Jerome & Elizabeth Moos wrote:
>I think it is important to distinguish between production line bikes and
top models. Many of the high-volume manufacturers had separate faciliti
es for the top model or two. Raleigh at Worksop and Ilkston. Peugeot,
at least according to their catalogs, also had separate shops for their t
op models (some old Peugeot catalogs even have photos of this shop). Bia
nchi had Reparto Corse. Paramounts were not built by the same guys (or g
als) as Varsities. So while I suspect that the guys at Nottingham turning
out 3-speed roadsters weren't typically great artists, most of the bikes
that the CR group collects were built by guys with much better skills an
d higher motivation. Some of these builders may have come from smaller s
hops, or in the case of Raleigh have been absorbed in the Raleigh buyouts
of smaller builders. But I would find it strange if there wasn't at lea
st occasionally a guy from the assembly line who showed enough skill and
interest to get himself promoted to Ilkst!
> on.
> Promoting from within makes for better labor relations if nothing else.
Now one suspects that such individuals probably learned some of their s
kills through participation in clubs and from builders who they had met o
utside the company, but to some extent a bicycle is a bicycle, so brazing
up Grand Prix's has to teach one at least something about building a Ral
eigh Pro, assuming one is interested in learning.
>
>
The example of the Raleigh Grand Prix is an interesting case, and I have
had quite a few pass through my hands over the years.
IIRC they were produced solely at the Carlton Worksop facility until demand outstripped the ability to supply the required volume in the early '70's and judging by the variations in fit, finish and quantity of
brass of the Carlton produced Raleigh Grand Prix I think they may have been used as a learning ground.
Although this is pure speculation on my part and the variations may be more from price point and production pressure.
Marcus Coles
London, Ontario, Canada.