# Raleigh chopper wanted



## NeilnrLincoln (21 Jan 2020)

Reliving my youth, I'm looking for a Raleigh Chopper to buy. Any condition considered, even incomplete. I don't have a fortune to spend.
Does anyone have anything they want to part with?
Thanks.
Neil.


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## Shearwater Missile (21 Jan 2020)

NeilnrLincoln said:


> Reliving my youth, I'm looking for a Raleigh Chopper to buy. Any condition considered, even incomplete. I don't have a fortune to spend.
> Does anyone have anything they want to part with?
> Thanks.
> Neil.


You must have watched "The repair shop" over Christmas ! Hope you find one.


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## Shearwater Missile (21 Jan 2020)

NeilnrLincoln said:


> Reliving my youth, I'm looking for a Raleigh Chopper to buy. Any condition considered, even incomplete. I don't have a fortune to spend.
> Does anyone have anything they want to part with?
> Thanks.
> Neil.


You must have watched "The repair shop" over Christmas ! Hope you find one.


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## Smudge (21 Jan 2020)

They are cool to look at as an icon from the 70's, but i wouldn't want to ride one again.


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## TissoT (21 Jan 2020)

NeilnrLincoln said:


> I don't have a fortune to spend.


I think you may need a fortune to buy one these days. 
I wish i had kept hold of mine back in the 70s/80s.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/raleigh-...730356?hash=item288cd91b34:g:EWsAAOSwiCFeJJBH


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## Nibor (21 Jan 2020)

Go on the Book of face and find Gaz's Grifter, Chopper and Old Skool/ Vintage bike forum plenty to be had on there and sensible advise you might be best to aim for a mk3 if you don't have much budget and are doing it on a whim.


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## FrankCrank (21 Jan 2020)

This is just like the one I used to have:


A MKI, terracotta colour - proudest kid in the neighbourhood I was. Very uncomfortable to ride (and painful sometimes, when you get a false neutral), but who cares when you're ten years old.
They seem to sell for ridiculous sums, even knackered piles of rust, so nostalgia don't come cheap.
Thankfully there's the Raleigh Twenty and it's variants to fulfill the vintage seeker urges - can get them for next to nothing, and with a bit of modernising they are a great and comfy bike, guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Watch out for genuine 'Chopper' parts at eye watering prices, they may well have come from R20's ................


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## mudsticks (21 Jan 2020)

I've got a Raleigh shopper kicking about the place somewhere. 

My son was going to have it as his deeply ironic hipster-about-town-bike. 

Seems to have lost interest tho, and gone back to his fixie 

Kids eh??


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## Levo-Lon (21 Jan 2020)

mudsticks said:


> I've got a Raleigh shopper kicking about the place somewhere.
> 
> My son was going to have it as his deeply ironic hipster-about-town-bike.
> 
> ...



They were a hell of a lot better to ride than a chopper, did miles on one
My beloved Chopper was the best present ever from my childhood but it was responsible for untold injuries..  sat here typing i can see the scar on my little finger, it goes nearly all the way round.. Too many more to list


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## mudsticks (21 Jan 2020)

Levo-Lon said:


> They were a hell of a lot better to ride than a chopper, did miles on one
> My beloved Chopper was the best present ever from my childhood but it was responsible for untold injuries..  sat here typing i can see the scar on my little finger, it goes nearly all the way round.. Too many more to list



My first bike, aged about 11, was something like that too.

Of course I'd been riding bikes loads, for years, previously to that.

But one parent deemed cycling as 'too dangerous' an activity for me to undertake

So then of course, i then vetted my friends suitibility as mates, mainly on the basis of 'did they have a bike I could ride? '

Reverse psychology triumphed to make a life-time cyclist of me.. .


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## EltonFrog (21 Jan 2020)

NeilnrLincoln said:


> Reliving my youth, I'm looking for a Raleigh Chopper to buy. Any condition considered, even incomplete. I don't have a fortune to spend.
> Does anyone have anything they want to part with?
> Thanks.
> Neil.


My brother has one he might sell, I haven’t seen it I know he’s got one he doesn’t use. I’ll ask.


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## Levo-Lon (21 Jan 2020)

mudsticks said:


> My first bike, aged about 11, was something like that too.
> 
> Of course I'd been riding bikes loads, for years, previously to that.
> 
> ...




