Raleigh Grifter

[mjr]

Oh! This is something of a revelation, I did wonder why on earth so many grifters had 'slip gear'. I suffered so many genital discourtesies thanks to slip gear that I was genuinely surprised when it turned out I didn't lose the ability to father children.

Neutral should have been between middle and top, but if the cable works loose or is set slightly too loose, it'll slip from middle to neutral under pressure... such as standing on pedals like kids do more... and wobbling a grip shifter like the Grifter's encourages that too. Not the ideal setup for a child's bike. The redesigned "no intermediate gear" version would have been better, but wasn't introduced until the 90s.

Shimano never had neutral on their three speeds but I read that their early ones didn't like rough treatment so maybe it would have been worse... at least SA3's tend to survive abuse... which reminds me that mine needs oil.

 

[Mark Lawless]

I know I've posted this in another Grifter thread, but it is a fun photo!

THAT is a quality photo, and in so many ways represents the shape my first Grifter was in when I had finished with it!!

 

[Mark Lawless]

Here's how the most recent acquisition looks at the moment. I'll be bringing it back to life over the next few months :

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1

 

[Andrew_Culture]

THAT is a quality photo, and in so many ways represents the shape my first Grifter was in when I had finished with it!!

I remember how I did it. I was hurtling down a long hill and turned right onto the estate I lived on. The estate was still being build and didn't have proper roads. Half way through the turn the front wheel slipped on some sand and instead of turning the corner I slammed into a foot high kerb with the wheel at a forty five degree angle to the frame. I continued to ride the bike for about another six months!

 

[Andrew_Culture]

My next bike did not react so well to a similar experience I had:

 

[simon the viking]

My next bike did not react so well to a similar experience I had:

Go on...... I'll say it then..............................................











Chain looks slack.....

 

[FrankCrank]

My next bike did not react so well to a similar experience I had:

.....if that was a horse I'd shoot it.........heh heh, I see it's a mustang.........

 

[Mark Lawless]

I remember how I did it. I was hurtling down a long hill and turned right onto the estate I lived on. The estate was still being build and didn't have proper roads. Half way through the turn the front wheel slipped on some sand and instead of turning the corner I slammed into a foot high kerb with the wheel at a forty five degree angle to the frame. I continued to ride the bike for about another six months!

I was barrelling down a hill too, only I was in a field (we lived near a small village in the country), and making good speed too for a grass run! Unfortunately at the end of the hill, in some longer grass, there was a large hole where a rock had been dug out, which unluckily for me was somewhat larger than a 20" wheel. Bent the forks and the wheel, and then bent the rear of the frame when the bike landed on the rock which had previously been happily half buried in the hole.

We tried to straighten everything out, and borrowed a wheel from my Sister's Twenty, but the bearings had come out of the headset, and nothing lined up - so I did the decent thing and dumped it in the garage. After we stripped Michelle's bike of mudguards, basket, lights etc, that did me for a while until I built up an old racer frame. A few years later, I used my summer job money to buy a brand new Raleigh Stratos - large frame, dynamo lights, a carrier and panniers - awesome!

 

[mjr]

I'll be bringing it back to life over the next few months

In case it helps: illustrated guide to setting the shifter cable tension: http://workingoncycles.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/raleigh-twenty-sturmey-archer-gear.html

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I was barrelling down a hill too, only I was in a field (we lived near a small village in the country), and making good speed too for a grass run! Unfortunately at the end of the hill, in some longer grass, there was a large hole where a rock had been dug out, which unluckily for me was somewhat larger than a 20" wheel. Bent the forks and the wheel, and then bent the rear of the frame when the bike landed on the rock which had previously been happily half buried in the hole.

We tried to straighten everything out, and borrowed a wheel from my Sister's Twenty, but the bearings had come out of the headset, and nothing lined up - so I did the decent thing and dumped it in the garage. After we stripped Michelle's bike of mudguards, basket, lights etc, that did me for a while until I built up an old racer frame. A few years later, I used my summer job money to buy a brand new Raleigh Stratos - large frame, dynamo lights, a carrier and panniers - awesome!

Ha ha, brilliant!

 

[Mark Lawless]

In case it helps: illustrated guide to setting the shifter cable tension: http://workingoncycles.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/raleigh-twenty-sturmey-archer-gear.html

VERY useful - thank you very much!

 

[rogerzilla]

What's the maximum saddle height? Asking for a friend.

 

[Chris S]

What's the maximum saddle height? Asking for a friend.

Do you realize that this thread is 6 years old and the OP hasn't been on Cycle Chat since 2015?

 

[rogerzilla]

You want TWO Grifter threads?