For Britons who grew up in the 1970s and 1980s, the Nottingham brand Raleigh was a byword for cycling. If you didn’t have a Raleigh Chopper, did you even own a bike? It’s therefore with great sadness to several generations that the one-time biggest bike manufacturer in the world has been placed into administration by the Accell Group that owns it and faces probable closure after 139 years in business.

Founded in 1887, the Midlands company was a true British success story for most of the 20th century: it produced three-wheeled cars in the 1930s that gave way to the Reliant Robin, and after World War II employed some 8,000 people in its bicycle factory that made every single one of a bike’s 120+ components.

In the mid-Sixties, Raleigh commanded two-thirds of the domestic market share, and a few years later its three-speed Chopper went on sale, immediately becoming a cultural icon. Inspired by a Harley Davidson motorbike, its long, padded saddle rested against a back bar, while the ‘ape-hanger’ handlebars and different sized wheels added to its atypical look. More than 1.5 million Choppers were sold, and today it is a sought-after collectors’ item.

Other models – such as the Vekter, Burner and Grifter – kept the brand relevant, but none matched the enduring popularity of the Chopper, which was re-released in 2023. By then, however, Raleigh’s downturn had been ongoing for several decades.

This article was published in The Observer in July 2026. To read the full article click here.