Bike maker changes gear

Raleigh still makes wheels at its Nottingham site

A British bike maker hit hard by foreign competition has launched a series of new designs.

Raleigh UK has stopped almost all of its production in the UK, but is still designing and distributing bicycles at Eastwood, near Nottingham.

Manager Phillip Darnton says its new range of bicycles is aimed at the youth market, but will still be manufactured in Asia.

Raleigh has been working for nine months on the new youth bike design, Raleigh spokesman Mike Reynolds said.

Phillip Darnton: Competition from Asia is fierce

"The early reaction to the design has been good," he said, but added that the new designs were not yet in production.

"There has been a major move away from the traditional bike design to a more tailor-made look that suits the customer," Mr Reynolds said.

Raleigh closed it huge Nottingham factory, which once employed 8,000 workers, at the end of 2002.

The bulk of its production is in Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Thailand, although some wheels are still made in the UK.

"Every major country in the world seems to be making bicycles and the market is oversupplied," Mr Darnton said.

Mr Darnton said the Eastwood factory in Nottinghamshire was still making wheels, because of demand for them from bicycle shops.

A report on the future of Raleigh is featured on Inside Out for the East Midlands on BBC 1 at 1930 on Monday 20 January.