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When I joined in the Cycle Design department of Raleigh in 1969, Alan Oakley was head of the Concept Design department. Access to this department was severely restricted, although I was able to have a peek now and then.

As head of his department, Alan Oakley was a member of the senior management at Raleigh, and as such he probably would not have expected extra payment for doing what was in fact, his job.

The US was a huge market at that time, but it was the S.L.R's that were the main export. although many thouands of Choppers went to the States as well. The S.L.R's (sports light roadsters) had the self adjusting brakes. these brakes were not a huge success.

I recall that in 1972 a whole bunch of us from the design department had to go to Marshall's Transport depot in Bulwell for several weeks in order to alter the brakes of the bikes waiting for transportation to the U.S.

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Here is a photo of me on my one and only bicycle. It's on Grainger Street and behind me is the Railway & General office entrance on Meadow Lane.

Tompa, the first thing that I noticed about your post (#14) was how you refered to your foster father as 'Mr Joseph (Joe) Coxon' which seemed rather correct and formal. I then read your post (#21), '.

This young lad at Raleigh was putting a bike together and couldn't find his spanner. He says to his mate, ' ay yer gorra spanner worral fit this nut? ' His mate says ' yo ignorant bogger, yer shunt sa

My nieghbour was a test rider for about 15 yrs he got hurt when the fromt forks snapped off ,Not a penny in comp of work for months

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I had a Raleigh Superbe, my Grandad gave it to me in the 1960's, when he got a new bike.

The only probleme was reaching the peddles, so my dad screwed wooden blocks to them, and I did my paper round like that, today good old Elf and safety, would bo doing their nut.......................

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I say chaps, what a spiffing film. Those actors definitely were not from Nottingham! Brought back memories thoughof working at Raleigh, and walking through the factory from Lenton Blvd to the canteen on Faraday Rd. What a noise and the smell of oil.

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Unintentionally, that's one of the funniest films I've seen for a long time.

My grandma lived on Dunlop Avenue and we used to get off the bus outside the Raleigh offices on Lenton Boulevard. From my grandma's front windows you could see the factories on Cycle Road.

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This young lad at Raleigh was putting a bike together and couldn't find his spanner. He says to his mate, ' ay yer gorra spanner worral fit this nut? ' His mate says ' yo ignorant bogger, yer shunt say worral, it's uzzal '.

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My Brother Albert Leeming worked at Raleigh for while, got sacked for throwing a spanner at somebody after winding him up about something.

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My uncle worked in the wheel shop after the war then the polishing shop till he died in the early 60's. even though he drove during the war, he only ever rode a bike, Raleigh of course, then later a moped, never a car.

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I used to be the proud owner of a Raleigh moped....1958 model. I was 17 at the time, and my mother used to be a cleaner at Beeston Fields Secondry school. Every evening when she had finished work, I used to go and meet her on my moped just to give her a push home on her cycle to the Rylands. The poor old girl used to suffer from arthritis, so I suppose the push up Boots bridge used to be really appreciated. No crash helmets were required in those days. I had to sell it in the end to help pay for my wedding

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I worked in the Press Shop for four months in 1955, after leaving school. One day I was working behind an big old press, probably driven from an overhead line-shaft. The belt that drove it was enormous, being about nine inches wide and very long. Its ends were fastened together by metal grips, and I noticed that they were coming apart. The press was running but not attended. I thought to myself, this is interesting. It didn't take long for the last grip to let go and the belt flung itself like a long snake high into the roof and fell into the walkway between the presses. No-one saw it happen, except me, and because of the general noise no-one heard it. Someone eventually came along and did something about it. I left in the December, and despite being there for only four months I got a Christmas bonus in my wage packet - not much but nice. I never got another in the next forty Christmases.

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Dad was on security there in the early fifties, they were called commissionaires. I remember spending the night on the Lamp Gate with him when Mam was in labour at home having my younger brother, that would be 1952 and I would have been just over four years old. He had to pack it in when we moved to Clifton as the journey was too long before the Clifton bridge was built.

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At HP school, the bikes of choice in the 50s were the Palm Beach Tourer, which I think was a 'Triumph' make, and the Trent Tourer, which was the Raleigh equivalent. I suspect that that both were made by Raleigh.

It reminds me of the time I spent in the summer holidays at Players in the 60s. The main lines were the Embassy and Number 6. The tobacco for each was exactly the same, the only difference being that the Number 6 line took the tobacco sweepings off the floors!

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I love my Raleigh Transcend Off Road. That bike and me have skidded flat out on the Canal Towpaths more times than I can count. I have even had to be physically untangled from it on more than one occasion. It has more war wounds than you can imagine; but it just keeps going. Can't beat a Raleigh, I wouldn't want any other. Proud to ride my Old Battered Raleigh. Made in our Nottingham, Hey....Gotta Be Good. :biggrin:

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#20 He might well had been. I was with my foster parents for 5/6 years but knew very little a bout them. I knew he had a son Roland who was in the Black Watch regiment and another two foster daughters Mable Green, and Phyllis Musson ( Musson was her married name )..... but it was little foster boys should be seen and not heard attitude that reigned supreme.

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The Raleigh Record Ace (RRA) was the top racing bike in the 50's. Reg Harris won World titles on them and top amateurs were 'given' them. In the days of pure amateurs the sponsorship by manufacturers was closely monitored. Lloyd Binch and Ray Booty our National sprint and TT champions were given RRA's that had been hand crafted just for them. My pals dad was the top wheel builder at Raleigh;.He built their racing wheels for tubular tyres. He built my wheels in his shed too. Every time I visited my mate his dad would give my wheels a spin and give then a touch with the spoke key that was always in his pocket.

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Tompa, the first thing that I noticed about your post (#14) was how you refered to your foster father as 'Mr Joseph (Joe) Coxon' which seemed rather correct and formal. I then read your post (#21), '... but it was little foster boys should be seen and not heard attitude that reigned supreme.' which answered my questions. Children go into care, or foster homes, for many different reasons but the one thing they all need is a little love and security. Every one of the 49 children that I had were treated as a member of my family and that's how it should always be. I wrote a post about it on one of the Topics somewhere. Despite your time in care, Tompa, your posts on Nottstalgia have shown that you've become a really nice chap who's done well in life. Oh, to stop me being told off for going off topic I'd like to add that all my foster children loved Raleigh bycycles. :biggrin:

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Well all I can say Michael I wish I had been one of your 49 children. Being treated as one of the family at the Coxons was not at all what it was like, hugs

and kisses were unheard of, but a bloody good hiding now and then seemed to be the norm. So most of my life I couldn't stand being hugged or kissed, makes me feel really uncomfortable. Anyways I have got on with life in my own strange sort of way.

I remember riding Mr Coxon's bike (he always called it a sit up and beg ) that was also a Raleigh with 3 sturmey archer gears.

Thanks for the " nice chap " bit :jumping:

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When I was about 10 or 11 mum and dad bought me a Raleigh Trent Tourist bike for Christmas. Went all over Notts and even as far as Lincoln on it. It had trigger operated Sturmey Archer 3 speed gears ( I think that the latter ones had a twist grip gear change on the handlebars) and a front wheel hub dynamo for the lights. It was a good solid bike and my dad used it for years after I left home, married and bought a car.

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