Oh, Canada! Part I

A reader recently sent some photos and info about Canadian-built Raleighs after realizing that his 1975 Raleigh Superbe was actually built in Canada. Since the provenance of overseas Raleigh makes has been of interest to readers in the past, I thought this might be useful to post.

"I was surprised to discover, after buying the bike with the Nottingham England badge, that in fact, it had been manufactured here in Canada. The serial number bears this out, as does a small decal I had overlooked. Many of the parts were made in England. My understanding is that the Raleigh factory was opened in Quebec in about 1972 (this bike is a 1975).  Ironically, the factory in Quebec is still building Raleighs, with a work force of about 300, and is supposed to be the largest bike factory left in North America.

The serial number of this bike starts with RG5. This excellent site gives the info for Raleigh serial numbers: 

http://www.jaysmarine.com/TH_raleigh_serials.html

The 'R' being Canada . 'G' being May , and '5' being  1975."

Posted in: 1975 Raleigh Superbe,mailbag