More Nostalgic stuff - Pre Activators

CustomReign

I feel like the Raleigh Activator was some way down the line in early UK MTB's which makes me feel very old.

Okay, first MTB - or ATB as it was then....

Peugot Ranger (broke) 1987 - 1988 or thereabouts
Raleigh Mustang non SIS version (Stolen)
Raleigh Memphis (broken headtube)

Things started to get better with a blue GT Tequesta, '89-'90 I think. Suntour X-Press shifters and Ovaltech chainset. That got stolen too.

Ahhhh, the memories.

Anonymous

I always thought the activator was a "catalogue bike"

First bike was this crazy trike thing my father built for us kids. It was battered from when my brother and sister used it, but so much fun. Enormous, massively cambered road bike whels on the rear, and a BMX wheel at the front
It even had a handbrake, and a stummy archer 3-speed hub, operated by an automatic car-like gear lever in between your legs. Awesome!

Then I had a child's BMX pike, by Puch. That broke when I tried riding it over some dirt jumps when I was around 16

my first BMX was a mongoose I got handed down from my brother I was probably about 8 or 9

Then I got a small Peugeot MTB, which may well have been a ranger, like the thread starter's.

Then a Kuahara something or other MTB/ATB which was great, and had indexed 21 speed gears and cantilever brakes - a revelation at the time in our neighbourhood. It got stolen after seveal years.

then 2 generic Saracen ally hardtails, both of which snapped at the seatpost/BB shell join. They were both repaired by a master welder at my father's workplace, and given as general bicycles to neighbours.

Then a carerra

then a Marin wolfridge (1998)

then a Marin wolfridge (2009)

Daz555

Raleigh Bomber is a classic MTB/ATB pioneer, in the UK at least.

Northwind

I had a Raleigh Marauder- but the flash ltd edition Index version, with 18 gears and SIS (I think only on the right hand side though, front was still friction shift IIRC). It was honking But on the plus side the steel wheels unbent easily. And it was really short, so good fun on descents, wouldn't go up hills at all mind. I was years ahead of my time, white frame...

Sold it for £60 to help fund my Carrera Krakatoa (another steel rigid but with a girvin flexstem amd rather nice tange tubeset and proper shimano equipment throughout, which I still have and which turned out to be one of the best buys I've ever made)

Anonymous

I remember being madly jealous of my friend and his father's Kona cinder cone, and Kona Lava Dome, respectively, around the time I had the Kuahara, circa 1992 or so.

sparrowlegs78

I had a Raleigh Scorpion...prob was really naff but it got rode everywhere lol
Caz xxxx

mongoosed

I used to have a raleigh apex with girvin flexstem,then a scott sawtooth,i then bought a blue GT Zaskar with mag 21 forks(i think)then i had a major crash,and i only started riding again in January.

GHill

15 speed Raleigh Mustang (friction shifters) from around 88. Perhaps the same model as the OPs.

And yep, I remember the activator as a "catalogue bike" too Same as my Mustang.

Johnny Chimpo

I had a raleigh gritstone around about the time of the activator, then followed it up with a raleigh m-trax, still got the m-trax only gets used when the missus is using my bike!

Ah those were the days!

hondafanatic

15 speed Emmanuel (spelling?) Cougar.

Always wanted the 18 speed Cortina, but it was out of my dad's budget.

I was the mutts nuts in my village as no one had more gears than me!

nicklouse

again my '84 Ridgeback

Anonymous

why were seat tubes at such relaxed angles back then?
What ws the thinking behind it?

robmanic1

Claud Butler something or other and the ONLY choice of footwear at the time, Nike Nguba's, marvellous, isn't it, hmmmm?