Get your Chopper out

[raleighnut]

Hateful bloody things

 

[FrankCrank]

A good old Chopper thread, gotta love 'em. Here's how I remember mine, but unfortunately not mine

 

[Chris S]

I think I may mention it to Mrs D later. One of those would look good in my living room and would doubtless quickly appreciate in value.

They're dropping in value. They're now being sold for less than their original price, when they first came out they were being resold for considerably more.

Prices for the originals have probably peaked as well. They appeal to a certain generation who are now about 60. In 10 years time most will have mobility issues and in another 10 most will be dead.

 

[roley poley]

i had a tomahawk.. smaller ,no gears but with all the instability a kid could possibly need ...glad i wasn't put off cycling by a poor introduction to the world of cycling

 

[Drago]

....when they first came out they were being resold for considerably more.

And that's when you sell.

Unless you're buying it to keep.

 

[Hover Fly]

Hateful bloody things

I had a Scorpio and I am still cycling, as are some of my friends who had similar, or the posh ones who had “Carlton’s”, none of my school mates who had choppers are still cycling. Make of that what you will.

 

[Drago]

I had a Chopper and I'm still riding, although that's rere because only about 1 in 10 Chopper riders survived into adulthood.

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

I know. I had one of these and during an attempt at the land speed record it got the wobbles and spat me off and broke my pelvis. That injury nearly kept me out the Army over a decade later even though I was full healed.

Yebbut... What speed did you get to??!!

Glad i wasn't put off cycling by a poor introduction to the world of cycling

Clearly, I mean, if you can put up with us, then you really must have a resolve of steel!

 

[Mad Doug Biker]

Resists urge to make a paedo joke about kids riding choppers...

Well, it was the '70s' after all...

 

[stephec]

Now this is tempting - https://www.raleigh.co.uk/gb/en/ti-raleigh-anniversary-edition-bicycle/

 

[Drago]

Yebbut... What speed did you get to??!!

There was definite transonic buffeting so a good 600+ knots.

 

[raleighnut]

I had a Scorpio and I am still cycling, as are some of my friends who had similar, or the posh ones who had “Carlton’s”, none of my school mates who had choppers are still cycling. Make of that what you will.

I had a 3 speed 'roadster' that I built up myself but my cousin* had a Carlton which he'd pretty much abandoned so from 76 I got to borrow it at weekends then in 81 I rescued it and 'did it up', still in my shed now.

*Graham my Cousin is 7 years older than me and at 17 he'd got a Vespa then passed his car test and bought a Mk2 Cortina,by this time he was at Portsmouth Uni studying Civil Engineering. He became one of the top Civil Engineers in the country spending all his working life at one or the other of the McAlpines first on Motorway bridges (M69 in particular) then on Civic buildings (notably the new Crown Court in Leicester and most of the official buildings in Milton Keynes)

 

[VinSumRox]

I did want one as a child, but never got one. Looking at it now, I'm quite glad I didn't!

 

[FrankCrank]

For anyone wanting to experience a fun Raleigh from that era, I recommend one of these

Cheap as chips as well, and no fear of getting 'knackered'.

 

[Paulus]

I did want one as a child, but never got one. Looking at it now, I'm quite glad I didn't!

A mate of mine got one, c 1969, I was a bit jealous until he let me have a go on it.
I decided to stay with my 3 speed Sturmy Archered Raleigh. It was a horrible ride with far too much flex from the handlebars.