The Raleigh Strika was a children's
bicycle
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike, push-bike or cycle, is a human-powered transport, human-powered or motorized bicycle, motor-assisted, bicycle pedal, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, with two bicycle wheel, wheels attached to a ...
manufactured between 1976 and 1983 by the
Raleigh Bicycle Company
The Raleigh Bicycle Company is a British bicycle manufacturer based in Nottingham, England and founded by Woodhead and Angois in 1885. Using Raleigh as their brand name, it is one of the oldest bicycle companies in the world. After being acquir ...
of
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...
,
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
. It was part of the Action Bikes range, smaller in size than the
Grifter but larger than the Boxer, with frame dimensions designed to accommodate 6 to 10 year olds.
Design and styling
The frame styling of the Strika visually resembles a
BMX
BMX, an abbreviation for bicycle motocross or bike motocross, is a cycle sport performed on BMX bikes, either in competitive BMX racing or freestyle BMX, or else in general street or off-road recreation.
History
BMX began during the ea ...
although it was probably intended to resemble a motorbike. The most notable features are the imitation front suspension forks and the chunky padded saddle. The Strika was heavy compared to a similar size BMX and reputed to have ungainly handling qualities for stunt riding.
Early models of the Strika were fitted with a back pedal brake in addition to hand brakes. This feature was omitted from later models manufactured after approximately 1978. Known production colours are flame red, lime green, black, and silver.
In 1980 the Strika was complemented by the Strika XL which differed only by having a yellow frame and blue tyres, and a saddle identical to that later used on the Mini Burner.
Successors
The Strika was replaced by the
Burner and Mini Burner in the 1980s although the Raleigh brochures from 1982 and 1983 show both the Strika and the Strika XL being sold alongside the Burner.
[Raleigh Action Bikes catalogues 1982 and 1983] In the late 1990s, Raleigh released the
Dirt Cross with a frame styling and design similar to that of the Strika.
References
{{Raleigh bicycles
Strika