The first Raleigh mountain bike

[Trickyvee]

I've mentioned in another thread about being the first kid on the block to have a mountain bike which I adored, but I'd love to see a picture of it again and to know it's name.

I got it for Christmas 1989 and at that time it must have been one of the first if not THE first cheap end mountain bike on the market. It was a Raleigh and there was a male and female version. The colour scheme was a sort of pale mustard colour on one half of the bike fading to white on the other and it had 5 gears, chrome handle bars and black sponge hand grips. Also, one of the best things about it was that it didn't 'tick' when you free wheeled so you could quite easily sneak up silently on people.

[Richard1978]

Re: The first Raleigh mountain bike

My brother got a metallic blue & white Raleigh Marauder in may 1988, which must have been one of the first mountain bikes available in the UK.

The cantilevered brakes were a good touch, but with only 5 gears (all too high to get up hills without an effort!) & a hefty steel frame (if felt like it was made of scaffolding compaired to my friends bike!) it was passed on to me when my Brother got a Raleigh Amazon a few years later.

It might still be at the back of my parents garage, it needed new tyres the last time I saw it.

[Trickyvee]

Re: The first Raleigh mountain bike

Mine was hefty too. I remember one day my dad, for unknown reasons, decided that the handle bars were too wide and proceeded to saw off the ends without even asking me. I was furious and always felt that it was a bit flawed after that. Eventually I replaced the handle bars with a flat, black steel bar to make it look more like the newer models that were coming out.

I sold it in 1996 to buy a Apollo Kimera from Halford's (trading a Raleigh for a crappy Apollo -terrible!), but I was seduced by the 15 gears, extra cruising handle bars and metallic turquoise colour BUT I've still got the Apollo and have been using it nearly every day this summer

[Trickyvee]

Re: The first Raleigh mountain bike

I think this might have been it! A Raleigh Maverick, just like this but the women's version.

[culnara]

Re: The first Raleigh mountain bike

My brother got a metallic blue & white Raleigh Marauder in may 1988, which must have been one of the first mountain bikes available in the UK.

yeah, I had a white Raleigh Marauder with yellow and red writing on the frame, remember the bloke in the shop
said that these were a new generation of bikes and they were really rugged and tough designed to last
well I paid £155 for it and had it for about 12 years before some feker nicked it >

the bike I had before that one was pretty unique too, still a raleigh, but it had like a racer frame with Grifter
style handle bars ( three gear - twist throttle ) and two strengthening bars to support the forks on the front

It was called a Raleigh Marlboro, does that ring any bells with anyone?? TRIED TO LOOK for a photo on tnet
no joy, will try and get an image of it from the sldes

[FLYING SAUCER]

Re: The first Raleigh mountain bike

How about THE RALEIGH BOMBER ?

I seem to remember Boy George had one of these in 1984!

Satin Black with red and orange graphics on the frame with wartime like searchlight beams?

[Paulos]

Re: The first Raleigh mountain bike

How about THE RALEIGH BOMBER ?

I seem to remember Boy George had one of these in 1984!

Satin Black with red and orange graphics on the frame with wartime like searchlight beams?

The raleigh bomber now that was a big old bike
I had one the original blue raleigh burner BMX's

[culnara]

Re: The first Raleigh mountain bike

My mate had one of these, big chunkie heavy bikes

[culnara]

Re: The first Raleigh mountain bike

Pictures are a bit blury couldn't find the slides, these are stills from the cine camera me and my Twin Sister xmas day 1977 - 78 ?
you can see the fork strengtheners and style of bike from pictures ( hopefully )

quite different from the other bikes of the day, ring any bell's? 100% it was a Raleigh bike

P.S. I did grow into it LOL

[stuckinthe80's]

Re: The first Raleigh mountain bike

I used to have a 'Grifter XL' in about 1981/82. It was a bit like an early BMX. Think it came out before the 'Burner'.

[Powdered toast man]

Re: The first Raleigh mountain bike

I was the first kid in our school to have a mountain bike. I was in my last year of primary school(1989) and I had an Emmelle Leopard 10. It was red with yellow/orange/white graphics on it. It had chrome handlebars with a triangular piece that connected them to the stem, heavy duty calliper brakes and knobbly tyres with a smooth rib down the centre. I got the bike for Christmas after 8 years of riding around on an old Falcon BMX. The Emmelle lasted me for 5 years until I rode it through an outdoor swimming pool(!!) and the frame filled with water and rusted out. That bike got replaced with a Raleigh Outland which I never really liked as I loved the chrome and steel of the Emmelle.

[Jedi Knight]

Re: The first Raleigh mountain bike

I remember the Raleigh Mustang and Lizard, but I think these were a bit later.