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Easy Rider

The Raleigh Chopper must have been the most iconic and innovative bike that Raleigh ever put into production. It’s design was so unusual yet incredibly desirable. The bikes, with a large back wheel and long slung back saddle, made every child who rode one an instant rebel. On the cross bar featured a unique gear shift system that echoed the gear box of an automatic car. Tall curled back handle bars and built in carrier at the back and the white band on the saddle, are just some of the features that distinguish the Chopper as a bike not to be messed with. This nostalgia piece on YouTube, sees the bike in action and also contains footage of the Raleigh factory being torn down; The two images extremely jarring.

The other more notable features on this bike is the front chain ring made up of the Heron heads, rear suspension on the saddle and, on some models, rear reflector on the saddle. I was able to discover that the design of this bike was initiated by Tom Karen; who was responsible for a lot of other classic product designs. According to this site, the Chopper was an impractical design but its style won over its content. The Raleigh Chopper was quite literally a dream bike for children and it captured their imagination in a way that has never happened since.