Raleigh Chopper

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For other uses of the word, see Chopper.

1973 model (Mk 2) Raleigh Chopper bicycle

The Raleigh Chopper was a children's bicycle manufactured and marketed in the 1970s by the Raleigh Company of Nottingham, England. Its unique design became a true 70s cult icon, and is fondly remembered by many who grew up in that period. Based on the look of a customised chopper motorcycle, made popular with films such as Easy Rider, the Chopper bike was the "must have" item and signifier of coolness for any kid at the time.

1 Design
2 The Original Chopper: Mk 1 and Mk 2
3 Revival: The Mk 3
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Design

Ogle Design claim to have designed the Chopper for Raleigh.^[1] However, this is at odds with press releases made by Raleigh, who state that it was their chief designer, Alan Oakley, who designed the machine "on the back of an envelope". Oakley was inspired by custom bikes built by Schwinn on the west coast of the USA, such as the 1968 "Orangekrate". There has been a number of heated exchanges between Raleigh and Ogle, with various claims and counterclaims on both sides.^[2] Raleigh themselves built a copy of the chopper-like Schwinn Stingray they called the Rodeo, which was launched in the US in 1966. It was not a success, but its design clearly was a forerunner of the Chopper.^[3]

[edit] The Original Chopper: Mk 1 and Mk 2

The Chopper was launched initially in the USA in 1968, but was not very successful. It went on sale in the UK in 1970 and did much better. This bike featured a 3-speed Sturmey Archer gear hub, selected using a frame mounted car-like gear lever — a system unique to the Chopper and one of its "cool" features. Other remarkable differences from the average bike were the unusual frame design, the long padded seat with backrest, sprung suspension at the back, the high-rise handlebars, and the differently sized front (16") and rear (20") wheels. Tyres were wider than was usual for bicycles of the time, with a chunky tread pattern on the rear wheel, and featuring red highlights on the sidewalls.

A smaller version aimed at younger children, the Tomahawk, was also popular.

The Mk2 Chopper was an improved version sold from 1973. These bikes had the option of a five-speed derailleur gear system in place of the hub gears, but retained the gear lever. The Mk2 also moved the rear wheel further back relative to the rider's weight, to help prevent the bike from tipping up. The Chopper remained in production until 1980, when the new craze of the BMX took over its market. However, the Chopper almost single-handedly rescued the Raleigh company, which had been in decline during the 1960s, selling millions of machines worldwide.

This original Chopper is fondly remembered, though it was not without its problems — the design was generally much less stable than a conventional bike design, and was trickier to ride. It was also slow and heavy, the wide tyres creating significantly higher rolling resistance than a conventional bike; the Chopper was not really suitable for long-distance riding. At higher, but still moderate, speeds it suffered from speed wobbles, which could lead to wild uncontrollable oscillations (almost invariably ending up with a spill). It was often attacked in the press as a dangerous toy. The long seat lent itself to giving lifts to others, and accidents were not uncommon. It would perform wheelies readily, again a frequent cause of accidents. The famous gear lever was also ideally positioned to cause injury in the event of a front spill. Nevertheless the Chopper was always the cool bike to own, and those who didn't have one were often envious of those who did. Today, the Chopper has enjoyed a renaissance thanks to both nostalgia and the efforts of various enthusiasts and owners' clubs.

[edit] Revival: The Mk 3

A new version of the Chopper, the Mk3, was launched in 2004, after being out of production for almost 25 years. The Mk3, in deference to modern safety concerns, adopts a more conventional saddle design to discourage "backies," and has dropped the groin-catching gear lever in favour of handlebar mounted shifters. It is also built from aluminium alloy rather than the original's steel, which should make the bike lighter.

The singer Lily Allen can be seen riding a chopper in the video for her song "LDN" and on the cover of her album Alright, Still.