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submitted 1 year ago by Crul@lemm.ee to c/cassettefuturism@lemm.ee

Source: Raleigh Vektar Appreciation Society (Facebook)

Bike seen on 1985 Raleigh Vektar (r/RetroFuturism)

Some info from The Raleigh Vektar | The Bike Comes First:

The Vektar, the worlds first computer bike, was launched in 1985 long before we had health and safety laws. Equipped with ‘micro chip technology’ the rider could see how fast they were going, how far they had gone and how long they had been riding for at the touch of a button. The head’s down display ensured that you would ride into the back of your mate or a kerb as you fiddled with the control panel.

If that wasn’t enough you could listen to the radio on one of the three AM preset stations either while riding the bike or parked up hanging out with their pals. Later models came with a MW tuner giving even less crappy sound quality.

The main feature though was the advanced warning and alarm system. Once you had chosen one of the eight sounds from the ‘revolutionary sound generator’ on the top tube mounted control panel, you could use the handlebar mounted controller to terrorise old ladies as you rallied around the housing estate.

Posted originally in r/cassettefuturism

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[-] fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk 7 points 1 year ago

It looks like a slightly more grown-up version of the "Street Wolf", which was a kids BMX with a pretend gps/map/computer console on it, and a real "plays annoying sounds" feature inside.

Of course, I'm only calling it annoying in retrospect. At the time I was envious of the cool kid down the road, whose computerised-scanner and siren sound machine was essential in defending our street from bad guys.

this post was submitted on 24 Aug 2023
153 points (96.9% liked)

Cassette Futurism

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A place to share and discuss Cassette Futurism: media where the technology closely matches the computers and technology of the 70s and 80s.

Whether it's bright colors and geometric shapes, the tendency towards stark plainness, or the the lack of powerful computers and cell phones, Cassette Futurism includes: Cassettes, ROM chips, CRT displays, computers reminiscent of microcomputers like the Commodore 64, freestanding hi-fi systems, small LCD displays, and other analog technologies.

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