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Your first bicycle

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By *dam1971 OP   Man
over a year ago

Bedford

Not the very first one you learned to ride on, the first one that gave you some independence - where you went out with your mates for long rides.

Mine was a Raleigh Striker. It had the look of a BMX but weighed about 4 times as much. This was just before the BMX craze hit Britain so it looked pretty cool although the weight and lack of gears put me off hills (going up them) for life.

What was yours?

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By *rwhowhatwherewhyMan
over a year ago

Aylesbury

Appolo jeapody, 16" frame. It was blue

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By *abs..Woman
over a year ago

..

It was a Raleigh chopper with a red glittery seat. I loved that bike

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By *luebell888Woman
over a year ago

Glasgowish

It was red, had 3 wheels and a yellow plastic seat.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Raleigh boxer

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I could trip over my own feet and end up in A&E no way was I allowed a bike

My brother taught me to ride his without Dad knowing though

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I dunno, my dad made it. Was nice though

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

A Tomahawk... happy days

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By *uenevereWoman
over a year ago

Scunthorpe

Mine was Raleigh as well. Got it for my birthday the summer before starting secondary school.

Way too long ago to remember anything else about it

It was used regularly for the rest of my school years, right up to passing my driving test.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Mine was a Raleigh Commando, complete with camo paint job, was cool until BMX’s came along

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By *he Mac LassWoman
over a year ago

Hefty Hideaway

I got my sister's Muddy Fox. Perfect for them there hills. I'd love to know how many miles I did over those long weekends where we didn't go home til the streetlights turned pink.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

A Raleigh night burner with red mag wheels! I went everywhere on that bike I loved it, I recently debated buying one on eBay but they go for silly money

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By *dam1971 OP   Man
over a year ago

Bedford

A few things have occurred to me here:

In the ‘70s and early’80s, did Raleigh have about 95% market share?

Secondly, how tough were those bikes?! Mine was jumped, crashed, abused, left outside and it never went rusty, I never oiled the chain and nothing ever broke!

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By *ust RachelTV/TS
over a year ago

Horsham

Mine was a custom made Mercian, it was my dad's bike that I rode briefly till I out grew it.

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By *jonesMan
over a year ago

Plymouth

A yellow chopper, sliding gear changes and a tall back seat...

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By *hrista BellendWoman
over a year ago

surrounded by twinkly lights

I had Raleigh mountain bike, but I am a absolute nightmare for not looking where I am going so spent many a time on the floor bleeding

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By *ssex_tomMan
over a year ago

Chelmsford

An orange Eddie Merckz

Not sure how to spell it but a great bike. Orange was horrible though

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

A grifter. Like a bmx but made out bits of scaffolding welded together...

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Raleigh light weight frame campagnolo gears

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By *uenevereWoman
over a year ago

Scunthorpe


"A few things have occurred to me here:

In the ‘70s and early’80s, did Raleigh have about 95% market share?

Secondly, how tough were those bikes?! Mine was jumped, crashed, abused, left outside and it never went rusty, I never oiled the chain and nothing ever broke!"

I think they must have.

Mine was definitely tough... it got hit by a car at least twice and survived.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

It was probably the Raleigh Stowaway, if not a Raleigh Chipper (the small version of the Chopper with no gears). I was pretty young when I started riding my bike further afield and regularly rode around the area once I was traffic aware and skilled in riding my bike safely on the road.

However it was later when I started riding further distances on my bike and that was when I got my first racing bike which was a Dawes. I had three, 2 of which, got nicked.

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By *lbinoGorillaMan
over a year ago

Redditch

My first bike was a second hand thing. No idea what make it was, but it was gold in colour. I always wanted a Raleigh Grifter, though, and wasn't allowed one

Then it was a 3-speed racer, which I think was green. It might have been red once and I painted it, but I can't remember. I rode it a lot, though

My first ever new bike was when I was 15. Another racer, but with more gears. It was metallic white originally, but I eventually sprayed it two different shades of metallic grey. I must have done hundreds of miles on that thing

The thing I remember most is how jealous I was that brother got a black Raleigh Chopper....

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago


"Not the very first one you learned to ride on, the first one that gave you some independence - where you went out with your mates for long rides.

Mine was a Raleigh Striker. It had the look of a BMX but weighed about 4 times as much. This was just before the BMX craze hit Britain so it looked pretty cool although the weight and lack of gears put me off hills (going up them) for life.

What was yours?"

