THE RETURN OF THE RALEIGH CHOPPER

The 20^th June sees the return of a vehicle that embodies 1970s popular culture as much as a Ford Cortina GXL with a vinyl roof and a bottle of Hai Karate aftershave in the glove compartment. On that date, the Raleigh Chopper is to return, in either Infra Red or Ultra Violet, at a price of £950 - https://www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/look-whos-back/

As with many phenomena associated with the 1970s – the Austin Maxi, the Ford Capri, chartered surveyors unwisely growing a Jason King moustache – the Chopper actually dates from 1969. It debuted in May of that year and helped save Raleigh from financial disaster, for it resembled no other bicycle on the market. Ogle Design created the original concept, and Alan Oakley’s Raleigh design department added such details as the padded leather seat. Ogle’s Sir Tom Karen later recalled:

In the 1960s, there was a bike made by a company called Schwinn. It was very sturdy and was great for kids because they could just throw it down on the pavement and then pick it up again and ride away. Raleigh decided to make a bike to rival the Schwinn and designed something rather like it, which they called the Rodeo. But unfortunately, it bombed.

However, by December 1969, countless young Britons dreamed of receiving Brilliant Orange, Golden Yellow, Flamboyant Green, Targa Mustard or Horizon Blue example for Christmas, even if their parents blanched at the £34 price tag – the equivalent of £716 today. But then a specification including a rear tyre with “Town and Country Tread” was never going to be cheap.

The Chopper also featured a saddle that tempted many riders to carry a passenger, even though such a practice was strictly frowned upon. By 1970 the sales copy modestly claimed:

Raleigh know what youngsters go for - Hot rod looks - rakish frames - The power and pounce you see on a racing circuit. Packed with action features! Like hi-rise ‘apehanger’ bars. Drag style saddle. Snap-action gear shift. And coil spring suspension. All promising the hottest ride you’ll ever know.

Above all, the Chopper looked dynamic. Karen had decided:

it must have a big wheel at the back and a small one at the front. The reason for that was because dragster cars had big wheels at the back where the power was, and I wanted it to have that feel.

Raleigh introduced the facelifted Mk. II in 1973, with a T-bar control for the three-speed Sturmey-Archer gears. When production ended in 1985, the second-generation Chopper seemed as passé as flared trousers or Mungo Jerry records, while ambitious cyclists craved one of those new BMXs.

But the Chopper’s impact cannot be underestimated. To quote The Guardian obituary of Karen: “Now any 10-year-old could ride the cul-de-sacs of Britain like Peter Fonda astride his Easy Rider ‘Captain America’ Harley-Davidson”. Born to be mild indeed -