Phillips

[Schwinny]

I had a Triumph and still have a Royal Scot and Robin Hood that are near copies (aside from livery) of Raleigh roadster models of the same era; and many parts stamped with Raleigh logo, and of course S-A drivetrain components. I am sure it was a pretty common back then when TI was buying up smaller companies and standardizing/centralizing production. My '54 Hercules still used their own badged parts (licensed S-A copies?); but I doubt that lasted much into the 60s if even that long (I'd have to check a catalog).

I think it was 63' when Hercules went full on Nottingham. I've got a 62' Hercules that still has a Birmingham headbadge. Or maybe they were just using them up?
As I remember, Robin hood was taken in very early, a part of Raleigh since the 30s.
I've got an Armstrong history that consequently lays out the consolidation through the 60s. Several companies were bought yet allowed to continue on as themselves for years. Bought in the 40s, Hercules was one of the last to be fully taken in. They were the biggest bicycle manufacturer in the world through the 30s-40s. With exports being 90% of their business, they didn't even have a foot in the US.
It's all pretty interesting stuff.

 

[dnc1]

It's a very convoluted tale, the history of Tube Investments and the UK cycle industry.
Basically, they ended up owning pretty much all of the bigger cycle brands in time, excluding all of those bespoke, small scale lightweight manufacturers so beloved of us Brits.

T.I. was formed when several companies involved with the manufacture of metal tubing amalgamated together in 1919.
One of these companies was Accles & Pollock who were already well involved with cycle tubing products for frames, forks and stems (A & P's 'Ankh' symbol trademark may be familiar to some of you with vintage 'Major Taylor' style stems).

Within a year of being formed T.I had also acquired 'Phillips' (1920) who were, as mentioned previously, the major supplier of cycle components to the UK cycle industry.

In 1928, they also acquired 'Reynolds Tube Co.' and pretty much cornered the market in cycle tubing supply to almost everyone, at every level of production.

Their next major cycle related acquisition was when they purchased 'The Helliwell Group' in 1946, which included the 'Hercules Cycle & Motor Co.'

By 1950 the T.I. cycle division included Hercules, Armstrong, Norman, Brampton and Phillips.
This roster was added to in 1950 when they also acquired 'James' cycles division.

In 1956 T.I. formed the 'British Cycle Corporation' which included all of the aforementioned companies (excluding 'Reynolds') and 'Walton & Brown', manufacturers of steel pressings; if you have a British bike with a fork crown cover, 'W & B' probably made it.
Cycle brands they were using by this time included the aforementioned, but now also Aberdale and Dunelt.
Production was concentrated in a huge factory in Handsworth, Birmingham and many staff from outlying factories were made redundant as this happened.

In 1958 T.I. acquired 'Sun Cycles & Fittings Co.' and 'Wright's Saddles'

In 1960 T.I. finally acquired 'Raleigh Industries' and all of the cycle brands they owned at that point: Raleigh, Robin Hood (1906, relaunched in
or around 1939 after layingdormant for years), Humber1932), Rudge-Whitworth (1943), Triumph (1954), BSA (including the Sunbeam and New Hudson marques) (1956), J.B.Brooks (saddles) (1959).
In 1960 all production was concentrated in Nottingham.
'T.I./Raleigh' also acquired 'Moulton' in 1967.

Raleigh also owned 'Sturmey Archer'; or rather it was a separate division of the holding company; it was basically part of the business since 1908, but a whole other difficult story.

So, if you have a bike from any of the manufacturers listed anywhere above, made from 1959/60 onwards, they were all made in the same factory in Nottingham (with the exception of Raleigh's SBDU division, which is a whole other can of worms to open, which I'm not even going to contemplate!)

I hope that helps! Not!

 

[juvela]

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how did Raleigh come to acquire the Meteor marque?


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[SirMike1983]

It took several years for the Nottingham factory to use up the parts from the merged Birmingham brands. It's common to see some bikes made in Nottingham in the 1960s, but with the same style of brake handles as a 1950s Birmingham bike, older badges, etc. Some of the later ones even combine the parts, such as the brake handles where the lever is a Raleigh style but the lever housing and clamp are Birmingham. Many of these parts appear on the more economy branded lines (such as Nottingham era Phillips and Hercules) under Nottingham production.

 

[Schwinny]

It's a very convoluted tale, the history of Tube Investments and the UK cycle industry.
Basically, they ended up owning pretty much all of the bigger cycle brands in time, excluding all of those bespoke, small scale lightweight manufacturers so beloved of us Brits.

T.I. was formed when several companies involved with the manufacture of metal tubing amalgamated together in 1919.
One of these companies was Accles & Pollock who were already well involved with cycle tubing products for frames, forks and stems (A & P's 'Ankh' symbol trademark may be familiar to some of you with vintage 'Major Taylor' style stems).

Within a year of being formed T.I had also acquired 'Phillips' (1920) who were, as mentioned previously, the major supplier of cycle components to the UK cycle industry.

In 1928, they also acquired 'Reynolds Tube Co.' and pretty much cornered the market in cycle tubing supply to almost everyone, at every level of production.

Their next major cycle related acquisition was when they purchased 'The Helliwell Group' in 1946, which included the 'Hercules Cycle & Motor Co.'

By 1950 the T.I. cycle division included Hercules, Armstrong, Norman, Brampton and Phillips.
This roster was added to in 1950 when they also acquired 'James' cycles division.

