Raleigh Arena

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.

Wayne

Comments




Mine was a pale green metallic 10 speed - but not the ice green metallic I've seen elsewhere on the Net.Used to knock about all over Gower on it. Lovely stuff.
redmandale01-May-2013, 03:10:27 PM

I have a raleigh arena but it needs repainting blue, do any of you know the specification for the blue paint used on it
Swimpboy05-Feb-2013, 12:01:11 PM

Hi just wondering if anone knows what the tubing was on the Raleigh arena gt
Thanks
Dowswell200728-Nov-2012, 02:22:16 PM

Hi just wondering if anone knows what the tubing was on the Raleigh arena gt
Thanks
Dowswell200728-Nov-2012, 02:21:18 PM

I had an ice green 10 speed Arena, it was my pride and joy and I did many a mile one it. And yes nearly killed myseld on man an occasion when the brakes didnt work as a zoomed down many a steep hill where I live. All my mates had Grifters and BMX's but my Arena was something special in my eyes, and wwill always remain so
dazzqpr23-Sep-2012, 09:29:58 AM

I got mine Christmas 1978, aged 9 and 9 months, for £105 a princely sum, light blue 5 gears from a bike shop in Haddington E. Lothian ( called Alex Bikes i seem to remember). My feet did not touch the ground but pestered the auld man until he agreed. Crashes galore,(many spectacular ones) much crying and gnashing of teeth. I still have it and it goes well, cycle to work every day!!(still have the scars also!)Still bloody crash though somethings never change
Prawnsalad04-Jun-2012, 01:31:58 PM

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...
Brent Taylor20-Mar-2012, 08:30:21 PM

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
apethen07-Dec-2010, 10:40:42 PM

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
templa2505-Dec-2010, 06:18:26 PM

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
151167weller02-Jun-2010, 12:07:45 AM

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!
Action Man 196709-Feb-2010, 12:15:23 PM

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
bleep20-Jul-2009, 09:43:10 PM


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!

karlorton19-May-2009, 10:57:37 PM

I had a Raleigh Arena in the early 80's...Pride and joy is was. I have since found an old Arena Frame on Ebay and with all the new chrome bits as in brakes and guards ive got for it need a new set of stickers.
GAZMAN20-Feb-2009, 10:53:58 PM

Hi, I came across a raleigh arena a couple of weeks ago on the street of hackney london, I was lucky enough to aquire it as a man was chucking it away for the skip, I have since restored and will be for sale soon. I have also fallen in love with it and will be sorry to let it go, it has many beautiful features.
gwynwilliamsjones13-Dec-2008, 12:04:37 AM

Hi, I randomly found this site while looking up my bike....a Raleigh Arena GT.

I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and I found the poor Raleigh frame lying outside my high school. I brought it to a local shop and had it fixed up, and now it's my main mode of transportation!

Were the Arena's originally from England? And do any of you still ride your Arena?
_benjovland29-Apr-2008, 09:11:52 PM

I have what I think is the best Raleigh Arena there is to be found anywhere. It has never spent a night outside the house in 30 years. My parents bought for me about 1978 when I would have been about 10. It's in immaculate condition and only had one set of new tyres about 8 years ago. I wonder what my Arena is worth now?
Nick - rileyalfaromeo@googlemail.com
nickatdoyouremember24-Apr-2008, 10:19:08 PM

i too had a arena gt in light blue 10 gears ,the best,most comfortable bike i have ever had ,got it in 1982 did about 3000 miles in the first year on it!sold it for a raleigh pulsar with aerodynamic frame ,never the same as the gt though too uncomfortable
brayer25-Mar-2008, 12:05:50 AM

I had the Raleigh Arena 5 speed for Christmas 1976.It was my pride & joy.The metallic ice blue was georgeous and so were the silver/black/red decals.I put the obligatory milometer on the front wheel and a set of dynamo lights (which wore away the rear tyre but sounded good as you "whirred" down the road.I also had a back rack which I used for my paper round bag.
The Arena with its GT brakes was proper transport for a Warlord Secret agent.
I now have a Raleigh Arena GT 10 speed racer in lovely original condition, I smile and reminisce every time I get on it and yes, I do have the milometer on the front wheel but this time around I have a pair of period "Ever Ready" lights.
What a great bike!
Oggie.
Oggie29-Jul-2007, 03:31:54 PM

They also did the arena in ice green. Normally a 10 speed but my mate had a 5 speed version
ark07-Mar-2007, 07:03:36 PM

My bro had an Arena, the smallest one as he was a bit short and had little legs. We had the same proud "Arena owner" photo that i think every owner took when they first got it. One leg on the ground, bars slightly turned, smug look etc. I always had trouble keeping up on my Boxer.
Mulletino21-Feb-2007, 01:55:49 AM

My Arena was my pride and joy. Got it for Xmas in 1980 and I thought i was the business on it. Gave you the feeling that you were one of the Raleigh Olympic Team!! I spent every school holiday on it riding miles and miles and I was always the fastest up and down hills, left all the grifters and bmx's well behind. My first girlfriend at 13 was pretty impressed too!! Used to spend hours shining the metal wheels with Duraglit and my fingers used to kill me at the end as the tips banged the spokes. My poor speed machine started to suffer when i got my first paper round and i needed a few replacement wheels as I kept braking spokes. Round about 1983 i put white wall tyres on it and it looked even better. I loved that bike.
Stuart19-Nov-2006, 08:53:13 PM

Raleigh Arena...fantastic! Got my light metallic blue bike from Gamleys around 1980 when I was thirteen. I actually wanted a chopper but fortunately was taken aback by its sleek racing lines! I did so many miles on that bike and it was also the cause of my worst ever accident on a bike. I remember riding with my cousin down a steep hill flat out in fifth (that?s all it had) when the peddle came flying off. I hit the crossbar with my bits and then the front wheel turned sending me over the top and bouncing down the road. My memory now tells me I went on like this for about half a mile though I?m sure in reality it was a few yards. Fortunately I didn?t break a bone though had some serious flesh wounds which are still visible now. The thing was strong as I only needed to change the front wheel and the pedal all of which probably weigh more than my current road bike. Had the bike for a couple of years then had it nicked from school. I?d had the frame coded so when I saw some kid with a home built tracker style bike with an Arena frame a while later I challenged him and the code matched. Never got it back??he was a lot bigger than me though.
RJB08-Aug-2006, 02:37:25 PM

My Dad bought me a Raleigh Arena in 1978 when I was 14 years old. When we went to pick up the bike it wouldn't fit into my dad's Mini so (desperate to have the bike immediately) I said I'd ride the bike home. He agreed and followed me in the car having to crawl up the hills in Halifax following his tubby son! I'll always remember seeing him laughing through the car window as he watched me struggling purple-faced with that bloody bike!
r4c13-Dec-2005, 03:57:33 PM

Yeh the good old arena..my old man got me one when i was 13 or somthing it was around 1982 i think.i was flying down the road in 5th gear and hit the rear of a TR7 the rest is history...love ya dad :) 5 gears was all it had and it was light blue.
Neil30-Nov-2005, 06:39:34 PM

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