Trying to remember my first bike

Rilot · 11 Mar 2009 at 10:06

Some of you old-timers might remember this bike. I can't remember what it was called exactly although Raleigh Sidewinder seems to ring a bell.

It was a late 70s-early 80s BMX bike but had some very odd features such as drum brakes in the wheels and a 5-speed derailleur gearset. I removed the derailleur and converted it to be a single speed so I could jump without the chain falling off.

The bike had a red frame and the wheels were a sort of silvery grey.

Anyone got any ideas what exactly it was?

Paul11 · 11 Mar 2009 at 10:07

Grifter ?

http://lickerish.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/grifter.jpg

edit:

and whilst were going down memory lane , chopper anyone ?

http://www.geocities.com/chopperama/neilsprismatic.jpg

Shoei · 11 Mar 2009 at 10:33

Raleigh Chipper was mine, back in either '75 or '76.
Cant remember many bikes back, everyone want a Chopper.

ALLI · 11 Mar 2009 at 12:39

Chopper was my first ride. Then a BMX. Then I fitted the chopper wheel to my BMX and had 3 speed sturmney archer ***! Made those epic all day BMX rides a little more fun!

First mountain bike was an MBK back in umm... 91/92. Damn that sounds a long time ago. been riding since I was old enough to pedal a trike!

Rilot · 11 Mar 2009 at 12:39

Nah, wasn't a Grifter. It had sorta plastic mag-wheels.

I went from the mystery BMX to a Raleigh Olympus 5-speed racer thing.
Then an Emelle Leopard 10-speed mountain bike (little more than a racer with knobbly tyres).
After that I got my first proper mountain bike, a Saracen Eiger Competition Pro.
Then I got in to motorbikes and haven't ridden for a while..... until now. I have a Focus Highland Peak.

Shoei · 11 Mar 2009 at 13:00

ALLI said:
First mountain bike was an MBK back in umm... 91/92. Damn that sounds a long time ago. been riding since I was old enough to pedal a trike!

My first Mountain bike was a Rockhopper back in '87. Chainstay U-brakes and SIS gearing along with bio-pace chain rings.

Rilot · 11 Mar 2009 at 14:48

Shoei said:
My first Mountain bike was a Rockhopper back in '87. Chainstay U-brakes and SIS gearing along with bio-pace chain rings.

SiS wasn't invented when I had my first mountain bike. I rekon I got the Emelle in 1984 or there abouts.

Shoei · 11 Mar 2009 at 15:10

Rilot said:
SiS wasn't invented when I had my first mountain bike. I rekon I got the Emelle in 1984 or there abouts.

must have been later than that.
Dont remember seeing Emmelle till a few years after the Muddy Foxes and Specialized had been about but my grey matter is seriously flawed at the moment.

Damn good site here though http://mombat.org/MOMBAT/bike_list.html lots of bikes on there i lusted after in the late '80s

ALLI · 11 Mar 2009 at 18:57

Biopace. Yuck. The source of so many knee problems!

Interestingly, I saw a company advertising a crank with "ovalised rings" in this months WMB mag.

Was the OP on about a Raleigh Vekta? Kind of a futuristic BMX with added sound effects and digital display IIRC

Rilot · 11 Mar 2009 at 20:40

Hehe, I remember those, but no.

My brain wants to say Magnum but I think that was an early mountain bike. Sidewinder definately sounds right to me. They were pretty rare back in the day due to being so hideously expensive.

Rilot · 11 Mar 2009 at 21:04

Ahha, found it!
http://bmxmuseum.com/bikes/schauff/10308

It was a 1979 Velo Schauff Magnum
4 speed. Drum brakes. What a piece of junk.

I knew Magnum rang a bell. Guess I was getting it confused with the Raliegh Burner Magnum from the same era.