80s Raleigh BMX - what was it called?
Discussion
pdV6 said:
I had one of these as a kid:
pic of tomahawk
pic of tomahawk
i had a tomahawk before my striker, was a 2nd hand bike but still rode it to death.(didnt have gears and was blue)
amazingly a shop in town called 'retro buys' sells all 70's and 80's stuff, they were selling original choppers years before the re-release models and at one time they had a tomahawk in, i couldnt get over how small they now look, when youre about 5 or 6 they were huge bikes
he wanted something like £120 for it and it wasnt mint, rusty as hell 
i was still a bit tempted to buy it and have it as an ornament in my house somewhere
but it seemed a bit dear for the condition.
as kids we were on our bikes day and night but nowadays the kids around where i live dont tend to ride bikes half as much as back then.
computers and games consoles have had a say in it i suppose
Edited by kermitman on Thursday 12th April 15:02
kermitman said:
pdV6 said:
I had one of these as a kid:
pic of tomahawk
pic of tomahawk
i had a tomahawk before my striker, was a 2nd hand bike but still rode it to death.(didnt have gears and was blue)
amazingly a shop in town called 'retro buys' sells all 70's and 80's stuff, they were selling original choppers years before the re-release models and at one time they had a tomahawk in, i couldnt get over how small they now look, when youre about 5 or 6 they were huge bikes
he wanted something like £120 for it and it wasnt mint, rusty as hell i was still a bit tempted to buy it and have it as an ornament in my house somewhere but it seemed a bit dear for the condition.
as kids we were on our bikes day and night but nowadays the kids around where i live dont tend to ride bikes half as much as back then.
computers and games consoles have had a say in it i suppose
Edited by kermitman on Thursday 12th April 15:02
www.re-buy-cycle.co.uk/details.php?id=144
Now that would be a stunning ornament.
sarkmeister said:
are you tempted then? £200 seems a bit steep, would the plastic have yellowed much?
Never heard of one of those but this thread is bringing back all sorts of BMX memories that have been dormant for over 20 years.
I remember my Candy Apple red Team Mongoose with yellow Skyway Tuffs (friends called it Roobarb and Custard). Loved that bike. Used to bunk onto the train from Southampton to Portsmouth to ride Southsea skatepark on it. Wrecked myself so often in the big bowl it wasn't funny.
I then had a Diamondback Silver Streak for a short while but that got pinched as did the CW frame and forks that I built up with ACS Z-rims, CW bars and a secondhand pair of Redline Flight cranks. My last BMX I won in a competition at Halfrauds. It was the top of the line Raleigh Burner, the Aero Pro. Being a bit of a badge snob at 15, I got it home, stripped the stickers off it and put a set of Skyway decals on it. I also swapped the Araya Aero rims for black Tuffs.
Somewhat unbelievably, I swapped that bike for one of these.
Yes, it's a Raleigh Bomber. For shame.
I remember my Candy Apple red Team Mongoose with yellow Skyway Tuffs (friends called it Roobarb and Custard). Loved that bike. Used to bunk onto the train from Southampton to Portsmouth to ride Southsea skatepark on it. Wrecked myself so often in the big bowl it wasn't funny.
I then had a Diamondback Silver Streak for a short while but that got pinched as did the CW frame and forks that I built up with ACS Z-rims, CW bars and a secondhand pair of Redline Flight cranks. My last BMX I won in a competition at Halfrauds. It was the top of the line Raleigh Burner, the Aero Pro. Being a bit of a badge snob at 15, I got it home, stripped the stickers off it and put a set of Skyway decals on it. I also swapped the Araya Aero rims for black Tuffs.
Somewhat unbelievably, I swapped that bike for one of these.
Yes, it's a Raleigh Bomber. For shame.
Edited by bad_roo on Friday 27th April 09:36
great seeing all these pics, going back to my yoof' too as a red burner kid.Does anyone remember a bike i think was called "Danny Cross"....matt black, silver cast aluminium wheels like eight spokes crossed, front and rear suspension to look like a motocross bike, gold mudguards raised a couple of inches above the tyres.Out about the same time as the grifter?I'll try find a photo but i thought it was rare when i had it as a teenager.
I've only ever seen one since then.....in Afganistan of all places!
I've only ever seen one since then.....in Afganistan of all places!
class! ^^^ thats my new desktop wallpaper
I had a Raleigh Chopper "Jaguar" special edition, with black paint, gold decals and whitewalls!
My favourite bike was my PK Ripper, Diacompe 2 finger brakes, Skyway Tuff 2's, Helicopter headset and compact disc chainset. My brother-in-law still has those rims and my old Haro Freestyler frame in his shed!
I remember as kids we had set up a ramp out of an old door we found and my mates brother Phil hoons up on his chopper, hits the ramp square on and it just slid off the cinder blocks and he ended up doing a massive endo and ending up in hospital with 3 missing teeth and concussion!
Anyone remember those pushies that looked like a motorbike, had proper squishy shocks on the back and front too, weighed a ton as well.
I had a Raleigh Chopper "Jaguar" special edition, with black paint, gold decals and whitewalls!
