What to do with it?

[Jody]

I was browsing t’interweb the other night as I wanted a new frame needed for a project build and ended up coming across a bike that brought back some memories. My parents took me to our local bike shop in the early 90’s as I was desperate for a Rayleigh Activator at Christmas. Whilst there the shop assistant advised that it wouldn’t hold up to any serious use and would be better to go for something more suited. It was a struggle but managed to convince my parents that the upgrade would be worth it. I have no doubt that I wouldn’t have ridden as much or had the same passion if the Activator materialised, hence the special place it holds. It’s low in the hierarchy of GT bikes for that year so it’s not worth a deal.

Difficulty is that I have no real need for the bike and I’m at a loss of what to do with it. It would have been used as a modded winter hack but it still has the factory tyres, brake blocks, cables etc and has been barely ridden since new so seems a shame. But on the other hand it was a bargain that even @SkipdiverJohn would have been proud of so why be precious with it. I thought about stripping it and hanging the frame/forks in my shed due to it’s slightly whacky paint scheme. Re-purpose it with some modern tech. Sell it on. Who knows?

So I am after some inspiration. What would you do with it?

 

[tom73]

Keep it , enjoy it and use it for them days that we all have when we need to really remember why we love to ride.
I'd love to find one of my old bikes that like you made me fall in love with life on 2 wheels.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

Keep it , enjoy it and use it for them days that we all have when we need to really remember why we love to ride.
I'd love to find one of my old bikes that like you made me fall in love with life on 2 wheels.

^^^ This ^^^
I wish I could get my hands on a Raleigh Equipe (or at least had the money for one). I loved riding that bike when I was a lot younger. Suicide brakes and all...

 

[Jody]

@tom73 I already have a 90's Hope Ti front wheel, some XTR kit, middleburn chainrings etc lying around. I could do it like my original but the rear mech alone would be worth more than twice what I paid for the bike

 

[Electric_Andy]

If you have the space, keep it. I remember my first mountain bike (Emmelle Dakota 1992). The memories it brings back are of me in the saddle, not of me looking at it. But if you don't want to use it, or get rid, then spray with WD and mount it on a wall somewhere

 

[kenam]

I just went off looking for my 90s townsend mountain bike / hybrid (before hybrid was thing) with weird bull bar extensions on the flat handlebars. Must have been about 12 when I got it!

Alas nothing, and I seen the exact same one in dark olive green on another forum a couple of years back


I went for many happy miles on that thing!


yes - keep it - take it out now and again!

 

[Jody]

If you have the space, keep it.

Space. What’s that I am quickly running out of space and I haven’t even started building my new bike yet.

 

[DCLane]

New brake pads, cables possibly, chain possibly. This is my all-original GT which to date has had a mudguard plus spiked tyres for this winter:

 

[Drago]

Stick it on Retrovikes for sale.

 

[Gunk]

Just keep it. I’ve recently restored a vintage French kids bike and it’s of no use to anyone in the family, but it’s going up on the wall in the garage as I just can’t bring myself to sell it. It’s just a nice thing to own.



That Raleigh is the same, it’s just nice to keep.

 

[Jody]

Love that @DCLane

 

[Jody]

Stick it on Retrovikes for sale.

I have some stuff I could do with sticking on Retrobike but can't bring myself to put this on yet. Still got to get rid of my old Scott Neva and a Coyote DH first.

 

[boydj]

Donate it to a cycle charity and give somebody a chance to enjoy it.

 

[Gunk]

Donate it to a cycle charity and give somebody a chance to enjoy it.

great idea

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

The way I look at it, a real bargain bike is no more than the cost of a few beers, and even if you don't use it that much, it doesn't matter because you haven't got a ton of cash tied up in it, and furthermore it isn't going to depreciate and lose you money because it's value has already hit rock bottom.
All you are really foregoing is a few pitiful pennies that you could have earned in interest if the money was in the bank not in a bike. Say you take £20 out of the bank and buy a bike with it. You're lucky to get 1% interest on instant access cash, so the bike is costing you 20p a year in lost interest to own if nothing needs doing to it.
Now I'm generally a fan of Raleighs, at least the Nottingham-built ones, but I reckon you dodged a bullet by going for the GT. I don't think the Activator, or worse still the full-sus Activator 2, was one of Raleigh's better creations...