I think all Raleigh Arenas were blue. I got mine around 1982 and it was my first "racer" and I got into all sorts of trouble on Christmas day with icy roads. Mine had a mileometer attached to the front forks. The frame mounted gear shift was great - 5 gears!! It was a grown-up departure from my Grifter. The only downside was that within the year all my friends were getting BMX bikes, and my poor Arena ended up rather the worse for wear after I attempted to keep up over the bumps and jumps.
BICYCLES
Raleigh Arena
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Do You Remember Raleigh Arena?
Do You Remember Raleigh Arena?
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Brent Taylor
on
Cracking site brings back some many treasured memories of my Raleigh Arena ice blue 5 speed!! I was 12 years old lived in Rochdale and my dad picked me up in his Vauxhall Viva we went to Manchester to Lewis store to collect my new bike which i had not seen!! we went up to the 5th floor and there it was amazing brand fire new we took it down in the lift and my dad put it in the boot and tied the boot lid down, I was the proudest son on the street..what a bike we went everywhere together and it never ever let me down wonderful days!!! Brent from Rochdale...
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robertfoster
on
I am looking for a 5 Speed Raleigh Arena of the years 1976 1977 1978 1979 with the original 5 speed freewheel sprockets on the back wheel.
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apethen
on
We all seem to have the same memories:
Metallic blue... Christmas or birthday present... Age 13 or so... Paper rounds and luggage racks... Dynamo lights... Awkward cross-bar incident... Only 5 gears...
BUT let's not forget, wonderful days as they were; the saddle was a bone shaker, the frame weighed a ton, and every bloody sod at school had one too!
Mine was painted black after a few years when I went in to my goth stage!
Andrew, Windsor, UK
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templa25
on
I think i might be the only one in the world to have A original 1978 Raleigh Arena for sale this site sure is great for remembering the old skool goods please feel free to email me on mk1man2000@yahoo.co.uk or call me on 0044 7765 719237 anytime can also send anyone as many photos as you requier
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151167weller
on
i had a brand new 10 speed arena in metallic green and its the best bike i ever had. it cost £77 and i remember takin £2 a week into the shop my dad gave me and putting in the xmas club. that was the longest year of my life. i bought my daughter a new bike a couple of years ago for £69 so in todays money the arena would have cost a fortune. cant beleive my dad bought it me
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Markio
on
Just cleaning up my Arena. It´s my second. My first I got from Halfords for £110 in Colchester in 1980 when I was 10. Must have cost my Dad a weeks wages at least! I loved the bike, did a 7.5 mile paper round on it very day. Grew too big for it in the end. The second I got off e-Bay and I smile like a cheshire cat when I sit on it!
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Action Man 1967
on
I found this whilst researching things I could remember from my childhood to use in my next novel set between 76-83 in England and my pride and joy back then was my Raleigh Arena (with added side stand and carrier, it was so solid and lasted for years. I remember the milometers because some kids would cheat to get a high mileage to impress, turn the bike upside down and just spin the wheel... we went round this boy's house and his dad said 'he's in the garage' where we found him doing just that.... haha all kudos gone in an instant!
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anthony odonnell
on
guy in donegal selling one for30euros blue 5 speed i am considering wish it was 10 speed
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bleep
on
My Arena is currently being preserved under years of dust in my Dads garage and is mint. If the producers of Ashes to Ashes are reading this; then make me an offer and lets talk numbers.
I too got my Arena just before the BMX era. The dual lever brakes are cool even now. I fitted a water bottle holder - aah the taste of plasticky warm water takes me back....
Everybody raves about the chopper when everyone knows the holy trinity of boys bikes was Raleigh's Tomahawk / Grifter / Arena
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karlorton
on
The Raleigh Arena that takes me back. Like all things in the 1970's & 1980's before the days of health and safety these bikes were a death trap. I thought I was the only person who nearly died while a Raleigh Arena, but reading the posts here seems that nearly everyone who rode one of these bikes had a near death experience.
I am not saying that a near death experience is a bad thing, far from it! They were character building and never stopped me from riding down yet another step hill with a Safeways plastic bag swinging from the handle bars just waiting to catch me off guard and dive in amongst the spokes, catapulting me over the handle bars into broken glass and gravel.
Those were the days!
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