Who designed the classic Raleigh Ladies frame shape?

[Some Guy]

I built up one of these for my lady friend at xmas, cream tyres, a sprung Brooks, cork grips an all retro twee. Primarily because I thought it was pretty! She uses it a lot now and it's also handy for popping out for a few drinks on the weekend

When I was trying to learn about them I kept seeing mention of Rene Hurse & french delivery bikes?

Although like most things cycling related, it had probably been done prior.

 

[roadking]

Mixte or twin lateral frames have been around for many, many years. Triangulation should be the key to overcoming flex in a ladies frame hence the mixte - whether they are stiffer you'd only really tell on a dyno.

Straight tubes from headtube to rear dropouts should be stiff.

Many mixtes are just, if at all, main tubes 531, Reynolds stopped making the thin lateral tubes an age ago.

My Wife's Hobbs of Barbican, a coventional ladies frame seems reasonably stiff(531 throughout).

Rk.

 

[Jonny69]

I had a look at how the forces go through the frame and decided that the long tubes were to take some of the force off the seat tube by transferring them up to the front of the bike. On a frame with a lowered top-tube, the rear stays are in compression as a result of the weight of the rider. On a triangle frame this force is taken by the top-tube, also in compression. When you lower the top-tube, the seat tube takes the force halfway down and is in bending and this is where you feel the frame flexing. Theoretically, on the mixte, the two parallel tubes should transfer the compression force from the stays into the top of the headstock tube, i.e. playing the part of the top tube.

I think it's quite a clever bit of playing with forces, but you sometimes see mixtes with bent parallel tubes, which would negate any gain made.

 

[johntomjoe]

this is also a very good information avenue

http://www.hadland.me.uk/raleigh.htm

lifted from this ; 3.3.7 Bicycles for women

Product manager Yvonne Rix believed that Raleigh needed ‘totally creative, stylish images and fantastic looking bicycles that people want to buy’. Evidence of this approach is particularly strong in her marketing towards women. The Wisp (not to be confused with the earlier RSW-based moped) was a Rix concept bike, with a mixte frame finished in pale blue with dark blue flashes and matching handlebar tape and saddle, both finished in blue suede. Launched in 1983, it sold 50,000 in the first year.

Rix shared the view that advertising aimed at women was very important. With the Raleigh Collection, comprising the Wisp, Cameo and Misty models, a PR company was used to present bicycles in the manner of a fashion clothing collection.

 

[Midlife]

Raleigh really were a marmite company and I'm not sure what made them tick at the top LOL

I went to an official launch of the Grifter, I was 16 so I guess it was 1976..they had some of the top bods at raleigh pedal them around the stage but none of them could ride so it all went pants..

Great concept as it would have captured the "clever mike" kids of the era but was built by people who were spending a lot of their time next to a brazier warming their hands.......

Shaun

 

[Dead Rats]

Mixtes certainly look sportier than 'step-thru' ladies frames, and some allow lower brake fitting which is quite neat. I think they are lovely

 

[531 pro]

Raleigh really were a marmite company and I'm not sure what made them tick at the top LOL

I went to an official launch of the Grifter, I was 16 so I guess it was 1976..they had some of the top bods at raleigh pedal them around the stage but none of them could ride so it all went pants..

Great concept as it would have captured the "clever mike" kids of the era but was built by people who were spending a lot of their time next to a brazier warming their hands.......

Shaun

Ha ha, my old bike shop boss (we were a 'five star' Raleigh dealer) said he went along one year (it might have been 1976 by the sounds of it) and all the sales reps were in green track suits riding Choppers or Grifters, and when the piece came to an end the all shouted 'Raleigh Raleigh Raleigh!'. We took the mickey out of our Raleigh rep for that right into the 90's.

 

[Midlife]

Thank god someone remembers the Grifter roadshows.....I thought it was a figment of my imagination.

I worked for a Raleigh 5 star dealership too in Hull and the shop is still there, I guess they had to recoup the million quid that Peter Post spent in the end getting Raleigh (Holland) in the news .........

Shaun