Will there ever be another Raleigh Chopper, Grifter or Burner ?

[BADGER.BRAD]

Hello all,

Not that I ever had any of these but will there ever be another iconic bicycle such as these that people will still talk about 50 years later ( I think this probably applies to any iconic item) ? Why do you think this is down too ? One of my reasons I think this will never happen is our throw away society with things being made down to a profit margin and never expected to last ,kids general lack out door play compared to when I was a kid ( last thing any of us wanted to be was inside with being grounded as one of the worst punishments) Your thoughts please .

 

[Drago]

The Chopper was dangerous, the Grifter looked like nothing else but was a mess that weighed as much as Robert Maxwell, the Burner an exercise in style over substance.

We probably never will see their likes again and, for the modern buyer who far more expectant and discerning, this is a very good thing indeed.

 

[wafter]

Kid's bikes will never be as iconic as those you describe since kids are busy rotting their minds with electronic devices.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

We probably never will see their likes again and, for the modern buyer who far more expectant and discerning, this is a very good thing indeed.

Absolutely spot on. Those contraptions were not bicycles, they were children's toys.

 

[T4tomo]

don't forget the Commando and the Bomber

 

[Punkawallah]

From the number they could sell in the FLBS, Carrera hard-tails.
I don’t think a kids bike since has had the impact of those early Raleigh offerings.

 

[fossyant]

I can concur the Chopper was dangerous. Had one.

 

[Electric_Andy]

they were very much themed on the times, e.g. the chopper tried to emulate a motorcycle that kids might have seen on TV. These days to most younguns, a bike is a bike, unless you're into bmx, DH or road racing. They have no magical role models to aspire to outside of the pro/elite world. I did see a BSO that had mx style mudguards, tyres and seat once. But I imagine you'd get teased these days if you rolled into the playground with one

 

[Electric_Andy]

I can concur the Chopper was dangerous. Had one.

I had a Grifter and to me at the time it was wonderful, albeit very heavy

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I can concur the Chopper was dangerous. Had one.

You no longer have a chopper?

 

[glasgowcyclist]

You no longer have a chopper?

I'm sure he does. It's just not as dangerous as it used to be.

 

[MontyVeda]

still got my Tomahawk... but it is a bit small for me these days.

 

[Oldhippy]

I remember blowing up the front tyre on my chopper after inflation at the local garage.

 

[Elswick Cotterpin]

My friend had one back in the day, I was trying to be clever and fell off! They probably were dangerous but at the time I thought they were cool, especially when compared with my single speed Elswick Hopper.