Raleigh Activator I / II appreciation thread

God, there was a mk2?!

Mk1 was a hardtail, the Mk2 was a full sus.......sort of, rear elastomer/rubber shock maybe gave a couple of inches travel but totally unadjustable.

I'm going to have to work hard to avoid bad-mouthing these 'machines'.


I picked one up cheap('vator 1') to get it out of my system, the curiosity i mean, of how they really perform.

HORRID, truly horrid.

The odd forward offset on the forks made the steering really 'grabby' at the bars...that were too short and bull-horn by design. crap sis thumbies that would not hold mech resistance no matter what i did to remedy that. So i the cassette ghost shifted to sprocket 7 every 10 mins.

Got a puncture...ok, to be attributed to any bike with inner tube/tyre setup. No, the nutted back wheel was a git to remove as the nuts were rounding off even with park tools. We eventually got it off and replaced the tube but, the trails were filthy wet and it just wasn't fun at all replacing that tube.

So, thats the 'built to last' and solid and reliable theory well put away. I'm up to my elbows in filth on most rides but, the 'vator just made it ten times worse.

That very day, the whole bike was left out for the scrap guys.


happy days and fond memories of changing a tube, activator style in bad conditions. :facepalm:

First bike shop I worked in sold these in massive quantities.

I always used to try and talk people out of it because I know who was going to have to unload the next shipment....

A great success for Raleigh & Halfrauds no doubt, but utterly toss for anyone used to riding a proper bike.

The one I had a go on just had a cripplingly short top tube which just made it unrideable for me, the rear suspension was nothing but a joke. Can someone confirm the amount of rear travel? It was literally a couple mm wasnt it, despite the weight penalty. Sadly I just can't even grasp why they get a mention on here - I really would rather walk.

I had a suspension fork one for a few years as a ride to work bike. I once got to Leeds City Centre and found that I'd forgotten my lock so I had to leave it unchained in the bike racks outside the City Station. When I came back it was still there.

I think the last time I used it was on a tow path ride from Leeds to Skip a few years ago and after that I never used it, never got it out and never looked at it. Eventually I gave it away to "The Shouty Lady" [Two Tone knows who I mean]. She later told me that a car crashed into her on the A650 and the written off bike had to be destroyed but I don't believe her, I think it was the car that got sent to the crusher and the bike lives on refusing to die.

Not a brilliant bike and for comparable money you could have brought something better like an Outpost or a Marin Bolinas Ridge but I found it hard to dislike it.

"The Shouty Lady" [Two Tone knows who I mean].


Crickey, the woman can barely walk in a straight line, let alone handle a 'vator The high-viz would have saved her bacon during that incident

fair comment though. The activator is a part of man on street bike shop fayre, like it or not it is nailed in the history books. :shock:

Working in the 5Star dealership in the 90's and carrying them up 4 floors of stairs by the wagon load to be stored for Xmas made me appreciate my Raleigh ..... Kalahari.

marc two tone":2xw9mmpj said:

"The Shouty Lady" [Two Tone knows who I mean].


Crickey, the woman can barely walk in a straight line, let alone handle a 'vator The high-viz would have saved her bacon during that incident

fair comment though. The activator is a part of man on street bike shop fayre, like it or not it is nailed in the history books. :shock:

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Are we talking about Keighley Road Kath? Saw her today around Cononley Lane Ends, no hi viz though.

minor_LEGEND":ho10ta7w said:

A great success for Raleigh & Halfrauds no doubt, but utterly toss for anyone used to riding a proper bike.

The one I had a go on just had a cripplingly short top tube which just made it unrideable for me, the rear suspension was nothing but a joke. Can someone confirm the amount of rear travel? It was literally a couple mm wasnt it, despite the weight penalty. Sadly I just can't even grasp why they get a mention on here - I really would rather walk.

Click to expand...

I dont know why they get a mention here either but apparently people get upset if you tell them how '_____' they are and what an '____' they were for saying that they were any good.