1959 Raleigh Blue Streak
Raleigh bicycles of Nottingham, England designed this bike as a tribute to the British Blue Streak ballistic missile.
Armed with Huret derailleurs that managed eight stages of propulsion (gears), the Blue Streak had quite a long range. A Brooks saddle stabilized the trajectory. Cold road warriors aboard this missile were shielded from water attack by the matching Bluemels fenders, and an integrated guidance system (the head lamp) delivered the Blue Streak to its target every time.
The Blue Streak missile program ran in Britain and Australia from 1955 to 1972.
Raleigh bicycles have been made in Nottingham, England since 1887, and today we have a design team a little closer to home with Raleigh USA dreaming up bikes in our own backyard of Kent, Washington.