How a bike is made

[8690q]

http://vimeo.com/39401575

Check this out

What happened Raleigh ?

 

[tintin40]

Also here
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... highlight=


and here
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=200630

 

[dyna-ti]

That was brilliant

It was the Rudge factory

 

[one-eyed_jim]

It was the Rudge factory

It was the Raleigh factory.

Raleigh had bought the Rudge name, and post-war Rudges were badge-engineered Raleighs, built in Nottingham. Notice the heron's-head cutout on the chainring pressing?

 

[Easy_Rider]

Watched that last night in bed, very good. Nice to see that they made every component in house from raw materials.

 

[Neil]

Watched that last night in bed, very good. Nice to see that they made every component in house from raw materials.

I thoroughly enjoyed it too - but it was sort of bittersweet, really - all the things that were done in-house, and when it finished, thinking "That'd never work today..."

 

[silverclaws]

Yes, British industry has somewhere taken a wrong turn hasn't it.

But what happened to Raleigh, the empire broke up and other countries with their manufacturers brought innovation to our markets and Raleigh were seen for what they were. Which was good bikes, but with designs from a bygone era. Perhaps Raleigh like a lot of past British Industry they rested on their protected laurels and there failed to move with the times.

 

[Neil]

Yes, British industry has somewhere taken a wrong turn hasn't it.

But what happened to Raleigh, the empire broke up and other countries with their manufacturers brought innovation to our markets and Raleigh were seen for what they were. Which was good bikes, but with designs from a bygone era. Perhaps Raleigh like a lot of past British Industry they rested on their protected laurels and there failed to move with the times.

Regardless of failings in British industry - the world has changed. Consumers are no longer swayed (en masse, at least) by being jingoistic, supposed quality is less of an issue as many things are seen as much more disposable than they were in previous times, and workforces in other countries can do things substantially cheaper than in England.

 

[silverclaws]

Yes, the manufacturing centre's have moved where it is cheaper to produce, but if it is we wish to have what we have got, then that is the only way, for sure if we rekindled our industry to produce and given our cost of living, no one will be able to afford anything, perhaps as it is in the modern manufacturing centres. But when the far east standard of living begins to rise as it will, then we may find what we expect now unaffordable, we will in effect become very poor.

Just what is our way forward ?

 

[Neil]

Yes, the manufacturing centre's have moved where it is cheaper to produce, but if it is we wish to have what we have got, then that is the only way, for sure if we rekindled our industry to produce and given our cost of living, no one will be able to afford anything, perhaps as it is in the modern manufacturing centres. But when the far east standard of living begins to rise as it will, then we may find what we expect now unaffordable, we will in effect become very poor.

Just what is our way forward ?

Well whilst it's probable that the standard of living, and workforce costs will go up in the current countries used for cheap labour / mass production / off-shoring - it will just move to other places / developing countries, where the labour costs are still low / minimal.

The circle of life...

I suppose eventually it'll bottom out, but that's probably quite a way off, yet.