About the Raleigh Chopper
The Raleigh Chopper was a children's push bicycle that was manufactured and marketed in the 1970's in the UK by the Raleigh Cycle Company of Nottingham.
It had a unique "chopper" design that soon became a cultural icon, and is now one that is fondly remembered by many boys and girls that grew up in that period.
It was based on the look and style of motorcycle choppers and custom cars from the 1960's and 70's, some people even think its design has style traits of dragsters and hot rods too.
What is not commonly known is that the Raleigh Chopper was actually released for sale in the late 1960's, at this time it had a 16 in (41 cm) front and 20 in (51 cm) rear wheel. Often referred to as a MK1 this bike had tyres that were wider than usual for the time, having a chunky tread pattern on the rear wheel and also featuring a red line around the tyres sidewall. Some other features that appealed to the youth market at this time were the choppers unusual frame, its long padded highback seat, and it's high-rise "chopper style" handlebars. Even the kickstand fitted to the Raleigh Chopper Mk1 was designed to give the stationary bicycle a lean reminiscent of a parked motorcycle.
The "new" MK 2 Raleigh Chopper:
The Mark 2 Chopper was an improved version that was supplied and sold from 1972. This push bike had the rarely purchased option of five-speed dérailleur gears, and the gear lever shifter changed from being a knob on the centre bar console to a T-bar style gear shifter. A small rear rack was added to the bike at this time also.
Did Raleigh manufacture and sell a drop-handlebar version of the Chopper?
Without a doubt - yes they did! And more so it is now one of the much wanted "classic" Raleigh Chopper bikes that collectors aspire to buy and own. In fact the drop-handled bar version of the Raleigh Chopper now commands quite high prices on the used pushbike market place when compared to other push bikes and cycles that were sold in the 1970's.
For reference this particular model was called "The Sprint".
How did the Raleigh Chopper ride?
With the "original chopper" it was all about looks, and you looking cool on your push bike. This collectable cycle is fondly remembered, although it was not without its problems.
Who can remember riding their chopper and falling off? especially rearwards?
This bicycle was less stable than a conventional bike, and and times was really trickier to ride. It was slow and heavy, and took time to get used to. With its wide and chunky tread pattern of fitted tyres creating a high level of rolling resistance, the now classic Raleigh Chopper was not suitable for long distances. At moderate road (or pavement) speeds it suffered wobbles too.
In its day and after several reported accidents, it was strongly attacked in the UK newspapers as a dangerous toy. The long seat on the bike lent itself to regularly giving lifts to others, and accidents were not uncommon. This bike could easily perform involuntary wheelies readily, which again were a frequent cause of accidents. The central position of the gear lever could also contribute to injuries that were sustained in a crash or fall.
Below is an image of the MK1 version of the Raleigh Chopper push-bike.... Note the period yellow and black paintwork, banana seat, ape-hanger style handlebars, and the gear-knob lever for the gear selector!
The MK1 is the "chopper" from Raleigh that started the craze off with this bike in the late 1960's and early 1970's....
Useful Links:
Buy a used Raleigh Chopper
Buy a classic Raleigh Chopper or Sprint
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UK dealer for old Raleigh Choppers
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