Everyone has their Raleigh era, which one were you?

[Merlinman]

Black Grifter here, which was a stormer of a bike, bit misaligned on the wheel/fork/bars front but all the same, took me up and down hills in Wales when I was only 8yrs old.

Then a raleigh activator at around the same time back in 1993.

the raleigh activator bought from a halfrauds store iirc for a lot of money back in those days and I'm safe to say it was utter sh#t compared with the grifter as the so called or looked suspension forks didn't move, well maybe 2mm at most and was far too harsh a ride imo.

and the gears ''thumbies'' were a pain to get your hand to at the most crucial time whereas the grifter gripshit 3 spd was spot on albeit they needed adjusting every once in a while but nonetheless, an excellent first bike. I was a on that ride.

merlinman

 

[dbmtb]

When I was 10, the bike to have was the Arena... either 5 or 10 speed.

But my parents figured I needed something with mudguards so I got an Olympus instead, which is the first Gios Blue bike I ever owned.

 

[Colinmac]

My little girl - Daisy's - raleigh - is a Raleigh Molly - circa - well - today, actually...

Coulldn't help it. She's only 2 - but was desperate after I'd been playing with bikes here...

 

[Enid_Puceflange]

He he he,
What a fantastic read this is!
I started off with a copper coloured Raleigh Budgie (looked like a mini chopper) , then shifted onto a silver Grifter, one of the later ones with the longer mudguards fitted (I remember my dad going bonkers when he saw i had been tucking the little "mudflap" thingy attatched to the mudguards in against the tyre to make a motorbike noise , which quickly ruined them!!)
Then for my 9th birthday i got a black/gold Ultra Burner bmx.
Ahhhhh the memories

Gary C

 

[Copey]

Great thread..

I had a Raleigh Striker, Grifter, Chopper and then I graduated onto a big boys bike... the leg-end, the one and only, the 37ilb beast... the black and white MUSTANG

 

[Colinmac]

Pah you youngsters !

My first (and only new bike!) was a Raleigh Commando. In orange.

By way of advertising, Raleigh had been running a series of adverts in Warlord (my favourite comic ) in which kids got into some scrape and the Commando was used to save the day(tm)

It was out of the blue - not christmas or my birthday - and my dad just took me to the bike shop, asked me what I wanted, and bought it.

Man it was the best day ever. Got stolen years later out of our garden, but by then I was onto road bikes. Hardly noticed. Getting all nostalgic now about it though.

Might have a wee peek at ebay later on...

Anybody know where I could get hold of these ads ? Lost in time ? Must be like, 38 years ago!!

 

[al]

I never had a Raleigh bike when i was a kid!


I went straight from my trike and scooter to booze 'n' birds!


Maybe if i did i wouldn't be in the mess i am.

Al, In recovery!

 

[cherrybomb]

Pah you youngsters !

My first (and only new bike!) was a Raleigh Commando. In orange.

Mine too. i loved that bike. Hated my mate who got the cammo one, remember them?

By way of advertising, Raleigh had been running a series of adverts in Warlord (my favourite comic ) in which kids got into some scrape and the Commando was used to save the day(tm)

I vaguely remember those. Warlord was such a cool comic.

 

[konahed]

Started off with a metallic orange Raleigh Budgie, then got a red Tomahawk, then a silver Burner GS, which was a nice bike but quite heavy for a BMX.

 

[neilll]

Never had one :cry:

My dad bought me a Puch racer with 3-speed Sturmey Archer when I was maybe 10, when he wasn't looking I took off the drops and put on Cowhorns (remember them?) and some skinny knobbly tyres and built what we called in Essex a 'Tracker'.

This was around 1978 so predated MTB's in the UK