Raleigh Bicycle Company the mid-1960s, TI–Raleigh owned Brooks (one of the oldest saddle makers in the world), Sturmey-Archer (pioneer of 3-speed hubs), and Reynolds (maker of 531 tubing). Carlton, which had been unable to make inroads in the USA market after a failed rebranding deal with Huffy, found success in the late 1960s by recasting itself as "Raleigh-Carlton", a Raleigh-logo'd bike with some Carlton badging, and using the US dealer network to import and distribute bikes. The Raleigh Chopper was designed by Nottingham native Alan Oakley, though this has been disputed by Cambridge designer Tom Karen. The Chopper was patented in the UK
The Bike Cooperative The Bike Cooperative The Bike Cooperative is a cooperative of specialty bicycle retailers throughout the United States. The cooperative is represented in 40 states by over 300 member stores that are independently owned and operated. Originally formed in 2003 as The Biking Solution, the organization’s core focus was to provide bicycle retailers with operational, advertising, and training programs and services to improve efficiencies, increase revenue, and maximize profitability. In the fall of 2008, the organization expanded its business model and emerged as The Bike Cooperative. In addition to the programs and services that had been offered through The Biking Solution,