The Retro Bike Thread (Burners, Choppers, Grifters etc...)

[SublevelStudios]

As a child of the 70's and 80's I truly believe I had the best childhood. Free of 'social' media, the very start of the technological revolution, TV and Cinema was AWESOME, children still played with toys that didn't need batteries and kids actually played in the street. Bikes played a huge part of my childhood, your bike was your freedom, to be able to be part of a gang, to venture beyond your street...

My favourite bike was my Raleigh Burner I had for Christmas in 1982. It was one of the first and gold and black with leatherette pads.

I've always ridden bikes whether they're road bikes or mountain bikes but had to give it up due to a shoulder injury. However, when my son started riding without stabilisers this summer I wanted to be able to ride alongside him so I looked into buying something cheap. A neighbour had just finished renovating a Mk1 Raleigh Burner (Blue frame with yellow mags) and that made my mind up.

So last week, from one of the FB groups dedicated to Raleigh Burners, I found this for £150 about 10 minutes away from my house:

A 2008 Anniversary Mag Burner. Clean enough but I always like to customise my bikes a bit so I stripped and cleaned from top to bottom. Touched the frame up where required, polished and waxed the **** out of it, oil and greased it. New white wall tyres, removed the hideous green and orange decals and went for just black, new layback seatpost and pedals and job done:

Has anyone else got a 'retro' ride or have memories of their bikes from the 70's and 80's? Pics would be even better!

 

[peekaygee73]

That looks the business, you've definitely improved it.

My brother went on and on at my parents for a BMX, and ended up with a Burner. His was the yellow/blue one.

I had a Tomahawk (smaller version of the Chopper). It was a major disappointment at the time as, unlike the Chopper, it didn't have the gearstick. After that I graduated to a Grifter which was ace, cos my mates either had Strikers or Boxers - at least until the BMX craze kicked off. Man I loved that Grifter - I used to go all over on it! It was really difficult to pull any decent wheelies on in though as it weighed a ton!

When I started my paper round in the mid 80s I remember nagging for a racer, so I ended up with a Raleigh Equipe (black front forks, white body). That was amazing too, and I remember my Dad going on about looking after it cos it was very expensive... and the the feeling of dread when it got knocked over and scratched the paintwork after a couple of months :shock: :lol:

 

[SublevelStudios]

Grifters were affectionally known as 'TANKS' round where we lived :lol:

The next one up from the Grifter was the Raleigh Bomber. Remember those? With the curved frame?

I also recall the craze for 'Racers' once the BMX craze was over. That started my love for cycling in earnest. I had a gold Triumph Tempest loved every second on that bike

 

[BadMotivator]

Sweet. There's a massive market for retro BMX that seems to growing all the time. I was mad into BMX and had all my original stuff in the loft until this year when I decided to cash in. You did a really nice job of making it spangly although personally I think the green stickers were rad!

 

[Grant]

Cool thread Dude. I had the baby blue coloured Grifter from new, Christmas 82. Virtually the same year EVERYONE else got BMX's. The grifter was a tank compared to BMX's. I always loved the look of the super tough Burner, gold with black Skyways. Seeing that Bomber above takes me back. 8)

 

[Robstyley]

Mate what a great thread.. this has brought back a lot of memories. You're right, your bike was everything when you were a kid, I was always on mine. It was the equivalent of your car today and you could cover a few miles in a matter of minutes.

The first bike I really remember well was my Raleigh Striker, I got it for Christmas in the early 80's. It was metallic green and they had a big rubbery seat. I remember seeing it wrapped next to the Christmas tree, I was chuffed as **** when I got that. We had a massive garden in those days and I turned it into a track. Also used to build jump ramps with a takeoff ramp and a landing ramp gradually moving them further apart. Used to spend all day doing that ****.

A couple of years later when the BMX craze hit I got a BMX, I don't know which model it was but it had a red frame with yellow grips, seat and tyres. I don't think I stopped riding it constantly for about a month. There was a really good BMX track down the road from my house (in Rayleigh Essex) and we used to pretty much live down there for a few years. Everyone was into BMX at that time, literally everyone. Later on I built a custom one with a Haro frame and bits I bought off other kids.

That bike looks wicked mate. I almost forgot they had all the pads and that in them days! And the mags. Well cool

 

[x-pack]

I must be retarded because I didn't learn to ride a bike until I was about 8 or 9 First bike was a Murray BMX. Quite a decent make. In my teens I sold the wheels for a fortune as they were some decent make. But anyway I got that bike aged around 5 or 6 and could never ride the damned thing so just put in away rather than continue to be frustrated.

