Omigod, where to begin??? Having begged ciao to add the new Chopper to their product listing, FINALLY I get to review my best purchase of 2004 (and we're only half way through!!!!)
It all started way back when........in the early seventies some cool people decided it would be a good idea to make a bike for kids that was completely impractical but the HEIGHT of fashion, TA-DA....The Mark I Chopper! 'Ape-hanger' handle bars, one 'L' shaped seat and the coolest gear changer on the frame, you had ever seen! California Highway Patrol eat your heart out!
Then it was slightly 'tweaked' and re vamped a little several years later, as 'The Mark II Chopper' (no offence to Expert Chopper restorers but I can't see a huge difference between them!!!) These bikes were the joy of every child who was lucky enough to get their little mitts on them!! They came in a variety of shades from 'Fizzy Lemon' to 'Shocking Pink' all with the Chopper Logo (and endless possibilities for accesories....like lolly sticks in yer spokes to make the 'tac tac tac' noise like a 'real' bike (ha....NOT!) The tassles from the handle bars.....the aerial (oh dear....) the list is endless...
Then nothing........for 30 YEARS! (almost) until in March this year (2004) Raleigh released the new 'Mark III Chopper' realising that retro was chic and that the generel public would pay silly money to be nostalgic (looking guilty at this point!!!!)
So onto the new Chopper.... Sadly, with various safety regs, we can't have a gear stick on the frame anymore.....that's now on the right handlebar (twist action!). Also, no more 'L' shaped seat (noooo I hear you thirty-somethings cry, it's ruined!!!) but as you can see from the pic, it isn't! It's just been 'modified' as the seat must be height adjustable (so it's been 'split') and don't worry,....it's as uncomfortable as EVER!!!!! The handlebars are ths same, the details remain (nuts have the 'R' logo on) and although I'm very, very biased, it's just the coolest bike in the park!!!
Now onto the road test..... The brakes are MUCH sharper than they were in the 70's beware!!!! No more using your feet to come to some kind of standstill, these brakes WORK! The gears (only three....but hey, we don't buy them for their performance!) are adequate. The seat is almost as cool, (and just as irritating after half an hour!) and with small adjustments to the seat height and the handlebar height, all sad 30+ year olds will fit very nicely on it thank you......paint work is immaculate and whilst comes with no accesories, there are Raleigh Chopper Mirrors, Horn and valve nut covers to buy as added extras.......and if you search on the Raleigh Chopper Owners sites, you'll even find conversion kits to put the Mark II seat on your new Mark III.
The only tiny drawback (and it's a positive drawback!!!) is that it draws so much attention, that in public, it's hard to get any peace and quiet! Taking it to the park a weekend ago lead to a small crowd gathering (no, seriously!!!) pointing, muttering and a few even asking for 'a test drive'......(I don't THINK so!) My best tale yet, is taking it out on the first night I had it...cycling down the road and stopping as I'd seen a HUGE Harley Davidson Fatboy coming towards me.....I turn around to get a better look and the female pillion passenger pokes the 'driver' and nudges him, points at my Chopper and says 'Look, a Chopper!!' HOW COOL IS THAT?
Main retailers are Halfords and most larger Bicycle shops. Cost starting at £199.00 (more for limited edition models if you can get your hands on one) and for the newer 'Purple' model (as the standard colour released initially was red).
Loads of fun for all (I'm sure kids will love it too!) really, really stylish and unbeatable for 70's nostalgia.
