Raleigh Activator I / II appreciation thread

brocklanders023":2ukylbz9 said:

I agree with the above. The Mustang and Lizard were honest bikes on a budget. The Activators were trying to be something they were not.

First MTB (Should that be ATB?) I ever had a go on was a Mustang and I thought it was amazing. From that point on I had to have a MTB. Luckily by the time I could afford one I'd worked out that I needed to aim a bit higher and save a bit more. My sister got a Lizard I think and from memory it was a level above the Mustang :?

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drcarlos":fs06lowg said:

brocklanders023":fs06lowg said:

I agree with the above. The Mustang and Lizard were honest bikes on a budget. The Activators were trying to be something they were not.

First MTB (Should that be ATB?) I ever had a go on was a Mustang and I thought it was amazing. From that point on I had to have a MTB. Luckily by the time I could afford one I'd worked out that I needed to aim a bit higher and save a bit more. My sister got a Lizard I think and from memory it was a level above the Mustang :?

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I think the Lizard replaced the Mustang SIS and was really just a re-paint of the earlier bike. The parts on the Mustang did evolve a lot from it's release where it started with the short SR BMX stem and risers and the one piece triple chainset with friction shift gears. Eventually getting the swanneck stem, flat bars, SIS gears and square taper triple chainset (it may have even been all alloy). The frame didn't really change though and stayed the same though the years, with the ATT23 tubing and ugly dropouts, BMX BB and headset.

Carl.

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drcarlos":1h186j2u said:

brocklanders023":1h186j2u said:

I agree with the above. The Mustang and Lizard were honest bikes on a budget. The Activators were trying to be something they were not.

First MTB (Should that be ATB?) I ever had a go on was a Mustang and I thought it was amazing. From that point on I had to have a MTB. Luckily by the time I could afford one I'd worked out that I needed to aim a bit higher and save a bit more. My sister got a Lizard I think and from memory it was a level above the Mustang :?

Click to expand...

I think the Lizard replaced the Mustang SIS and was really just a re-paint of the earlier bike. The parts on the Mustang did evolve a lot from it's release where it started with the short SR BMX stem and risers and the one piece triple chainset with friction shift gears. Eventually getting the swanneck stem, flat bars, SIS gears and square taper triple chainset (it may have even been all alloy). The frame didn't really change though and stayed the same though the years, with the ATT23 tubing and ugly dropouts, BMX BB and headset.

Carl.

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brocklanders023":11adelxe said:

drcarlos":11adelxe said:

brocklanders023":11adelxe said:

I agree with the above. The Mustang and Lizard were honest bikes on a budget. The Activators were trying to be something they were not.

First MTB (Should that be ATB?) I ever had a go on was a Mustang and I thought it was amazing. From that point on I had to have a MTB. Luckily by the time I could afford one I'd worked out that I needed to aim a bit higher and save a bit more. My sister got a Lizard I think and from memory it was a level above the Mustang :?

Click to expand...

I think the Lizard replaced the Mustang SIS and was really just a re-paint of the earlier bike. The parts on the Mustang did evolve a lot from it's release where it started with the short SR BMX stem and risers and the one piece triple chainset with friction shift gears. Eventually getting the swanneck stem, flat bars, SIS gears and square taper triple chainset (it may have even been all alloy). The frame didn't really change though and stayed the same though the years, with the ATT23 tubing and ugly dropouts, BMX BB and headset.

Carl.

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Think you're right mate. Thinking back I think my sister had the Mirage that was the same colour green as the Lizard. My mate had the blue Mirage the next year and it was his younger brother that had the Lizard. Something like that anyway.

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marc two tone":2xjkcb6i said:

I had a mustang way back. All aspects of what it was meant to be good at were poor, but it all worked and rarely let me down. I got on with no problem and upgraded to 200gs. You see, i were the poor kid, so if any of my mates got hold of 400LX or DX and suchlike, i would gain there cast-offs. Never complained In short, nowt wrong the mustang and the lizard is virtually the same thing.

Here's my point. The activator was raleighs' way of marketing 'new technology' to the masses. It was poorly designed and just didn't work like it was meant to do, according to the press. With a few tweaks i would take a lizard or mustang to the yorkshire moors where, a activator? no thanks busta!

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Chopper1192":xmsjkvuf said:

marc two tone":xmsjkvuf said:

I had a mustang way back. All aspects of what it was meant to be good at were poor, but it all worked and rarely let me down. I got on with no problem and upgraded to 200gs. You see, i were the poor kid, so if any of my mates got hold of 400LX or DX and suchlike, i would gain there cast-offs. Never complained In short, nowt wrong the mustang and the lizard is virtually the same thing.

Here's my point. The activator was raleighs' way of marketing 'new technology' to the masses. It was poorly designed and just didn't work like it was meant to do, according to the press. With a few tweaks i would take a lizard or mustang to the yorkshire moors where, a activator? no thanks busta!

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You were in a bad, bad place if 200GS was an upgrade for you!

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Neil":1t4fvt9k said:

drcarlos":1t4fvt9k said:

brocklanders023":1t4fvt9k said:

I agree with the above. The Mustang and Lizard were honest bikes on a budget. The Activators were trying to be something they were not.

First MTB (Should that be ATB?) I ever had a go on was a Mustang and I thought it was amazing. From that point on I had to have a MTB. Luckily by the time I could afford one I'd worked out that I needed to aim a bit higher and save a bit more. My sister got a Lizard I think and from memory it was a level above the Mustang :?

Click to expand...

I think the Lizard replaced the Mustang SIS and was really just a re-paint of the earlier bike. The parts on the Mustang did evolve a lot from it's release where it started with the short SR BMX stem and risers and the one piece triple chainset with friction shift gears. Eventually getting the swanneck stem, flat bars, SIS gears and square taper triple chainset (it may have even been all alloy). The frame didn't really change though and stayed the same though the years, with the ATT23 tubing and ugly dropouts, BMX BB and headset.

Carl.

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The one I had, had the kinda mottled lilac / pink paintjob, one piece chainset - but I'm pretty sure it was alloy (one of the parts I replaced with an alloy biopace chainset), and flat bars. Gears weren't indexed, but worked OK. Mine ended up with some mid-range Suntour thumbies (that were suprisingly nice quality) and XCD 6000 mechs.

The brakes worked suprisingly well, really, once alloy wheels were installed.

The antithesis of nimble, but they were pretty damned bombproof.

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Neil":2162d7j0 said:

Can't say as I remember the Mirage? The Montage was kind of mint green, had 501 tubing, alloy wheels, and Suntour XCD indexed gears.

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