Raleigh Activator 1&2

[MattB45]

I collect classic or vintage bikes as a hobby to do them up but rarely sell them. Over the space of about two years I have gotten two raleigh activator 1’s and two raleigh activator 2’s. The suspension on three of them isn’t that bad especially for the age yet one activator 1 has really wobbly and worn out suspension. I don’t really understand why people hate them so much. They are mostly well built nothing seems to go wrong but they are heavy

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

My main objection would be that the weight penalty, higher build cost, and increased wear & tear potential far outweighs any rough terrain performance gain. The travel on the Activator suspension is very short which means it's usefulness is really limited to improving rider comfort a bit and taking some of the sting out of bumps.
The bikes are certainly robust, but then so is something like a Raleigh Ascender rigid that is lighter than either version of the Activator, and was considerably cheaper to buy. A hardtail Activator would make an interesting back to back ride against a conventional rigid MTB, so I wouldn't turn down a dirt cheap one just for the opportunity to try it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to look for one.
Compared to today's suspension BSO monstrosities the Activator doesn't look that bad, but I can't help thinking of them as a solution t a largely imagiary problem.

 

[MattB45]

My main objection would be that the weight penalty, higher build cost, and increased wear & tear potential far outweighs any rough terrain performance gain. The travel on the Activator suspension is very short which means it's usefulness is really limited to improving rider comfort a bit and taking some of the sting out of bumps.
The bikes are certainly robust, but then so is something like a Raleigh Ascender rigid that is lighter than either version of the Activator, and was considerably cheaper to buy. A hardtail Activator would make an interesting back to back ride against a conventional rigid MTB, so I wouldn't turn down a dirt cheap one just for the opportunity to try it, but I wouldn't go out of my way to look for one.
Compared to today's suspension BSO monstrosities the Activator doesn't look that bad, but I can't help thinking of them as a solution t a largely imagiary problem.

They are all very good points and it makes sense that they never really caught on. I got the Activator 2’s and an activator 1 for nothing and then the smarter activator 1 cost £30 which I suppose wasn’t too bad