Now i like that thinking
I told my mother lies or nothing


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## FrankCrank (22 Jan 2020)

I wasn't the first kid in our road to have a Chopper - he lived two doors down. I used to make every excuse to visit him for a go on his gleaming Yellow Chopper, or even to just be in its presence and drool was enough. Anyways, my dad saw how much I wanted one so we popped into town and picked one up, paid in monthly installments as money was tight back then. It was treated like a treasured possesion at the start, but then ramps were set up on the path to leap off (no BMX's back then), and the bike was pretty much tested to destruction. A cracked frame had to be re-welded with gussets added, and on it went into battle. Three younger brothers took their turn after that. I expect the remaining wreckage even now would fetch silly money, but alas it finally went to Chopper heaven..........via the tip


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## NeilnrLincoln (22 Jan 2020)

EltonFrog said:


> My brother has one he might sell, I haven’t seen it I know he’s got one he doesn’t use. I’ll ask.


Thankyou I appreciate that. Don't mind if it needs work or incomplete.


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## southcoast (22 Jan 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> I wasn't the first kid in our road to have a Chopper - he lived two doors down. I used to make every excuse to visit him for a go on his gleaming Yellow Chopper, or even to just be in its presence and drool was enough. Anyways, my dad saw how much I wanted one so we popped into town and picked one up, paid in monthly installments as money was tight back then. It was treated like a treasured possesion at the start, but then ramps were set up on the path to leap off (no BMX's back then), and the bike was pretty much tested to destruction. A cracked frame had to be re-welded with gussets added, and on it went into battle. Three younger brothers took their turn after that. I expect the remaining wreckage even now would fetch silly money, but alas it finally went to Chopper heaven..........via the tip



I owned a Mk 1 high back mustard coloured Raleigh Chopper. Must have been about the same age as your bike. The frame broke at the rear, below where the springs were mounted. We took it back to our local Raleigh dealer and they sent it off to the manufacturer, who exchanged it for a new frame.


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## Gunk (22 Jan 2020)

I missed out the Chopper, I went directly from Chipper to Hustler. I do keep an eye out for a Chopper project (don’t tell Mrs Gunk)


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## FrankCrank (22 Jan 2020)

southcoast said:


> I owned a Mk 1 high back mustard coloured Raleigh Chopper. Must have been about the same age as your bike. The frame broke at the rear, below where the springs were mounted. We took it back to our local Raleigh dealer and they sent it off to the manufacturer, who exchanged it for a new frame.


....yep, broken same place as mine. It was a few years into its life when it happened, so repair was only way to go. Heard there was some disagreement back at Raleigh as to who came up with the original design, but looks like it borrowed a lot from Schwinn bikes in the US.........


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## ianrauk (22 Jan 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> on his gleaming Yellow Chopper



Same as what I had 
Loved it. Traded it in for a crappy brown Coventry Eagle road bike.


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## mudsticks (22 Jan 2020)

Look.. Here she is..

Massey Ferguson disc harrows for scale. 

Still has original luggage too 

Probs worth a fortune in Hoxton.


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## Smudge (22 Jan 2020)

The Raleigh Shopper was leagues above the Chopper in ride quality, but no teenage lad in the early 70's would have wanted to be seen on one. So we all wanted the cool Chopper, the most slowest, shyte handling bike ever made.


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## EltonFrog (22 Jan 2020)

@NeilnrLincoln I phoned my brother, he’ll sell at a price at which I think (frankly) is delusional. He’s going to send me some photos later.


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## mudsticks (22 Jan 2020)

Smudge said:


> The Raleigh Shopper was leagues above the Chopper in ride quality, but no teenage lad in the early 70's would have wanted to be seen on one. So we all wanted the cool Chopper, the most slowest, shyte handling bike ever made.



I can't believe how heavy it is though. 

I suspect they were made that weight deliberately. 

Thus nipping in the bud, any housewifely dreams of disappearing over the horizon on two wheels. 

"To the end of the road and back is far enough, for you, my dear..."


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## mudsticks (22 Jan 2020)

Smudge said:


> The Raleigh Shopper was leagues above the Chopper in ride quality, but no teenage lad in the early 70's would have wanted to be seen on one. So we all wanted the cool Chopper, the most slowest, shyte handling bike ever made.



