Kids of the 80s, get stoked. The Raleigh Burner is back for a commemorative reissue. The Raleigh Burner 35th Anniversary edition looks pretty dialled and is limited to just 550 bikes, so if you want one, you’ll have to get in there quickly… Details below.
Raleigh, the iconic British cycling brand, is set to launch a 35th anniversary edition of the Raleigh Aero Pro Burner BMX.
Originally released in 1983, the Raleigh Aero Pro Burner was the BMX of its day, selling many thousands of units to become one of the most successful BMXs of all time.
Enjoyed by 80s kids across the UK and beyond, the Raleigh Aero Pro Burner was a high-end and award-winning lightweight race machine built with the best components of its time.
The bike is a key player in the Raleigh Burner success story. The first edition of the range was launched in the previous year, becoming an instant success and kicking off a BMX boom. The demand was powered by the launch of the blockbuster film E.T. the same year which heavily featured a BMX, propelling it to the top of Christmas wish lists that year.
Fast forward 35 years and parallels can be drawn in 2018 as BMXs are back on the rise, inspired by another American sci-fi hit, Stranger Things.
The 35th anniversary edition of the Raleigh Aero Pro Burner retains its classic deep chrome frameset with black finishing and components that still look as cool today as they did in 1983. Every effort has been taken by Raleigh to recreate this iconic bike with the components still available today.
Just 550 individually numbered models of the Raleigh Aero Pro Burner are being released for this special anniversary – creating a hotly anticipated launch.
In the height of the Burner’s popularity in the 1980s, Raleigh sold over 500,000 bikes in its first two years. Now, the popularity of the range lives on through a sizable and passionate community of Burner collectors and restorers.
Jason Boness, product development manager at Raleigh said: “The amazing thing about the Raleigh Aero Pro Burner is that it retains the same sense of fun and is just as cool as it was 35 years ago.
“This is one iconic bike that so many people across the country have fond memories of from their childhoods – it’s quite special. We hope this anniversary launch will inspire a new generation of Burner fans as well providing the chance for existing fans to relive those special memories.”
The Raleigh Burner 35th Anniversary Aero Pro Burner (£600) is available via pre-registration now at www.raleigh.co.uk
Frame/forks:
Made by TANGE, just like the originals, the frame also features the same geometry as on 80’s bike, each tube has been replicated as closely as possible, from the aero/round seat tube, to the tapered oval chain stays, even the size of the cut out holes in the dropouts match. Only the thickness of the dropouts has increased, because safety standards have changed a bit in the past 35 years.
Headset:
For the first time in 35 years, we’re fitting a TANGE MX-125 headset again to a Burner, and it’s now even better thanks to using sealed cartridge bearings.
Wheels:
The original wheels were built using ARAYA AERO rims & SUNTOUR sealed bearing hubs, neither have been available for many years, so we reproduced them.
Using a polished extruded AERO rim sections, which are laced with polished spokes to sealed bearing hubs. The hubs are CNC machined to mimic the original SUNTOUR hub shape; we’ve also reproduced the Sealed bearing decal famously used on the hub shell for authenticity.
Tyres:
The original & the best, COMP3 skinwall tyres are still used, just like they were in 83.
Brakes:
DIA-COMPE MX-1000 brake callipers match to DIA-COMPE TECH-3 brakes levers still allow you to pull an endo or back hop today as they did on the original bike.
Saddle:
An AERO PRO BURNER wouldn’t be complete without a KASHIMAX AERO saddle, still made in Japan, the saddle also carries the RALEIGH logo like the originals.
Padset:
The original bike didn’t come with a padset as standard, but we feel if it did it would have been Black/silver to match the rest of the bike.
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