It was 20 years ago today...

[john]

Nice write-up

Is it me..but in the picture you look like you must be something like 8'10"

Cheers Carl. Yes, 8'10" going on 6' Probably na optical illusion due to the expectation any Raleigh from this era is 23" or larger by default.

Thats a great read John. We all started somewhere and its fantastic that you've gone right back to those early roots. Thats a very tasty find too, loving the reflector on the front!

Indeed, was good to take a bit of a step back and remember why.

Nice trip down (or rather up) memory lane, but I'm with Carl on this one. Judging by the amount of seatpost showing, that frame is far too small for you; it almost looks like a normal MTB.

As a rule of thumb when sizing Raleigh bikes for teenagers, while seated (with the seatpost stuffed irretrievably into the frame) there should be a minimum of two inches clearance between the ground and your outstretched toes - anything less is unsafe, and leaves no room for the rider "to grow into the frame". Moreover, the frame is probably also unnecessarily lighter and stiffer than had it been sized correctly.

Yet another reason to support your local Halfords rather than using risky internet shopping sites.

Of course I was somewhat torn about buying one in the right size. As mentioned in the article the original was big, a 23". However I was quite keen to get one to fit plus (and perhaps more importantly) this one was the first I found....
The fact this was the smallest Raleigh sold is evident in various features on the bike. A road post and 170 cranks for example. Still a healthy 19" though.

 

[skinnyboy]

great read John thanks for sharing. I plan to bring my bike over from Oz to ride my local stuff from BITD up in Delamere when I come over next year, hopefully it won't be like meeting your heroes!

 

[rc200ti]

That looked GOOD
Nineteen years ago I bought a Cinder Cone in Nottingham, and just had to stop on the way home from work to ride it. Work clothes, trowsers tucked into socks, no helmet. Stopped at Robin Wood near Ticknall, where last night 8 of us East Mids lot enjoyed a brilliant couple of hours of singletrack and breaking chains.
Here's to the next twenty years.

 

[velomaniac]

I'm 40, started mtb'ing aged 24 and rode a Townsend thus I have little hankering for repeating my first ride with any accuracy. I do however ride the same trails now as I have ever done and finally after 16 years I'm starting to get the hang of them

Great write up

 

[DeletedUser006]

"Happy Birthday John" For yesterday

Brilliant just brilliant , Great story and pics, Raleigh Mountain bikes is where it all started for a lot people including myself ! Nice to see it being ridden by yourself and glad its a keeper.

 

[longun]

"this is why"


awsome ,lovely bike,trail and story,cheers

 

[paulbsrje]

How much of a surprise was it to see my old stomping ground featured on this site!
Daisybank is a shadow of its former self now it is no longer graised-nothing in the area could beat it for sledging in the days when we had proper snow!
Geat photos-takes me back-Thanks
Paul

 

[Easy_Rider]

Echo everyone else' comments, great write up which also made me think of the days I rode around the hill of North Wales in the early 90's

 

[NickD]

My dad still has my old Townsend, same spec as your Raleigh pretty much, Exage and a 501 frame. In my case around a 21 inch frame for an (at the time) 5'10 rider - it's still fairly big and I'm 6' now.

I rode it round my old stomping ground a couple of years back. Managed to avoid falling off it like I did when I was 16 and had downed a bottle of Thunderbirds though!

 

[fingers]

Im lucky enough to still have my diamondback (been with me since I was 15) and my orange (been here since I was 16)... Thats nearly half my life!

I love taking a trundle up the old tracks by home, catching the echoes.

Can still remember dad complaining about my (somewhat misguided choice) blue odyssey triple traps on the P7 back in the summer of 97.

Good thread, good story.