And it would seem that some still wish to revisit that teenaged folly. 

I guess it's a cheaper midlife crisis, than a sports car, or a mistress..


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## CanucksTraveller (22 Jan 2020)

I never owned a big / small wheel Raleigh of any variant, I was a Grifter lad. But I still have a highly visible scar from riding a friend's Tomahawk, and finding out the hard way how badly they handled.
I hit a pothole, went knee first into another pothole, and ended up with a wound full of dirt and tarmac bits which needed stitches. Even now I can see the black bits under the skin which the doctor couldn't flush out. 

They're still pretty cool bikes to look at though.


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## lane (22 Jan 2020)

I wanted a Chopper but my Dad refused said they were crap and brought me a proper bike instead. I'm sure he was right.....in retrospect.


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## Mrs M (22 Jan 2020)

I always wanted a purple Raleigh Chopper (ultra violet in the catalogue).
Never got one though.
There’s one on EBay for £850


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## MontyVeda (22 Jan 2020)

I've still got my Raleigh Tomahawk, the metallic amber version with alloy wheels like this...







I'd love to restore it to its former glory but doubt I'll get round to it. 
It might be a bit small for you @NeilnrLincoln but so will a Chopper I guess.


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## Levo-Lon (22 Jan 2020)

Smudge said:


> The Raleigh Shopper was leagues above the Chopper in ride quality, but no teenage lad in the early 70's would have wanted to be seen on one. So we all wanted the cool Chopper, the most slowest, shyte handling bike ever made.




Similar to the girl up the road


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## Levo-Lon (22 Jan 2020)

mudsticks said:


> I can't believe how heavy it is though.
> 
> I suspect they were made that weight deliberately.
> 
> ...



Probably as heavy as my specialised levo comp carbon at 21kg


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## mudsticks (22 Jan 2020)

Levo-Lon said:


> Probably as heavy as my specialised levo comp carbon at 21kg



Well you probs need a heavy bike if you're in Royal Protection Racket. 

If all else fails you can pin down one of the 'bad guys' with it


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## Zanelad (22 Jan 2020)

I remember fitting a crossbar, sorry top tube mounted gear shifter to my own, non chopper bike......happy days.


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## rogerzilla (26 Jan 2020)

I had a yellow Mk2 and did fairly long rides on it. Problems with one as a resto project:

1. Silly prices even for wrecks
2. Not big enough to ride for many adults
3. Rechroming is very expensive
4. Raleigh threading - BBs and headsets no longer made and expensive NOS

The Mk2 is the one to go for. Mk1s break and the Mk3 is a pale imitation - no T shift and no banana seat, so the two best bits are absent!


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## Dec66 (27 Jan 2020)

Bit far from you, @NeilnrLincoln, but Young's Cycles near me restores them, and has a wide selection to choose from.

http://youngs-cycles.co.uk/


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## Gunk (27 Jan 2020)

Part of the fun is restoring it yourself.

I’ve restored quite a few motorcycles over the years, and last year I bought a museum quality early Honda Fireblade. It is stunning and a joy to own but does not deliver the full ownership experience and warm pride of riding a bike you have rebuilt yourself, so although I love the bike it does leave me slightly cold.

My favourite bike at the moment is my humble “gas pipe“ Team Raleigh Banana, again the pleasure is in riding something I built and created.

But, horses for courses.


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## NeilnrLincoln (29 Jan 2020)

EltonFrog said:


> @NeilnrLincoln I phoned my brother, he’ll sell at a price at which I think (frankly) is delusional. He’s going to send me some photos later.


Hi.
Did you manage to get a price & photo's of your brothers chopper?
Thanks.


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## Dec66 (29 Jan 2020)

NeilnrLincoln said:


> photo's of your brothers chopper?


@Fnaar


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## EltonFrog (29 Jan 2020)

NeilnrLincoln said:


> Hi.
> Did you manage to get a price & photo's of your brothers chopper?
> Thanks.


Yes and no, he doesn’t want to sell it, and having seen it you probably wouldn’t want it.

Apologies for not posting sooner, I forgot.


