Nostalgic thread Does anyone remember the Raleigh Activator?

Prowlus

I remembered when the Raleigh Activator ads started showing on TV? I was amazed at the very thought of a MTB with suspension but couldn't afford its high price at the time but nowadays , eveytime i see one , it doesn't look like a mtb to me , Its more like a hybrid with suspension ie thin tyres , narrow rim bakes and a basket .
But If I ever saw a 2nd hand activator 2, I'd probably snap it up even though I have an apollo hardtail and cannondale full suss(still in upgrade stages), because it was still the bike of my dreams

http://www.trekking-web.de/equip/bigs/activator2.html

Anyone here still long for a classic design despite their age?

lordhelmet

activators were quality at the time, i had the orange one, my mates thought it was the canines testicles

BoredHousewife

that brings back memories....

never had one though

djdime

haha yeah they were pimp

for me though - the true bikes to have were the gt lts and the trek y-frame

milkywhite

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Raleih-Activator- ... dZViewItem

There you go. Just look at the thing. Can't believe i used to want one.

lordhelmet

feck me, 26 in frame? that must be peter crouch's from when he was a lad

Prowlus

makes me wonder why raleigh never tried again to get into the quality bike market .I still remember when i saw a lightweight custom built m-trax in brooklands museum . Couldn't they do something like that today?

BoredHousewife

Prowlus wrote:

makes me wonder why raleigh never tried again to get into the quality bike market .I still remember when i saw a lightweight custom built m-trax in brooklands museum . Couldn't they do something like that today?

They did actually do some decent m-trax bikes, I remember one with ti coloured tubes and purple frame lugs, beautiful bike.

lm_trek

Some of the raleigh max stuff was great, my max was so great it was stolen after 2 weeks of me owning it!!

It had a big oversized frame, alivo gearing and sram twistshifts, back in the day when sram was just gripshift!

As for the activator a friend had an activator 2, how bad was that rear suspension sponge!! so funny but ridable just!!

heres a link to a pic:

http://www.uk-mtb.com/portal.php

Prowlus

thats an activator? :shock:

lordhelmet

thats space age compared to an activator

slyder

Hehe i still have an Activator , its the purple one with gold forks
could do with a new seat but is otherwise in great condition been in storage for the last 5 years or so
saw your post and gave it a good wash lol
was the first new bike i ever bought

but that pic is no activator( too modern) mine looks more like a normal bike with front suspension

cunning-stunt

This thread made me smile
I had an Activator,and above all else I remember the weight :shock:

Thantos

On the subject of old bikes, i keep seeing an old Full sus Muddy Fox wih the rear shocks (yes plural) on the chain stays either sideof the rear wheel.
Anyone any idea how old it is?

Prowlus

Thantos wrote:

On the subject of old bikes, i keep seeing an old Full sus Muddy Fox wih the rear shocks (yes plural) on the chain stays either sideof the rear wheel.
Anyone any idea how old it is?

post up a pic and let everyone see .
Back onto the topic I'm actually thinking of restoring an activator if i ever found one .
Wonder what modern parts could be slappable on one of these classic beauties ?

cunning-stunt

Prowlus wrote:

I'm actually thinking of restoring an activator if i ever found one .
Wonder what modern parts could be slappable on one of these classic beauties ?

Frame??
Oh,hang on..

birchy

The muddy fox rock n roll i got one when they first came out if i can remeber correctly it was back in 1993 maybe 1994 when i got it

supersonic

We used to sell the Activator 2 in a shop I worked at in 98, for 150 quid! Weighed an absolute ton, a good 40 lbs I would guess. My mate had the purple one with gold forks, the hardtail version.

Raleigh did make some good bikes with the Mtrax, Proline and RSP series, some costing nearly 4k. The USA branch still makes high end road bikes

welsh bastard

hmm, I still have a lovely black Activator 2 in the shed....

it was my first 'real' mountain bike, got in '96 i think. It has done a little serious riding in its time- i even put it on the back of the car in 2000 and did the pyrenees and the alps on it whilst cruising around! not very serious riding mind you!

It then got retired to my parents garage when I moved to Australia, only to be brought out of retirement last year when I moved back to europe and I needed a pub bike. Then one day my Scott had to go for a service, so I had no option but to get it really dirty for a laugh. I put some v brakes on it in replacement of the cantelevers and it rocked..... literally!

The front fork was totally frozen by then, but the rear 'sponge' did give about 5mm of travel! I even did a loop down purbeck on it.... although the wife was embaressed to be seen with me.... It was bloody heavy too.... much better downhill than up.

I have now moved back to Australia and it is again in the old folks shed, so if anyone wants it....... Still got the original flash looking grey tyres on it, and the gripshift gears still work lovely too

stevieboy

I remember going mental one xmas morning when the bike wrapped up turned out not to be an Activator!

stucon

i had one....

then 2 weeks later my mates mum and dad got him an activator 2.. gutted!!!

ransos

I remember riding one of these (I had borrowed it from the shop I worked in). Despite launching it off ever higher jumps, none of us managed to make the suspension move at all. Absolute rubbish.

MrMister111

I got a Activator 2 red one. its huge, think it must be the 26" version not sure though. Buying a new bike should I sell it? what would I get? and where should I sell it? ebay?

cheers

Uncle Peter

Isla Rowntree used to design and make bikes for Raleigh, she made Louise Robinson's Bike for the 2000 Olympics.

Isla now makes Child specific bikes near Wolverhampton, Ingeniously named Islabikes.

cat_with_no_tail

MrMister111 wrote:

I got a Activator 2 red one. its huge, think it must be the 26" version not sure though. Buying a new bike should I sell it? what would I get? and where should I sell it? ebay?

cheers

:roll:
You will get what anyone is willing to pay for it. I'll give you £3.76 and a cheese slice if you deliver it.

Should you sell it depends on if you want to keep it or have the room for it. Only you can answer that one.

Where should you sell it? Yeh, you can try fleabay, or the classifieds here. If it's in good condition, you *may* be able to sell it on retrobike.

Graydawg

supersonic wrote:

My mate had the purple one with gold forks, the hardtail version.

I had the purple blue one - the first model of them... wow - that takes me back a few years....was delighted it had 21 gears! :shock:

cicatriz

Still got mine in a dark corner of the garage gathering dust. Keep getting hassled to get rid of it but I still like it despite the very heavy front end. Go out every so often just for old times sake.

zero303

OMG they were dreadful - I used mock my mate who had one cause he thought it was a real mountain bike - paved the way for cheap crappy halfords suspension bikes!

Raleigh made some good stuff in the day but the Activator was not a good example!

bobs bikes

LOL... liking this thread!
... i have got one in my shop for sale at the minute.

and i serviced one last week! the service was more than the bike... although, the front brakes were more than it!

.... although, i did just sell a 1946 butchers bike!. .... that was lighter than the '93 activator!


also had a holdsworth venturer in the other day.
also had a green lizzard in... was that a raleigh or what??

Daz555

Prowlus wrote:

makes me wonder why raleigh never tried again to get into the quality bike market .I still remember when i saw a lightweight custom built m-trax in brooklands museum . Couldn't they do something like that today?

Mtrax 4.0 for your pleasure....

http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/category/ ... 0-09-32504

steelo

My mate had an activator hardtail back in the early 90's. I remeber riding it and just bouncing the forks up and down like a pogo stick. I seem to remember the bull-horn bars eventually got bent down and it started to look more like a racer!