Raleigh Chopper

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For other uses of the word, see Chopper.

pre-1973 model (Mk 1) 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 many children at the time.

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

[edit] Design

Ogle Design claim to have designed the Chopper for Raleigh.^[1]^[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.^{[citation needed]}

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

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The Chopper was launched in the USA in 1968 but was not successful. It went on sale in the UK in 1970 and did better. The bike featured a 3-speed Sturmey Archer gear hub, selected using a frame-mounted car-like gear lever — one of its "cool" features. Other differences were the unusual frame, long padded seat with backrest, sprung suspension at the back, high-rise handlebars, and differently sized front (16") and rear (20") wheels. Tyres were wider than usual for the time, with a chunky tread on the rear wheel, featuring red highlights on the sidewall. The price was from approximately £32 for a standard Chopper to £55 for the deluxe.

A smaller version, the Tomahawk, was also popular.

The Mk2 Chopper was an improved version from 1972. It had the option of five-speed derailleur gears, but kept the gear lever. The Mk2 also moved the rear wheel further back, to help prevent the bike tipping up. The Chopper remained in production until 1980, when BMX took over its market. However, the Chopper almost single-handedly rescued Raleigh , which had been in decline during the 1960s, selling millions worldwide.

The original Chopper is fondly remembered, though it was not without problems — it was less stable than a conventional bike, and trickier to ride. It was slow and heavy, the wide tyres creating significant rolling resistance; the Chopper was not suitable for long distances. At moderate speeds it suffered speed wobbles. It was 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 gear lever was also positioned to cause injury in a spill.

[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 gear controls – to commemorate this former feature the Mk3 has a sticker where once the lever had its place. It is also built from aluminium alloy rather than the originals' steel, which should make the bike lighter.