My favourite bike was my PK Ripper, Diacompe 2 finger brakes, Skyway Tuff 2's, Helicopter headset and compact disc chainset. My brother-in-law still has those rims and my old Haro Freestyler frame in his shed!
I remember as kids we had set up a ramp out of an old door we found and my mates brother Phil hoons up on his chopper, hits the ramp square on and it just slid off the cinder blocks and he ended up doing a massive endo and ending up in hospital with 3 missing teeth and concussion!
Anyone remember those pushies that looked like a motorbike, had proper squishy shocks on the back and front too, weighed a ton as well.
The Striker must have changed somewhat. I had a black one around 1979-80. It looked like a bmx before they even came out. To say raleigh were late to bmx may be a bit misleading. From my perspective, particuarly looking at the styling and dates, they seems to have started or influenced bmx in the first place.
A popular rayleigh bmx round my way in the 80's had yellow mag wheels and a blue frame. What was that called?
A popular rayleigh bmx round my way in the 80's had yellow mag wheels and a blue frame. What was that called?
raceboy said:
I had one of these.....
Grifter XL, then came the slippery slope of BMX, which I still ride, never had a Burner as they were very heavy and very badly made, and had terrible angles for racing.
Grifter XL, then came the slippery slope of BMX, which I still ride, never had a Burner as they were very heavy and very badly made, and had terrible angles for racing.
This is just one of the things I remember as being far more butch the first time round!
KUB3 said:
A popular rayleigh bmx round my way in the 80's had yellow mag wheels and a blue frame. What was that called?
That was the Tuff Burner, next model up was the Super Tuff which got you black Skyways and a gold frame, but everyone peeled the gold coating off to get at the chrome underneath.
Thanks for the picture - that's the one. Except everyone I knew removed the pads from new. That brings back so many memories!
On the bmx theme - what are the best 24" wheels bmx available today? I saw a haro like this but it seemed too cheap to be top notch. Suprising, as haro used to be the most expensive back in the day. I now I started the other thread about 24" mtb, but the bmx are making me feel all warm and fuzzy - ahh!
On the bmx theme - what are the best 24" wheels bmx available today? I saw a haro like this but it seemed too cheap to be top notch. Suprising, as haro used to be the most expensive back in the day. I now I started the other thread about 24" mtb, but the bmx are making me feel all warm and fuzzy - ahh!
KUB3 said:
On the bmx theme - what are the best 24" wheels bmx available today? I saw a haro like this but it seemed too cheap to be top notch. Suprising, as haro used to be the most expensive back in the day.
Haro are very much a budget brand these days, selling only complete bikes to the 'kids market' the big names from the 80's are all like this now, GT are just as bad, cheaply made kit sold at the Halfords end of the market.
If you've been out of BMX for a few years the big names now you'll never have heard of, I think the only one to still be making top flight stuff is S&M.
As for 24" wheels I ride Sunn BFR's but Alex do a 24" rim.
RedCabbage said:
Met Eddie Fiola at a freestyle demo - genius.
He's now a pro Hollywood stuntman.
KUB3 said:
What are the best new 24" bmx brands then?
Depends really on what sort of rider you are and how deep your pockets are...
The We The People cruiser looks good and there wouldn't be too many bits that would really need changing.
The DK looks a bargin and after losing the front brake would look a nice bike.
Dave Mirra's new company Mirraco have a 24" in the range that looks good for the money but Mirra's never really been 'cool' so on that front I'm sure about this one.
Slightly left field but quite cool and I ride an SE Floval Flyer sometimes so for that reason I'd recomend one but this Se Racing 26" 'BMX' is something a little different.
All the pre-built's would idealy require a few changes to get them riding A1 but most bits you could upgrade as and when they break/bend.
If your pockets are a little deeper though I'd start with something like this S&M team it with the matching bars then other than some forks and 24" wheels/tyres everything is stock 20"
Are felt any good?
Look at this puppy:
www.alansbmx.com/product_info.php?products_id=1121
I also love these forks:
www.winstanleysbmx.com/index.html?pageTitle=Marzocchi_Pro_Lite_24Inch_BMX_Forks_2007&pageDesc=This_Lightweight_Racing_Fork_features_a_Unique_Patented_ILoc_Integrated_Leg_Crown_System_The_extrude&action=detail&maincatID=0&catID=&prodID=10061&brandID=
Look at this puppy:
www.alansbmx.com/product_info.php?products_id=1121
I also love these forks:
www.winstanleysbmx.com/index.html?pageTitle=Marzocchi_Pro_Lite_24Inch_BMX_Forks_2007&pageDesc=This_Lightweight_Racing_Fork_features_a_Unique_Patented_ILoc_Integrated_Leg_Crown_System_The_extrude&action=detail&maincatID=0&catID=&prodID=10061&brandID=
Felt make a good frame, the other stuff is very race specific, if you don't actually plan on going racing theres no point spending money on weight saving, I'd rather have something that will crash well at the expense of a few lbs.
All boils down to what you plan on riding and what sort of rider you are.
All boils down to what you plan on riding and what sort of rider you are.
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