roadrash
cycle chatterer
- Location
- sitting on the edge of wigan pier
Raleigh Grifter
- Thread starter Mark Lawless
- Start date
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OP
OP
Mark Lawless
Active Member
The Mk1 was initially available in two colours - a light metallic blue, and a sort of candy apple red. Towards the end of Mk1 production, the red one became more of a bronze red. Then came the Mk2, which was initially available in solid red and blue colours. Decals were changed too, ditching the Union Jack for stars / stripes. Shameful. Later, there was a limited edition Silver one produced, and a black. Beyond that, the BMX look bikes were launched, with different seats and handlebars etc - you has the Super Grifter, which was black, with gold trim and black / amber tyres, or silver, with blue and amber tyres. Finally the XL, which was black with red decals and red mudguards, and a standard rear carrier.
Specialeyes
Guru
- Location
- Essex
My first 'dream bike'!
Never managed to check the veracity of it, but it was always said at my school that one of the Technical Drawing teachers, Mr Ellis, had designed it. This was around 1982, so nearing the end of its production. He certainly moved to the west country with his family, from Nottingham in the early eighties. Irrespective, it still made both him and TD properly cool for a period
Never managed to check the veracity of it, but it was always said at my school that one of the Technical Drawing teachers, Mr Ellis, had designed it. This was around 1982, so nearing the end of its production. He certainly moved to the west country with his family, from Nottingham in the early eighties. Irrespective, it still made both him and TD properly cool for a period
OP
OP
Mark Lawless
Active Member
My first 'dream bike'!
Never managed to check the veracity of it, but it was always said at my school that one of the Technical Drawing teachers, Mr Ellis, had designed it. This was around 1982, so nearing the end of its production. He certainly moved to the west country with his family, from Nottingham in the early eighties. Irrespective, it still made both him and TD properly cool for a period
Ellis is a famous name in Raleigh history as one of the founders of the business - I wonder if your teacher was a descendent?
"How did it begin? In 1888, when Frank Bowden, a lawyer who had grown rich speculating on the stock exchange, bought a bike from a small Nottingham business called Woodhead, Angois and Ellis to help him recover from ill health. Bowden was so impressed by his purchase that he bought Ellis's shares and eventually took full control the company, renaming it after the Raleigh brand that the original owners had established. The name was based on its location: Raleigh Street."
cyberknight
As long as I breathe, I attack.
- Location
- Land of confusion
Me too , did you have lots of cardboard clappers on the back wheel
dan_bo
How much does it cost to Oldham?
I didn't have a grifter i went from my tomahawk to my 10 speed raleigh ace.
Ahead of my time i was.
Ahead of my time i was.
dan_bo
How much does it cost to Oldham?
Not sure what's happened since mind.
Mrs M
Guru
- Location
- Aberdeenshire
outlash
also available in orange
- Location
- ice station zebra
Never had one, but a mate did and we used to take turns to do what I now know to be TT's on it (once round the block). IIRC second gear was known as 'slip gear' due to it not engaging properly. Cue a few evenings going home with claret running down the legs....
daysnways
Senior Member
- Location
- Wolverhampton
I had the XL, then BMX hit, everyone else was riding Mongooses or Burners, the older boys on their Bianchi's.
andyfraser
Über Member
- Location
- Bristol
I often went home bleeding after a day out on my Grifter, mostly because we would insist on seeing how fast we could corner and I would have to push the bike so far down I'd fall off.
mjr
Comfy armchair to one person & a plank to the next
- Location
- mostly Norfolk, sometimes Somerset
Your gear cable was adjusted wrong. It's quite easy to get it right, but few people seemed to know and we didn't have this forum back then, so it helped give 3 speeds an unwarranted bad reputation.
FrankCrank
Old layabout
....this is all bringing back 'happy' memories of my Raleigh Chopper, circa '71 if I recall correctly. That gear lever position and those false neutrals - we really had to suffer for our fashion accessories back then. Used to jump ramps and stuff, as you do, and cracked the frame, but got it welded. No doubt it's residing in Chopper heaven now, sadly missed. Here's one in the same colour - wish it was mine 
I never had one as we lived in the states at the time so I had a diamondback bmx that I brought back to the UK. Then I went into a falcon eddy merxx that I got for passing my cycling proficiency test. I never rode a small wheel bike after that. My brother got the bmx and eventually got a pk ripper with white skyways.
