If ever there was a cult mode of transport this has to be it. The Raleigh Chopper was the coolest cycle in town for generations.
Millions have been sold worldwide, we’re concentrating on the UK.
Summary
There have been four versions of Chopper, the most recent being this year.
Back to the beginning
The first Chopper was introduced in 1969. The bike featured a choice of a single-speed coaster hub, or a 3 or 5-speed Sturmey Archer gear hub, selected using a frame-mounted console gear lever. Other features that appealed to the youth market were the unusual frame, long padded high-back seat, sprung seat at the back, high-rise handlebars, ‘bobbed’ mudguards (fenders) and differently sized wheels: 16 in (41 cm) front and 20 in (51 cm) rear.
This model ran until 1972
The Mk2
Mk2 was manufactured between 1972 and1985.
The Mk 2 (“Mark 2”) Chopper was an improved version sold from 1973. It had the rarely-purchased option of five-speed deraileur gears, and the gear lever shifter changed from a knob to a T-bar-style. shifter.
The frame was subtly revised, and the seat moved forward, to help prevent the front of the bicycle tipping up. A small rear rack was added. The handlebars were welded to the stem to stop children from inclining the handlebars backward, thereby rendering the bicycle almost unsteerable.
A drop-handlebar version, named the Sprint, was also produced, this was slightly different from the standard Mk 2, as it had a slightly taller frame.
Where Did They Go?
The Chopper Mk 2 remained in production until 1985, by which time the BMX craze had taken over it’s target market and production ceased.
Happy Endings?
After being out of production for over 20 years, a new version of the Chopper, the Mk3, was launched in 2004.
It was available at first in red, then purple then various colours followed including Limited Edition models.
In line with modern safety requirements, the one piece saddle became a split saddle / cissybar arrangement.
Further changes included removing the cross bar mounted shifter unit in favour of handlebar mounted gear controls; to commemorate this former feature the Mk3 had a sticker where the lever once was located.
Rather than steel, the frame was made from aluminium alloy tubing this made the chopper lighter. The wheels were the same as it’s predecessor.
The MK3 came in various colours including Purple, Yellow, Silver, White, Black, Red and Limited Editions such as The Hot one, The Black, World Cup Edition, Armed Forces edition, Beano edition, and Ben Sherman edition.
Sadly unlike earlier editions the Mk3 models were not made in Nottingham UK and instead production moved to both USA and Vietnam made under licence.
Still Going?
Sort of, a MK-IV project was started in 2019 with the intention for the new model to be released in 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of the release of the mk2. However, other things got in the way and the release was delayed until 2023. The team behind the new MK-IV invited two members of the Raleigh Chopper Enthusiast movement to work with them from late 2020.
The MK-IV model is based on and reverse engineered from the Mk2. the MK-IV Chopper is an updated version of the classic made to comply with modern safety standards.
Full production started in February 2023 and lasted through March 2023 for the first release of this new model.
In a change to past launches the MK-IV was sold online through the Raleigh Bikes UK website and in the Nottingham “Experience Raleigh” showroom available only in Infra-Red or Ultra-Violet from 20th June, 2023.
All available bikes sold out on day-one within three hours, proving there’s still a demand for this now cult bike, 51 years since the introduction of the MK2.
When new stock was made available on the site (25th June 2023) it again sold out within hours.
This was expected to be the last of the inventory, however, a further 50 unsold MK-IVs were released for sale through the website on August 24th 2023.
Commercial Break