Raleigh All-Steel Bicycle

Raleigh all-steel bicycle, one of the first all-steel bicycles, 1901. Up until 1900 all bicycles were made with steel tubing joined together with malleable iron castings. This is one of the first all-steel bicycles, designed and made by Raleigh Cycle Company. Raleigh replaced the heavy casting with light sheet steel pressings which provided of adequate strength but lower weight. This bicycle was one of the first produced with this method and may be considered as the prototype of this form of construction now generally used on all bicycles. The bicycle also has one of the first Sturmey-Archer 3-speed epicyclic hub gears and an oil bath type of chain case.