Second bike was a Raleigh Mustang, the black and white one. That was ace. Had it until I moved to London in 2003 and some bastird stole it :x At one point I put a BMX wheel on the front. Cool for wheelies

But re: Raleigh Burners - a couple of years ago I was looking for the red, white and blue model and found three on eBay, all from the same seller who lives down the road from me. Didn't buy one in the end but it turns out that seller used to own my Mk2 Escort! Small world eh?

I think I had a BMX with Tange ARX forks and Skyway mags. No idea what the frame was. Always wanted an Ammaco Splitop or Mongoose California 8)

 

[spoons]

That burner looks excellent - used to love burners as a lad.

I had a Pro Star made by Diamondback. Always thought of it as a cheap bike as my mates had redlines but looking back it was great

My friends dad started up Wycombe Wasps and got a course built just off the M40. Before that we used to go to Hemel Hempstead - I was always in the slow lane :lol:

I had a second hand grifter before that - one of the early ones, it was so heavy

Bought my lad a Mongoose recently - did my first bunny hop in a very long time only this weekend :?

 

[peekaygee73]

Bloody hell, I'd completely forgot about Raleigh Bombers!!

We had a BMX track built in our village too. I tried it once on my Grifter - never again. They definitely deserved the 'tank' nickname!

 

[aussiejames]

Was it pigcity that had bikes as well?

 

[x-pack]

Hey I love that Dredd cut out Mark. Didn't see that one at the weekend 8)

 

[Cazza]

Grifters were affectionally known as 'TANKS' round where we lived :lol:

The next one up from the Grifter was the Raleigh Bomber. Remember those? With the curved frame?

Had a blue Bomber. Was way too big for me to begin with, but loved it!

 

[SublevelStudios]

Hey I love that Dredd cut out Mark. Didn't see that one at the weekend 8)

It was tucked away mate. I'm a massive 2000ad fan, Dredd, Rogue Trooper, DR & Qunich and Strontium Dog were my fave strips. This is the same cut out that I remember being in my local comic book shop, Fantasy World (RIP) in Hanley. It stood there for years and I always wanted it. When this popped up on ebay I had to have it!

 

[x-pack]

Hey I love that Dredd cut out Mark. Didn't see that one at the weekend 8)

It was tucked away mate. I'm a massive 2000ad fan, Dredd, Rogue Trooper, DR & Qunich and Strontium Dog were my fave strips. This is the same cut out that I remember being in my local comic book shop, Fantasy World (RIP) in Hanley. It stood there for years and I always wanted it. When this popped up on ebay I had to have it!

I love Dredd as well. Got back into it recently after seeing the film. Read a few of the graphic novelizations - America, Case Files 5, The Pit and a few more. Love these

 

[_Lee_]

Anyone remember the Strikers

I remember riding round with my best mate all day on a Saturday pretending we were John and Ponch :lol: My brother had the Grifter and used to bend the mudguard over the trye so it sounded like a motorbike

First BMX i got was a Mongoose but it got pinched. I remember there was a guy around in the 80,s who was one of the top BMX guys in the UK - think his name was Andy but forgotten the surname.

 

[Grant]

Andy Ruffell. Didn't he ride a white Burner ?. Possibly the Andy Ruffel model. Had a tiny bit of blue red and yellow at the front. Could be wrong...

 

[edd_jedi]

Slightly younger than you guys so I was a kid of the mid-late 80s and early 90s, but my first proper bike was one of these:

Can't find a photo of my exact one but it was green and had white plastic (star-x?) wheels. I then get sucked in to the mountain bike craze of the mid 90s after that.

 

[spoons]

Andy Ruffell. Didn't he ride a white Burner ?. Possibly the Andy Ruffel model. Had a tiny bit of blue red and yellow at the front. Could be wrong...

it was indeed - should still have an old bmx book with him in somewhere

 

[Bootyhunter]

A 2008 Anniversary Mag Burner. Clean enough but I always like to customise my bikes a bit so I stripped and cleaned from top to bottom. Touched the frame up where required, polished and waxed the **** out of it, oil and greased it. New white wall tyres, removed the hideous green and orange decals and went for just black, new layback seatpost and pedals and job done:

Has anyone else got a 'retro' ride or have memories of their bikes from the 70's and 80's? Pics would be even better!

The bike looks great but there's one thing that's been bothering me..
How the hell did you get the back of your head in the second photo? :lol: :lol:

 

[Robstyley]

If that's his head he needs to bic that ****! I think that's his knee man.. :lol: