Who Killed Raleigh? Britain's Bicycle Giant That Lost Everything

In August 2026, the British company behind Raleigh moved to call in administrators. Four years earlier, a rusty Raleigh Chopper that nearly got thrown out of a Warwickshire shed went to auction. This is the story of how Nottingham's bicycle maker went from the biggest in the world to this, and what the old Raleighs in your shed are fetching today. From a workshop on Raleigh Street in 1885 and Frank Bowden's doctor's advice, to the Lenton works, Sturmey-Archer gears, 75% of the British market and the Chopper, then the four suspects: the owners, fashion, price and a planning row over allotments. Then the end of frame-making in 1999, the closure in 2002, the Accell years and 2026. Finally, real auction results for the Chopper and the four checks to make before you sell. Did you have a Chopper, a Grifter or something else? What colour, and is it still in the shed? Tell me in the comments. *Chapters* (estimativa; troque pelos tempos que o `npm run concat-video` imprimir) 00:00 A rusty Chopper and a company in trouble 01:06 Raleigh Street, 1885 03:00 The biggest bicycle maker in the world 05:26 The Chopper years 08:15 The four suspects 11:12 The gates close 13:50 What your old Raleigh is worth now 17:01 Who killed Raleigh? My verdict *Sources* Raleigh Bicycle Company, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raleigh... Raleigh Chopper, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raleigh... Frank Bowden and Raleigh Cycles, Industrial History of Hong Kong: https://industrialhistoryhk.org/frank... Raleigh factory history, Lenton Times: https://www.lentontimes.co.uk/images/... History of Raleigh bikes, LeftLion: https://leftlion.co.uk/features/2015/... Raleigh to cease UK assembly (2002), BikeBiz: https://www.bikebiz.com/updated-ralei... Raleigh set for administration, ITV News Central: https://www.itv.com/news/central/2026... Raleigh faces administration, road.cc: https://road.cc/news/raleigh-faces-ad... Sixty bidders for Accell's brands, Singletrack: https://singletrackworld.com/2026/09/... Chopper bikes, Sheffield Auction Gallery: https://www.sheffieldauctiongallery.c... c1970 Raleigh Chopper, Iconic Auctioneers: https://www.iconicauctioneers.com/c19... Rusty Raleigh Chopper shines in sale, Antique Collecting: https://antique-collecting.co.uk/2022... Raleigh bikes ruled, AOL/PA: https://www.aol.co.uk/articles/raleig... Sturmey-Archer, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sturmey... TI–Raleigh, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TI%E2%8... ——— Every fact in this video is sourced above. Auction values are reported results; they vary with condition and are not financial advice. This video uses AI-generated visuals and an AI narration voice. Arthur is a fictional narrator. What's in your loft? Tell me in the comments.