Raleigh Commando - BMX???

[davevilla]

Just found this blast from the past on the 'bay - advertised as a BMX, obviously isn't. I think the designers who came up with this went to the same design school as the blokes who came up with the Austin Princess and other great engineering and design concepts of 70s Britain...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/VINTAGE-RALEIGH-COMMANDO-BMX-BIKE-1980s-OLD-SKOOL_W0QQitemZ180298868405QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item180298868405&_trkparms=72%3A1298%7C39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

[motomagII]

jees i had one of them bitd when i was little nipper

[brass monkey!]

I had an Orange one of those as a kid !!


Also, saw one in our local Tip, it with Camo paint - I should've blagged it, but the wife was banging on about me having too many BMX's in the house so best left where it was for a quiet life ! LOL !!

[davevilla]

I had an Orange one of those as a kid !!


Also, saw one in our local Tip, it with Camo paint - I should've blagged it, but the wife was banging on about me having too many BMX's in the house so best left where it was for a quiet life ! LOL !!

Shame mate - I remember the camouflaged edition. A kid on my street had one when everyone else had Burners and Mongoose bikes - he insisted his bike was better because the 'army used them', presumably as target practice?

Still a restored one would be ace I reckon 

[mark 2]

I had a camo Commando, that got traded for a Bomber when I was a bigger boy (from being fobbed off about  having a BMX, with a shopkeeper telling my dad you can only ride them on dirt tracks(!?) , 6 months of moaning got me a Night Burner....Happy memories of  the Commando though, was kinda the smaller boys Grifter. Think they retailed for about £60.  The pictured one had the Sturmey Archer throttle gears like a Grifter and the camo type (among some other colours available) had single speed and the Grifter seat instead.

[davevilla]

I had a camo Commando, that got traded for a Bomber when I was a bigger boy (from being fobbed off about  having a BMX, with a shopkeeper telling my dad you can only ride them on dirt tracks(!?) , 6 months of moaning got me a Night Burner....Happy memories of  the Commando though, was kinda the smaller boys Grifter.

I remember a few lads getting bikes that were not to their specification when paying dads were sold pups by bike shop owners - I remember the day that my dad bought me my Ultra Burner - the bloke in the Raleigh shop tried to convince him that the 'Grifter Plus' was the future and that BMX was going to last '6 months' or something like that. Fortunately I think I had a tantrum (little sod) otherwise it would have been twist grip Sturmy Archer gear misery for me...

[evamedia]

I had a purple commando with yellow stickers, very 70's

[Stodgy]

Brilliant - I had an orange one of those too...I can still remember getting it on my birthday, I was so happy.

[welsh denny]

i started off bmxing on a grifter. i had an army camo coloured one, bmx caught my attention and wanted in. unfortunately my parents wouldnt warrent spending money on another bike. started to learn to jump etc on it around 82/83 and snapped the forks.
then i was lucky enough to get an extra burner during the summer as an early birthday pressie. and that's the way its been ever since. bmx all the way.....

[bmxmatt1974]

there was a guy at a carboot i went to this year selling 1 of them, he wanted £60 for it 

[bmxgirl]

Ive got 3 Commandos in diferent colours all in need of a little tlc but there next on my project list!!

[Bigplinky]

I had a Purple Commando in the late 70's always hated it as I wanted a Grifter would rather ride my sisters Striker instead of getting on it, maybe if it had been an Orange one I would have liked it more  (got my first Grifter in 1980 for £8, cheers Glock, and never looked back)

[sweetbeats]

I remember the cammo ones..cool design

[Broggie]

  Urgggh, the Raleigh Commando, a bike so ugly only a mother could love it...



Ray.