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TECH NEWS
2021 Raleigh Chopper main picRaleigh launches new tyres for iconic Chopper so owners can revive their retro rides
The famous Nottingham bike brand Raleigh has solved a rubbery headache for owners of its legendary Chopper bike by reviving Chopper-specific tyres. Costing £29.99 each, both front and rear tyres are available and they feature the brand's classic logo.
> Blog: How getting a Raleigh for Christmas changed my life
With production of the Chopper ceasing in the 1980's (apart from occasional limited edition versions such as this one revealed in 2014), owners who still use their vintage relics and have perhaps done one skid too many often have to search far and wide for replacement tyres, not made any easier by the fact that the Chopper's front and rear wheel sizes are different: "Those previously subjected to trawling online forums and auctions can now rest easy", says Raleigh.
Both tyres are black featuring the classic red stripe that featured on the originals, plus a vintage Raleigh logo. The front is 16 inches in diameter and has a 2 inch width with a smoother surface, whereas the 20 inch diameter, 2.1 inch-wide rear has a skid-friendly knobbly tread pattern for extra grip.
Is your Chopper in need of some fresh rubber? Head over to Raleigh's website, where both the front and rear tyre are currently in stock priced at £29.99 each, or pop down to your local Raleigh retailer.
Jack has been writing about cycling and multisport for over a decade, arriving at road.cc via 220 Triathlon Magazine in 2017. He worked across all areas of the website including tech, news and video, and also contributed to eBikeTips before being named Editor of road.cc in 2021 (much to his surprise). Jack has been hooked on cycling since his student days, and currently has a Trek 1.2 for winter riding, a beloved Bickerton folding bike for getting around town and an extra beloved custom Ridley Helium SLX for fantasising about going fast in his stable. Jack has never won a bike race, but does have a master's degree in print journalism and two Guinness World Records for pogo sticking (it's a long story).
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6 comments
Must be the worst bike geometry ever.
It's interesting that they've never tried to revive the Chopper...unless the Health and Safety Executive would prevent it. They were pretty unstable at high speeds, as the scar on my chin still attests some 48 years later.
They did-
A new version of the Chopper, the Mk 3, was launched in February 2004 firstly in red then purple, the Chopper having been out of production for almost 25 years. The Mk3, in deference to modern safety concerns, adopts a more conventional saddle design to discourage "backies", and has dropped the groin-catching gear lever in favour of handlebar mounted gear controls; to commemorate this former feature the Mk 3 has a sticker where the lever once was located. The frame is made from aluminium alloy tubing, rather than the originals' steel, to make the bicycle lighter. The wheels are again 20 inches for the back wheel and 16 for the front wheel.[13] The MK3 remained in production until 2009 when it was replaced by the slightly changed mk4 model. Since then there have been multiple editions of the Chopper - the Beano edition, JPS, Hot One and Mod. Instead of the 3 speed Sturmey Archer hubs they changed to 6 speed shimano derailleur gears. All these were considered mk5, production of which ended in summer 2018.
Wikipedia
See also:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/nov/13/raleigh-chopper-bik...
Some classic comments in there too!
It's not a proper Chopper if there's no gear stick to disembowel you.... or worse! Still, not as bad as the Schwinn Sting Rays gear stick which had echoes of German gay porn (I'm told).
My neighbour to the left, Andy Griffiths, had a Mark One in shitty brown, distinguished from the Mark Two by sloping handlebars. Meanwhile Dean Wilford had a Mark Two in purple. Not shitty purple. Just purple. I think it was Andy's shitty brown one that I came off - luckily going over the handlebars rather than along the frame. Having my chin stitched back together was a lucky escape.
I recall having an epic crash on mine, when the front wheel turned at right angles!