Grifter and Chopper were classifieds/ car boot fodder for me really did not stop me having about 2 or 3 Grifters,
I was very unhappy i had a £10 chopper for a second bike off me dad, i really wanted a BMX, and those sturmey archer gears NEVER agreed with me! :roll:
BMX was all the rage when i was 8 in '85
So Raleigh VECTOR was KING, specially in white flavour.
MTB wise I had a Red marble-garble effect MUSTANG as my first MTB, traded in and some how ended up with an accessory clad black and white older model one slightly later.
The sentiments in Repack Riders clipping got me my first MTB; bloke had brought it into Britain and tarted it around the shops saying this is the next biggie-hop on now; shops didnt want to know cos they had all suffered in the drop of BMX sales and didnt want to put cash into another passing fad.
Raleigh moment had to be Chopper but purse strings wouldnt allow; made up for it now tho'
Mine were all racers... Winner...£129.95 (Got stolen outside college) Record sprint...£229.95 (Vanished during Dad's shed clearout!) Dyna-tech Titanium...£649 for frame and forks. (Swapped it for a VW beetle because it frightened me when I would sprint and watch the bottom bracket sway side to side) Elix...(found in the local tip and restored for training purposes)
I was jealous of the kid at school with the Bomber 'cos he could ride on grass, and up kerbs!!
Had a Budgie, a Tomahawk, a Striker, a Chopper, a Grifter (all rusty second hand mind you)
I then spent a freezing cold winter doing a Saturday job pressure washing Plant machinery (often in freezing weather with no protective clothing at age 13- ah how things have changed ), valetting cars and general arse wiping to buy an Aero Pro Burner which got blinged to death, Skyways, Skyway trick platform, hutch pedals etc. Loved that bike to bits.
Then had a bomber and the last Raleigh I had was a Mustang with black and white fade. Not a bad bike actually, ended its days re sprayed orange and white fade with very bent wheels!