwischen den Versionen

==Brands==

    These were the flagship brands of Raleigh Industries, and are of equal quality. 26" wheel models would normally come with Raleigh-pattern rims and Brooks leather saddles. Having separate lines allowed Raleigh to offer exclusive territories to local dealers without writing off other dealers in the same area. The frames on these bikes were generally identical, but each had special distinctive cosmetic features, particularly in the fork construction, and the pattern of the cutouts in the chainwheel:

        Raleigh models featured the "dimpled fork", a fork with a tubular crown and chrome-plated buttons on the ends of the crown. The Raleigh logo depicts Sir Walter Raleigh laying his cape down on the mud so that Queen Elizabeth won't soil her shoes. Other Raleigh logos represent a heron, for reasons that are unclear.

        Rudge models have a sloping fork crown with a removable chrome cap. The Rudge logo is a human hand, and the chainwheels are cut out in this pattern (you can see this in my article on Cottered Cranks.)

        Rudge had some connection with Whitworth, and some of them say "Rudge-Whitworth". See my glossary entry on "Whitworth."

        Humber models often feature a truly bizarre fork design, where upper part of the each fork "blade" consists of two small diameter tubes, one in front of the other, joining halfway down the "blade".

        Humber chainwheels have cutouts representing 5 little people running around in a circle, with their feet outward, and their heads joining at the middle.

        Humber was also an automobile manufacturer, but I believe the bicycle division was spun off early in the century. The Humber is a major English river.

    A generally low-end Raleigh model.  

    B.S.A. (Birmingham Small Arms) was an important independent manufacturer until the bicycle division was sold to Raleigh in 1957. Originally an armaments company, its logo represents 3 military rifles stacked in a tripod.

    B.S.A. was the originator of the threadings and frame dimensions that later became B.S.C. and more recently ISO.

    B.S.A. was also a notable motorcycle manufacturer.

  British Cycle Corporation

    A conglomerate, owner of Phillips, Hercules, Norman and Sun. A division of TI, the B.C.C. brands were merged with Raleigh in 1960 when TI bought Raleigh.  

    An independent maker. "C.W.S." stands for "Cycle Wholesalers Service"  

    An independent manufacturer, still in business.  

    A large multinational, now based in Kent, Washington, Derby bought Raleigh Industries from TI in 1987. Derby also owns Raleigh USA (a separate company from Raleigh Industries), Kalkhoff, Nishiki, Univega, Haro, Cycle Pro and Diamondback.

    Dunelt was a second rank brand. Many Dunelts feature a fork similar to the Raleigh dimpled fork, only with a flattened top.  

    An independent manufacturer. See My Elswick Page  

    A house brand of Boston's Jordan Marsh department store chain.  

    A Raleigh brand introduced in 1938. This became the primary name of Raleigh's subsidiary in the Netherlands  

    A house brand of Eaton's department stores in Canada.  

    A division of B.C.C. until merged with Raleigh as part of the TI takeover in 1960, Hercules was a major competitor of Raleigh, with a strong sporting image. They sponsored popular racers, most particularly Ken Joy and Eileen Sheridan. Hercules made their own 3-speed hubs, which were pretty-much identical to the older Sturmey-Archer AW. Hercules hubs continued to use threaded drivers long after Sturmey-Archer abandoned them.

    Raleigh-built "AMF-Hercules" models are fairly common. They were distributed by AMF (American Machine & Foundry.)

    Although primarily known for low-end department store bikes, Huffy sold Raleigh-built bikes under their own name in the 1960s. Huffy was also the first U.S. importer of Moulton bicycles.  

    A division of B.S.A., until absorbed by Raleigh in 1957  

    A division of B.C.C. until merged with Raleigh as part of the TI takeover in 1960. Normans featured decorative chainrings where the spokes were in the form of Norman warriors.  

    A division of B.C.C., Phillips, based in Birmingham, was the second-largest British bike maker until merged with Raleigh as part of the TI takeover in 1960. Raleigh-made Phillips models are near the bottom of the quality range.

    Birmingham Phillipses often featured a chainwheel with the word "Phillips" prominently featured in the cutouts.

    A mid-level Raleigh brand, successor to Gazelle. Read about My Old Robin Hood.  

    A house brand, I believe of a major New York City bike shop.  

    A division of B.C.C. until merged with Raleigh as part of the TI takeover in 1960.  

    A division of B.S.A., until absorbed by Raleigh in 1957  

    Taken over by Raleigh in 1954.  

    This large conglomerate, parent company to British Cycle Corporation, bought Raleigh Industries in 1960 and merged Raleigh with the B.C.C. brands Phillips, Hercules, Norman and Sun.  

    Triumph was a second rank brand. Raleigh bought the bicycle rights to the name from the Triumph motorcycle company in 1954. There's no connection to Triumph automobiles.