Bikes with computer screens

fabcat

Does anyone remember these?

I moved to a new house when I was 5 (19 years ago) and my new neighbours Scott and Craig had these bikes. They were black and had alot of plastic attached to them and on the handlebars they had a computer, I don't know if it was a real one or just a plastic box with a sticker of a screen. The name fox sticks in my head for some reason. They were before mountain bikes and kind of in the style of a bmx, anyone remember the name?

Karoma

They made different noises (sirens,etc.)?

fabcat

Yes, yes, do you remember them??? Scott broke his and we were all so annoyed, we couldn't make the noises anymore!!

dbnavan

u just made me remember a sound box I had on my bike played 10 different noises, siren, fog horn etc......jesus over 20 years ago!!

Karoma

fabcat wrote:

Yes, yes, do you remember them???

No. I have no idea.

secret_squirrel

My brother had one and I was jealous coz all I had was a grifter, complete with ball crushing 'slipgear'.

I think it was called a Raleigh Vector. Black with lots of white plastic.

arctic lemur

My neighbout Gary had one in 1986, it was black with a bit of red so cool sort of a bike version of kitt from knightrider. Cant remeber its flippin name but i got a go off it before he moved!!!

Alkers

fabcat wrote:

Does anyone remember these?

I moved to a new house when I was 5 (19 years ago) and my new neighbours Scott and Craig had these bikes. They were black and had alot of plastic attached to them and on the handlebars they had a computer, I don't know if it was a real one or just a plastic box with a sticker of a screen. The name fox sticks in my head for some reason. They were before mountain bikes and kind of in the style of a bmx, anyone remember the name?

IIRC they had a picture of a wolfs head on them?

Pigman II

I believe you are talking about the Raleigh Vektar?
http://www.yodathewise.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/vektar.htm

IIRC they were really sought after when they first came out in 1984(?)

However it must have been a shortlived fad tho as a kid I knew got one of them 2nd hand a few years after that. First time he proudly went out on it came home soon after and detached all the keyboard electronics and mudflaps. I reckon he must have been getting odd looks for riding around on that thing.

fabcat

THATS IT!! Scott and Craigs were black though! They were the most popular guys in our street for about 3 months with those things. God, that brings back memories.:rolleyes:

Sgt. Politeness

Classic!! i seem to remember a scurrilous rumour whereby if you went over a kerb too fast on them the computer got banjaxed

Scruff

god i sooo wanted on of those. didnt get it though
Ireland of the 80's eh? not like kids nowadays who get everything they as for.
In my day we had to walk 10 miles over stones with no shoes to get a pint of milk etc etc.

tSubh Dearg

Two brothers on our road had bikes like that. The younger ones was called "Wolf" I think the olders was "Panther"? They made the best noises it was great. Especially in the yearly Tour de Bloc that we had around the neighbourhood in the summer.

Asok

secret_squirrel wrote:

Black with lots of white plastic.

Your brother rode around on michael jackson?

DublinWriter

secret_squirrel wrote:

My brother had one and I was jealous coz all I had was a grifter, complete with ball crushing 'slipgear'.

I hope you really mean a Grifter here and not the Chopper (no pun etc) gear lever.

I had a Grifter, you'd change gears while standing on the pedals, the chain would completely slip and you'd travel nads-first onto the cross bar.

I loved my old Grifter. It cost my then on-strike Dad 110 quid in 1981 money. What's that now? A grand?!?

Nice as it was, it was waaaay too heavy to be a BMX.

Johnny_the_fox

WildCat!!!!!

is the maybe the bike your are talking about... it was black and red.

i had one. similair to this

tSubh Dearg

That's the bike the older brother had!! I knew it was some sort of cat! The smaller bike (the one the younger brother had) was a Wolf I'm convinced of that. It was more black and red as opposed to the blue and black of the Wild Cat.

secret_squirrel

DublinWriter wrote:

I had a Grifter, you'd change gears while standing on the pedals, the chain would completely slip and you'd travel nads-first onto the cross bar.

That was indeed the wonderful world of 'Slipgear'

And they wonder why male fertility has declined....

Great thing about Grifters was that they were almost indestructable - half bike half tank

r3nu4l

Yep the Raleigh Vektar was great, my mate had one I had forgotten about these until about three months ago when I saw one parked outside a video shop in Cambridge :eek: The guy who works there owns it and the display still works

LegacyUser

i remember! ah they 80's, god love them