In 1956 T.I. formed the 'British Cycle Corporation' which included all of the aforementioned companies (excluding 'Reynolds') and 'Walton & Brown', manufacturers of steel pressings; if you have a British bike with a fork crown cover, 'W & B' probably made it.
Cycle brands they were using by this time included the aforementioned, but now also Aberdale and Dunelt.
Production was concentrated in a huge factory in Handsworth, Birmingham and many staff from outlying factories were made redundant as this happened.

In 1958 T.I. acquired 'Sun Cycles & Fittings Co.' and 'Wright's Saddles'

In 1960 T.I. finally acquired 'Raleigh Industries' and all of the cycle brands they owned at that point: Raleigh, Robin Hood (1906, relaunched in
or around 1939 after layingdormant for years), Humber1932), Rudge-Whitworth (1943), Triumph (1954), BSA (including the Sunbeam and New Hudson marques) (1956), J.B.Brooks (saddles) (1959).
In 1960 all production was concentrated in Nottingham.
'T.I./Raleigh' also acquired 'Moulton' in 1967.

Raleigh also owned 'Sturmey Archer'; or rather it was a separate division of the holding company; it was basically part of the business since 1908, but a whole other difficult story.

So, if you have a bike from any of the manufacturers listed anywhere above, made from 1959/60 onwards, they were all made in the same factory in Nottingham (with the exception of Raleigh's SBDU division, which is a whole other can of worms to open, which I'm not even going to contemplate!)

I hope that helps! Not!

Somewhere along the lines in the last few years, either from within the VCC library or from one of the MEs I've corresponded with, it was mentioned that TI got Phillips in 1920 because "the Crown" was going to revoke their charter after being caught importing parts from Germany.
A no-no unforgivable....
Yet, through the 40s there is still a resemblance between Phillips pedals and some German patented ones I've seen.
Interesting gossip if nothing else.

 

[dnc1]

Somewhere along the lines in the last few years, either from within the VCC library or from one of the MEs I've corresponded with, it was mentioned that TI got Phillips in 1920 because "the Crown" was going to revoke their charter after being caught importing parts from Germany.
A no-no unforgivable....
Yet, through the 40s there is still a resemblance between Phillips pedals and some German patented ones I've seen.
Interesting gossip if nothing else.

Quite possibly very true, there was still a very strong anti-German sentiment in Britain through much of the 1920's.
Although in the early 1920's Raleigh decided to reduce its profit margins by 50% to compensate for the fact that German bicycles were available on the British Market at prices lower than British companies could make them for, due to currency exchange values.
Who was importing those German bicycles is unknown to me; perhaps Phillips had been involved in that, and the deal that resulted in their acquisition by T.I. was the result?

One of Phillips two founding partners was,after all, born Ernst Wilhelm Bohle, before changing his name to Ernest William Bohle in 1908.....

...purely supposition on my part, I admit.

(Image from Graces Guide).

 

[dnc1]

It took several years for the Nottingham factory to use up the parts from the merged Birmingham brands. It's common to see some bikes made in Nottingham in the 1960s, but with the same style of brake handles as a 1950s Birmingham bike, older badges, etc. Some of the later ones even combine the parts, such as the brake handles where the lever is a Raleigh style but the lever housing and clamp are Birmingham. Many of these parts appear on the more economy branded lines (such as Nottingham era Phillips and Hercules) under Nottingham production.

The same practice occurred in the British car and motorcycle industries as they started merging (and failing) post 1950's; there were a lot of spares lying around unused.

 

[dnc1]

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how did Raleigh come to acquire the Meteor marque?


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Which Meteor, the 'Starley & Sutton' , 'Rover', or another one @juvela?

 

[juvela]

Which Meteor, the 'Starley & Sutton' , 'Rover', or another one @juvela?

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asking because Raleigh revived the marque at one point for stockists in Los Angeles during the late 1960's to solve some snag having to do with supply/territories/business

do not know the original source of the marque employed

badging on cycle shown below applied to a Carlton Franco-Suisse

Raleigh also sent to the U.S. some Meteor badged three-speeds during the 1960's -

is the eight pointed star visible on the three speed's seat tube transfer something associated with a specific Meteor marque?

thank you for any information - ; ^ ]


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[dnc1]

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asking because Raleigh revived the marque at one point for stockists in Los Angeles during the late 1960's to solve some snag having to do with supply/territories/business

do not know the original source of the marque employed

badging on cycle shown below applied to a Carlton Franco-Suisse

View attachment 1941220

View attachment 1941221

View attachment 1941222

View attachment 1941223

Raleigh also sent to the U.S. some Meteor badged three-speeds during the 1960's -

View attachment 1941224

View attachment 1941225

View attachment 1941226

View attachment 1941227

View attachment 1941228

View attachment 1941229

View attachment 1941230

is the eight pointed star visible on the three speed's seat tube transfer something associated with a specific Meteor marque?

thank you for any information - ; ^ ]


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I couldn't find any reference to 'Meteor' as a brand over here, other than in the 1890's/early 1900's I previously mentioned.
There was also a French cycle manufacturer of that name.
Other than that, Freddie Grubb used it as a model name in the 1950's/60's, it used a stylistically similar decal to some of your images above @juvela.....

...but then the name does pretty much lend itself to that imagery I guess.
Other FH Grubb models in this range were 'Comet' and 'Southern Cross', so a stellar theme throughout.
Sorry I can't help more at the moment.

(Image from V-CC library).