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## Dogtrousers (29 Jan 2020)

I recalled a guy who had ridden various iconic climbs on a Chopper. A quick search et voilà:

https://road.cc/content/news/243196-raleigh-chopper-vs-alpe-dhuez-videos


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## EltonFrog (29 Jan 2020)

Here’s a photo of my brother’s Raleigh Chopper, he paid far to much for it ( I haven’t told him that) and it’s been powder coated.





I sat on it recently, the first time I’d ever done that, it was horrible, my mother’s significant other was right not to let me buy one even though I coveted one at the time


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## FrankCrank (30 Jan 2020)

.....to me as a 10 year old it was the most desired thing ever, and when I got one it was like all my birthdays and Xmases in one. Not sure what the modern equivalent would be, biking or otherwise. You gotta remember that Donny Osmond and the Bay City Rollers were also cool back then (for the girls I mean), so a product of its time, and maybe best to keep the memories rather than relive them


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## Arjimlad (30 Jan 2020)

I had one new from Halfords, aged 10 in 1982 I reckon. They were a little bit "retro" even then, the cool kids had Raleigh Burners. I had to choose between the Chopper and a Raleigh Bomber. 

After I grew out of it, some friends had it, I don't know what happened to it afterwards. It was silver. I loved riding it around to my friends' houses & in the park. Happy memories but I think best left in the past !


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## Dec66 (30 Jan 2020)

I had one, a Mk. 1, that my dad rescued from the local tip. He handpainted the frame in a pale metallic blue. The gear selector shroud was broken so he replaced it with the dummy one from my old Tomahawk.

Also, on the Mk. 1's, the handlebars were bolted into the stem (they were welded on the Mk. 2), and on mine the thread had worn out on the stem bolt, making it impossible to tighten shut. Didn't bother me, I just used to pull the handlebars downward, and in that mode it was almost a recumbent.

I was forever having gear chains stolen. They were like diamonds in those days to thieving little scals.

I used to ride it round our estate for hours, and hours, and hours. Then I grew out of it, and lusted after a 12-speed Puch Free Spirit in a pearlescent pale grey colour in John Geddes's shop window. I might as well have been after a ticket to the moon, for all the chance I had of ever getting it.


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## Dogtrousers (30 Jan 2020)

Looking at the dates on the Wiki page they should have featured large in my youth. But I can't recall anyone having one. I seem to have grown up in a chopper free bubble.


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## Dec66 (30 Jan 2020)

FrankCrank said:


> You gotta remember that Donny Osmond and the Bay City Rollers


I always think of Look-In, The Goodies, Fizzy Cola Spangles, Crystal Tips and Alistair, three-star jumpers and Birmos whenever I see a Chopper.

Strange how the mind works.


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## Gunk (30 Jan 2020)

And Clackers 😮


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## Dec66 (30 Jan 2020)

And horror stories in the paper of kids with their hands bandaged up, after playing with clackers.


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## Dogtrousers (30 Jan 2020)

Dec66 said:


> I always think of Look-In, The Goodies, Fizzy Cola Spangles, Crystal Tips and Alistair, three-star jumpers and Birmos whenever I see a Chopper.
> 
> Strange how the mind works.


I had to google Birmos. We just called them baggies, probably because I grew up in the midlands so we knew what a dump Birmingham was. I'm imagining the rest of the country looking up to Brum as some kind of style centre. Forget Carnaby Street, I've got Birmos!


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## Dec66 (30 Jan 2020)

Dogtrousers said:


> I had to google Birmos. We just called them baggies, probably because I grew up in the midlands so we knew what a dump Birmingham was. I'm imagining the rest of the country looking up to Brum as some kind of style centre. Forget Carnaby Street, I've got Birmos!


I lived on a Merseyside council estate.

We were under no illusions as to the lack of cachet our address conferred upon us, but neither did we look to Birmingham for haute couture. They were just called "Birmingham Bags", or "Birmos" for short


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## fossyant (30 Jan 2020)

Smudge said:


> They are cool to look at as an icon from the 70's, but i wouldn't want to ride one again.



Same here, wouldn't ride one again. I did love mine, did many miles on it, but it was a bit of a liability. The racing bike I replaced it with was a million times better. PS it's also a bit 'small' for an adult.


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