Here's a great, recent find - a Raleigh US market catalog from 1938. This catalog gives us a nice picture of Raleigh's presence in the US market in the early days.
This catalog places the arrival of Raleigh in the US to around 1933. Raleigh USA began in Boston, Massachusetts and expanded from there. By 1938, Raleigh had a presence, through dealerships, in 32 states.
The catalog offerings from 1938 were still somewhat limited in the US. The catalog shows:
- cable brake light roadster model,
- rod brake light roadster,
- full rod brake roadster
- child's model
- carrier/cargo bike
- and three sporting/road models
The catalog is certainly more limited and less colorful than its British counterpart.
Where the offerings do not fall short are in the parts and accessories area, which includes numerous items to help make cycling easier. The emphasis was on a combination of practical cycling (even a cycling poncho and rain hat are offered), and on sporting (numerous touring bags, pedal toe clips, etc.). I love this little time capsule from the early days of practical cycling and three speed bikes in the US.
I have submitted a full scan of the catalog to the Veteran Cycle Club library. If you enjoy British bicycles and are not yet a member of the VCC, I highly recommend joining.
I plan to study this catalog further, and to do a more general entry on early utility bikes in the US prior to WWII in the future.
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