Ive just been sat looking at some old pictures and saw my birthday when I received a Raleigh Activator.

It was massively too big for me but I guess like shoes I was meant to grow into it (I never did to this day).

What was the first bike you properly wanted and got?

Still got it… My Carrera Krakatoa. My mates all had Activator 2s so getting a rigid bike was a bit of a controversial move but as it turned out, Activator 2s were appalling.

I had a Raleigh Marauder before that but it was a definate kids bike, the Krak was a proper bike, with proper purple metallic paint and a flexstem and big mad cowhorn bars and indexing at both ends, and Smoke and Dart, and a whole 21 gears… Mint.

Think my activator might still be in my parents shed, thought it was the best thing since sliced bread when I got it, looking at it now it weights a ton and the suspension was about as effective as a chocolate tea pot.

Ha I know. It was useless. I got a Raleigh Max in bright purple after that with rigid forks.

I had a magnum styler bmx. It was awesome and was given a book called BMX moves at the same time. Was only a nipper but remember trying to surf on the saddle bars, could only have been about 7-8 at the time. Never really had a lust for a bike as such since.

I had a diamondback sorrento was gr8 at the time

A Raleigh Mustang was my first All Terrain Bike (as stated on the frame) and I loved it, although it was getting that which made me really want a Dawes Kickback a few years later.

It was a much lighter Reynolds tubed, Deore 400LX specced bike in purple/magenta and it made a 14-year-old debaser very happy.

Raleigh Activator was my first proper MTB too. Hated it and bought a Trek7000 a month later………then a Cannondale V2000 a month after that…………….. 🙄

Raleigh Outland with bullhorn bars. I saw one which had become a zombie bike outside Norwich station last year.

I don’t remember it looking so farm gate though.