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Tompa, you'd better not come to a meet up when I'm there then, cos I like giving hugs and may not be able to stop myself!! Only joking... I try to be sensitive as I know not everyone is like me (Thank Goodness, some may say!) Here's an electronic hug and kiss to be going on with (x)

To keep on topic, I once had a pink Raleigh bike when I was about 14 but my Dad sold it without asking me: he told me afterwards that I wasn't using it enough and it was taking up space in the shed!

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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

Regarding the film of the bikes being made, if had not seen it I would not have believed that the frame tubes were made from strip steel, rolled and then welded. Surely it would have been easier and cheaper to buy tubing. I seem to recall a transfer on the frame saying Reynolds 531 tubing. As the film was made in 1945, maybe there was a scarcity of drawn tubing.

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I noticed that the completed frames were manually dipped into the enamel. So how did they touch up where the bloke had had a hold of it? Or is that where they stuck the Raleigh transfer?

Regarding the flat steel being made into tube, I often wondered how lead tube was made I suppose a similar method would have been used.

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When I worked for McIntyres in the 90s, Raleigh scrapped hundreds if not thousands of aluminium mountain bike frames, that they had had built in the far east, it was supposedly cheaper to scrap loads of faulty ones, than to have better ones made in the uk.

Raleigh still have a place at Eastwood, I think it is just to distribute cycles made in the far east

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Got a photo somewhere showing my mum and dad, her older brother and another lady friend on Raleigh tandem cycles, they were at Skeggy and had ridden there for a weekend break.

Just watched the film and cannot believe the amount of labour involved in making a bike in those days, and the quality that was obviously there in the finished product.

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Humber cycle factory was on Humber Rd Beeston, so I was informed many years ago.

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Just Googled it. Yes, Thomas Humber started bike production at Beeston round about 1878. They were incorporated into the Raleigh fold in 1932.

Great pic Michael, my first 'adult' bike around the early 50's was a big black Rudge Whitworth. Again, like a tank. I later progressed to a Dawes Dominate, then a Bates lightweight racer.

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Before I had a proper bike I remember riding a 'Fairy cycle' - today's equiv is a junior pavement cycle. Dad bought me a s/h Raleigh for Xmas 1949 It had rod brakes and was single speed. I was so thrilled because it offered me FREEDOM :happy: Cycled as far as Farndon on that heavy bike.This was swapped for a 'skidkid' bike when I was 13. Cow horn bars and low saddle - great trick bike for showing off.

Sold off a lot of bikes but still have 7, not counting a junior 'ordinary'. Hanging on to my Dolan carbon TT bike in the hope of making a comeback when I'm 80 :jumping:

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Here's a Raleigh bike that's never been on a road but would have a few thousand miles on the clock if the 'speedo/mileometer had still been on it when it was 'gifted' to me about 30 years ago! I used to do 15-20 mins. every morning until my knees told me they had enough to do carrying me about all day without pressing the pedals as well. I never mastered the 'pull/push and pedal at the same time but it was a very good exersizer

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