trying to find info on a bicycle i had back in the day..

steveone

as above...
the bike was purchased in cleary's i think..somewhere round 1980..
it was green and was called a rancho..
it was very like a raleigh grifter except it had front forks like a motorcycle (but not telescopic) and rubber gaitors..
I suppose it was well ahead of its time ..i hated it tho, it was too heavy for me..

lord lucan

sounds a bit like the raleigh strika i had as a nipper,similar vintage. small but heavy,robust it definitely was.

steveone

yep good shot... but the strika was bigger than the raleigh boxer but smaller than a grifter.

my bike was the same size as a grifter.. and it defo wasn't a raleigh...

one lad had a bike very similar to it called a "boston metro" i think...i can find
nothing about that either

il gatto

I had a green Strika. Back peddle brakes ftw:D

lord lucan

il gatto wrote: »

I had a green Strika. Back peddle brakes ftw:D

mine was black. savage little bike it was. many happy memories of it:)

il gatto

lord lucan wrote: »

mine was black. savage little bike it was. many happy memories of it:)

Built like a brick sh1thouse. Means it weighed a ton. I spent many, many days on that, until I inherited my brothers Raleigh Burner Ultra. That was super cool. The standard Burner was o.k. but the ultra had gold anodonised wheels, seat post, handlebars etc. Black with gold flames up it.

GabiP

I had a velmo, nice blue ones....I had 3, they were all stolen from outside the shop. I was that kid that invented the saying "Who stole my bike?" My parents refused to let me ask santa for a 4th one

steveone

GabiP wrote: »

I had a velmo, nice blue ones....I had 3, they were all stolen from outside the shop. I was that kid that invented the saying "Who stole my bike?" My parents refused to let me ask santa for a 4th one

good story. I can imagine christmas in your place...
what was a velmo?

il gatto

Anyone remember the Raleigh Vektar? I was awestruck by them when they came out. Saw one in the window of a bike shop. I didn't go in because I thought I'd get kicked out for drooling on it and I knew I wouldn't get one from my parents. When I eventually saw one up close, they were heavy, unimpressive and I was older. Still, some day:o.
http://images.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.yodathewise.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/VEKTAR/vektar1.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.yodathewise.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/vektar.htm&h=480&w=640&sz=124&hl=en&start=6&um=1&usg=__cgv8rUENINloUKcRRRis6kYt75c=&tbnid=NYBmw6QLLNvakM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Draleigh%2Bvektar%2Bimages%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX

steveone

il gatto wrote: »

Anyone remember the Raleigh Vektar? I was awestruck by them when they came out. Saw one in the window of a bike shop. I didn't go in because I thought I'd get kicked out for drooling on it and I knew I wouldn't get one from my parents. When I eventually saw one up close, they were heavy, unimpressive and I was older. Still, some day:o.
http://images.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.yodathewise.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/VEKTAR/vektar1.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.yodathewise.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/vektar.htm&h=480&w=640&sz=124&hl=en&start=6&um=1&usg=__cgv8rUENINloUKcRRRis6kYt75c=&tbnid=NYBmw6QLLNvakM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Draleigh%2Bvektar%2Bimages%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX

Yep wasn't that a raleigh burner with plastic bits... or was it a grifter..

D'ya remember the black and gold grifters... nice..

vektarman

il gatto wrote: »

Anyone remember the Raleigh Vektar? I was awestruck by them when they came out. Saw one in the window of a bike shop. I didn't go in because I thought I'd get kicked out for drooling on it and I knew I wouldn't get one from my parents. When I eventually saw one up close, they were heavy, unimpressive and I was older. Still, some day:o.
http://images.google.ie/imgres?imgurl=http://www.yodathewise.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/VEKTAR/vektar1.JPG&imgrefurl=http://www.yodathewise.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/vektar.htm&h=480&w=640&sz=124&hl=en&start=6&um=1&usg=__cgv8rUENINloUKcRRRis6kYt75c=&tbnid=NYBmw6QLLNvakM:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Draleigh%2Bvektar%2Bimages%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX

I've still got a few of them in the garage!

il gatto

Hence the name, I guess. Or maybe that's just a coincidence:pac:

Greenmachine

il gatto wrote: »

I had a green Strika. Back peddle brakes ftw:D

On the back pedal. Anyone remember bikes having a straight gear shifter on the cross bar, a big solid thing like in a car.

nlgbbbblth

I got a Raleigh Roadrunner in 1980.

I loved it.

There's one on ebay. Doesn't deliver though.
That version has three gears, mine was single speed.

Have a look and see if you remember it.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290259673301#ebayphotohosting

After that I got a Raleigh Medale.

vektarman

il gatto wrote: »

Hence the name, I guess. Or maybe that's just a coincidence:pac:

I've been rumbled, damn!

NostalgicDublin

I had a stinking green raleigh eska lol , anyone remember them ?? it folded in half lol , the only cool thing was the back pedal brake, sweeeeeeeeet

vektarman wrote: »

I've been rumbled, damn!

steveone

NostalgicDublin wrote: »

I had a stinking green raleigh eska lol , anyone remember them ?? it folded in half lol , the only cool thing was the back pedal brake, sweeeeeeeeet

yes i do, they looked like a triumph 20...
class..
I've been looking up the super eska and I cant find anything about it..
that was the bike with the banana seat and pull back bars... looked waay cool and had a pedal back brake for doing skids...

vektarman

There's a guy in Youghal with a bric-a-brac shop selling those type bikes, they're not called eska and they're made in the Czech republic or somewhere like that but otherwise they're exactly the same, even down to the rear coaster brake.

NostalgicDublin

lol i said i had one i didnt say i wanted anopther one, im way cooler these days , maybe ill get meself a grifter lol or chopper, or the creme de la creme a raleigh burner with mag wheels lol remember them ?

steveone

lol i said i had one i didnt say i wanted anopther one,

ha ha!:D
yes the raleigh burner with 5 spoke skyway mags...Or the brigid's cross type OGK's if you wanted to be different:)
I was looking at a set of mags in the little bike shop in swords.. I don't think BMX's have them these days.. the spoke wheel is much more durable...

GabiP

steveone wrote: »

good story. I can imagine christmas in your place...
what was a velmo?

I cant find a picture of it, I think they were french made, mine were blue. I never got another bike after those 3 were robbed in the space of 2 years..........I discovered Boot Skates in Apollo on moore street with my confo money ha ha ripped around the place on those I tell ya.