Raleigh moped bicycle, 1959. Raleigh Industries Ltd started making motorized bicycles in 1901, but production stopped in 1933. The Raleigh moped bicycle came into production in 1958 and was designed to provide personal motor transport at low cost. The design championed economy, ease of handling, maintenance, parking and safety as its key features. During the late 1950s there was a growing demand in Britain for independent transport, people were travelling further to get to work and parking was getting more difficult in towns. Mopeds were ideal as they were smaller than scooters and motorcycles and easier to drive. In 1960 Raleigh’s own moped was replaced by one built under licence from Motobécane and a copy of the French Mobylette.