‘The duties of the Force demand more than a mere ‘push-bike’ – supreme strength, easy running and unfailing reliability, in short the new Raleigh ‘Police Model.
Note the specially constructed steel ‘X’ frame. This added strength will meet the demand of the hardest service it is possible to give to a bicycle. But throughout it will maintain its flexibility. Bearings are specially hardened and accurately ground to ensure silken running. Raleigh brakes are a revelation in their smoothness and efficiency, while Raleigh chrome plating and special rust-proof enamelling make the All Steel bicycle ideal for all-weather riding.
No matter how much you pay, money cannot buy a better bicycle – the Raleigh is the standard by which all bicycles are judged.’
– The Irish Raleigh Cycle Co Ltd, 35 Lower Abbey St, Dublin
The Modele Superbe X Frame had been the star of Raleigh catalogues for 30 years, but was demoted from its prime position after 1932. As a result of the Great Depression, cycle companies now needed to focus on cheaply-produced machines. So the X Frame was no longer promoted in Britain and did not appear in the 1934 or 1935 catalogues. In 1936 it was described as the ‘Service Model 3’. With 3-speed gear, detachable gear case and dynamo lighting the ‘Service X’ became the ‘Model 3X’. With assembly at Raleigh’s new Dublin factory in 1936, it was also advertised as the ‘Irish X Frame.’
However, in 1933, for one year only, the X frame was advertised as the ‘Police Model’. Perhaps the company worried about removing it completely from their sales range, or maybe they used the same catalogue in Ireland, where it was advertised as ‘specially designed for Police Duty.’
The ‘Police Model’ featured here, with original paint and transfers (decals) intact, is the first I’ve seen. This example is fitted with optional extras: the ‘Sturmey-Archer combined 3-speed hub and brake’ (Model KB2), increased the sale price from £7 7/- 6d to £8 13/- 6d. It also has a ‘Raleigh Patent Detachable Oilbath Gearcase’ and LB3 front drum brake adding a further 2/- 6d and 10/- 6d to its price respectively, making a total of £9 6/-.
1933 Raleigh X Frame
Police Model
Black Enamel Finish
Sturmey-Archer combined 3-speed hub and brake
(Model KB2 rear and LB3 front)
Raleigh Patent Detachable Oilbath Gearcase
Brooks Plyflex saddle
John Bull heavy duty pedals
26″ Frame
28″ Wheels
Frame No M80200
This was my favourite discovery of 2022. An antique dealer in Cambridge asked me if I could tell him the age of a bicycle he had found. It turned out to be this one. Though I’d previously researched 1930s Raleigh X frames and knew the 1933 version was uniquely called the ‘Police Model’, I had no idea until I saw this example that its model name was written in gold leaf on the bicycle.
1933 RALEIGH CATALOGUE EXTRACTS
THE RALEIGH ‘IRISH’ X FRAME POLICE MODEL
According to the book ‘The Story of the Raleigh Cycle’, the Irish government launched its ‘Industrial Programme’ in the thirties to encourage firms to employ local labour. So Raleigh formed the Irish Raleigh Cycle Co Ltd in October, 1936 – ‘though its factory was only really an assembly plant and did not actually manufacture bicycles. The factory became operational early in 1937 and an average of 1000 machines per week were put together there until the outbreak of the Second World War.’ The factory resumed production after the war.
To quote the Irish Raleigh Cycle Co advertisement:
‘The Irish X Frame model, as its name implies, has been specially designed for use on the reputably bad roads often to be found in Ireland, or where the ground to be continually traversed is of a broken and exceedingly rough nature, thereby necessitating a frame of somewhat more substantial and stronger character than is usual.’
STURMEY ARCHER HUB BRAKES: LB3 FRONT & KB2 REAR