A Grifter weighed as much as a challenger tank but did have a padded seat which was good if you ever slipped off the pedals as it wouldn’t hurt your balls as much

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Her name was Gemma. She was a diamond. Oh you mean an actual bicycle

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By *r_thickdick777Man
over a year ago

Dover

A grifter and I loved that bike

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Super Tuff Burner BMX in gold and chrome. With 5 spoke black wheels.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

I had a Townsend bmx, that took my breath away on many occasion, cracking my shins on the spikey pedals

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By *iddlesticksMan
over a year ago

My nan’s spare room.

Mine was a budgie, the mini chopper.

My first racer was a BSA as was my first Airgun, Peaky Blinders just takes me back to that bike.

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By *B69Woman
over a year ago

Wiltshire

I always wanted a grifter but got a Raleigh Shopper instead

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By *edGrayCouple
over a year ago

Swindon

Mine was on Christmas Day. I must of been 10 years of age. It was a 5 speed Raleigh racing bike. I was over the moon, couldn't wait for boxing day so I could go out on it. I was up as soon as it was light and out riding round our estate. I bumped into my mate from school who had also got a racing bike for Christmas. We spent the day just riding round together.

Back then, we didn't have mobile phones, you knew where your mates where by all the bikes piled up outside one of our houses.

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By *andybeachWoman
over a year ago

In the middle

My first bike was a second hand one that me dad took me to buy from our local dealer, I was 8 and I remember us catching the bus to get there and then we walked back so I could ride me “new” bike all the way home it’s been 2 years today since me dad left us so this memory is very important to me

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By *ltrMan
over a year ago

sheffield

Raleigh sprint which was a drop handled chopper

should have been called Raleigh trip to the hospital first pot hole I hit went over handle bars and took a chunk out of my chin and gravel rash up my chest

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Omg mine was 1977 and a Tomahawk, it was the cheap version of the chopper but i loved it lol

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By *uliaChrisCouple
over a year ago

westerham


"Raleigh boxer"

Boxer here as well, weirdly didn’t seem too popular, thought it was great, the chopper was more common but that always seemed like an awkward fragile thing, couldn’t throw it around like a boxer.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Raleigh Europa in 1980. 10 speed derailleur gears. Loved it.

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By *alldarksurreyMan
over a year ago

surrey

Raleigh street wolf with sound effect buttons

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

A blue Raleigh grifter, it was my sisters but I sort of took ownership of it. Actually thinking about it all of my bikes belonged to others before I decided they would suit me better. I've never bought one.

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By *ensualtouch15Man
over a year ago

ashby de la zouch


"Not the very first one you learned to ride on, the first one that gave you some independence - where you went out with your mates for long rides.

Mine was a Raleigh Striker. It had the look of a BMX but weighed about 4 times as much. This was just before the BMX craze hit Britain so it looked pretty cool although the weight and lack of gears put me off hills (going up them) for life.

What was yours?"

Oooh close I had a grifter 3 stermy archer internal gears

Built out of solid iron I think

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Custom built (by me) bmx. No brakes (ah the glory days before gyro headsets) many summer days spent at the blue lagoon breaking bones I then progressed onto a 'we the people' downhill bike that I modified and went on to almost end my life on still have the full face helmet with smashed jawbone (in the ex's garage) as a stark reminder of how fragile life is

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Raleigh activator

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

A blue Raleigh Boxer, I loved that bike, went everywhere on it until some bastard nicked it from out the porch...

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By *onglegs888Couple
over a year ago

Birmingham

A Raleigh tuff burner mk1 in the iconic blue and yellow!

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Mine was a Harry Quin 653 frame, Campag, suntour and stronglight equipment on it.

The bike was quite nippy as it had the 653 tubing, the typical short wheelbase of the bike made it interesting to turn corners.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Some old piece of junk I rebuilt when I was 14.

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By *horehouseprincessWoman
over a year ago

small town near Munich

No idea what brand. It belonged my brother before me and was passed on to a cousin after it became too small for me. It was yellow.

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

Raleigh rebel I buckled the back wheel ramp jumping great days x still ride today

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By (user no longer on site)
over a year ago

A chrome pk ripper

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By *ntrigued32Couple
over a year ago

Nottingham

Mine was a red Raleigh cherry with a cream plastic basket on the back.

Jo.Xx

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By * Sophie xTV/TS
over a year ago

Derby

My first proper bike that wasn't some random piece of junk was a Raleigh Grifter XL...black and red with different tires and seat compared to the normal Grifters....loved that thing and jumping off the back making it do Knight Riders going off on it's own.

I loved that thing even if it did weigh a ton

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By *r SxxMan
over a year ago

ashford

Mine was a Raleigh 12" foam wheels, had a Yamaha handlebar cover so that meant it was fast had it when I was 3 years old

Got it hanging up in my shed still

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