Now the sun is starting to shine again, it’s time to get the children’s outdoor toys back out of the shed! So, what better way to embrace the summer by looking at back at one of the most popular bicycles ever made – The Raleigh Chopper.

In the 1970’s it was every boy’s (and girl’s) dream and if you were lucky enough to own one, you were the most popular kid in school.

Raleigh Chopper History

The original Raleigh Chopper was manufactured here in England by the Raleigh Bicycle Company back in 1967, with the first Chopper (the MK1) being released in 1970. The design of the Raleigh Chopper was based on chopped motorbikes that were around in the 1950s.

The main features of the Chopper, and what made them unique, included a padded backed seat, high handlebars, gear lever on the frame rather than handle bars and different sized wheels (larger wheel at the back, smaller wheel at the front). This was unlike any of the bicycles that had been released previously and it was hot on the wanted list of all children of that generation.

Between 1969 and 1983 1.5 million Raleigh Choppers were sold worldwide and they slowly became collectable items as the years went on.

Original Chopper Models

In the UK there were two original models of the Raleigh Chopper. These were:

• MK1 – The original. The original Chopper came in a choice of either single speed, three speed or five-speed hub gears and in a range of colours including Orange, Green, Blue and Yellow.
• MK2 – The ‘Mark 2’ Chopper was essentially an improvement on the MK1 Chopper,  with additions such as a  five-speed derailleur as an option along with an updated handle.

Although the popularity of the Chopper was huge, it didn’t come without its problems. The safety of the bicycle was questioned throughout the years. The bike was never made to be used for long distances because of its weight and the wide tyres which inevitably made it slower than other bicycles.

Another reported problem the issues that arose when picking up speed. It was reported that when reaching a higher speed whilst riding the Chopper, the frame would start to shake, causing the rider to lose control and even perform wheelies unannounced due to its weight distribution. Eventually it was branded as a ‘dangerous toy’ and ultimately led the Chopper receiving plenty of bad press.

The Mk2 Chopper remained in production until 1982, when a new craze known as the BMX bike had taken over the bycycle market.

Chopper Revival

The Chopper was reintroduced back in 2004, 25 years after going out of production. The MK3 was released in the Chopper’s basic format, with a modern twist to ensure that it complied with modern day safety views. The saddle was of a smaller, conservative nature, which was means to discourage the user from offering ‘backies’, which also saw the gears being moved to the handlebars.

The overall weight of the bike was lighter, ditching steel for aluminium but the wheel differentiating in size remained the same. In 2009 the production of the MK3 was stopped to make way for additional Chopper’s with slight changes including the MK4 and MK5.

2019 marks the Raleigh Chopper’s 50^th anniversary which is certain to bring a new 50^th Anniversary special addition. Keep your eyes peeled.

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