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Raleigh Grifter

For a bicycle that was only manufactured for seven years (1976– 1983) the Raleigh Grifter has left a remarkable impression and is fondly remembered by people (OK, mostly men) of a certain age.

Pitched as the younger brother to the Chopper, it was a far more practical bike, even if it was very chunky and heavy. The stand-out feature was that the gears, all three of the blighters, were controlled from the handlebar grip, as close to a motorbike throttle as a 12-year-old was likely to get in the days before joyriding and petty vehicle theft.

Looking back, the Grifter was really a simplistic hybrid of a BMX and a mountain bike, and may have played a small part in the success of the latter in the years that followed. After riding a Grifter, the move up to a racer was not quite as satisfying.

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