Saturday 30 April 2011

The Raleigh Chopper


We buy and sell Raleigh Choppers, so if you have one for sale get in touch.


A Bit of history on the The Raleigh Chopper

The Chopper was patented in 1967 by Raleigh for the American youth market. The Chopper was introduced at American trade shows in January 1969 & first shipments to North American dealers in June 1969. It is introduced in the UK in 1970. The bike featured a 3-speed, 5-speed, and single-speed Sturmey Archer gear hub, selected using a frame-mounted console gear lever — one of its "cool" features. Other features that appealed to the youth market were the unusual frame, long padded highback seat, sprung seat at the back, high-rise (ape hanger) handlebars, 'bobbed' mudguards (fenders) and differently sized front (16") and rear (20") wheels. The rear hoop above the seat resembled a motorcycle 'sissy bar'. Even the kickstand was designed to give the stationary bicycle a lean reminiscent of a parked motorcycle.[9] Tyres were wider than usual for the time, with a chunky tread on the rear wheel, featuring a red line around the sidewall. The price was from approximately £32 for a standard Chopper to £55 for the deluxe.

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