In 1888 Frank Bowden founded the Raleigh Cycle Company in Raleigh Street, Nottingham, England. His engineers worked with ideas from Henry Sturmey and James Archer resulting in the production of the first Sturmey-Archer 3-speed bicycle gear hub, patented in 1902.

A company called the 3-Speed Gear Syndicate Ltd was incorporated in 1903, becoming Sturmey-Archer Gears Ltd in 1908.

After almost a hundred years of trading, production at the Nottingham factory ceased in September 2000. Sturmey-Archer was sold to Sun Race Inc. a Taiwanese-owned enterprise with a European base in The Netherlands. A new factory opened in Taiwan in 2001.

See: www.sturmey-archerheritage.com
See Tony Hadland, The Sturmey-Archer Story(Pinkerton Press, 1987)

Archive Content

Date range: 1909-1990s

Scope/Formats

A substantial collection of Sturmey-Archer material (together with some Raleigh brochures and technical leaflets) including: press releases; sales and specification brochures/catalogues (1909 onwards); display material and stands; bicycle magazines; advertising proofs; technical posters; artwork (logos, line drawings); 1931 Guide to Raleigh Motor Cycles; correspondence relating to design of components; videos.