Mention “Raleigh” to youngsters and most probably the first thing that pop-up is bicycle to them. Try again but this time mention “Chopper” and chances are high they would be scratching their head, thinking hard if it could be related to U.S. military Apache helicopter. However, try this on some middle-aged people in their late 40s, and they would be grinning from ear to ear, as their old sweet memory kick in.
[ Creator Tom Karen, riding on his Chopper bike said: ‘We delivered the final designs to Raleigh and it became a considerable success and made a lot of money for them. ]
Ahh, the legendary and infamous Raleigh Chopper bicycles. The Chopper bike was the “must have” item for many children in the 1970s. It was the coolest thing on planet Earth, just like how every kid nowadays must owns a smartphone. From United Kingdom to United States and Malaysia, everyone was crazy about owning the bike. Its unique design became a cultural icon to many kids.
The Raleigh Chopper bike was designed, manufactured and marketed by the Raleigh Bicycle Company of Nottingham, England, a company founded by Woodhead and Angois in 1885. The Chopper was patented in the UK in 1967 and patented in the US a year later. There were two distinct “cool features” that made Chopper popular – their padded backrest and 3-speed or 5-speed gear hub.
Yeap, kids during those years were riding their Chopper as if they were F1 drivers, shifting gears happily. It was so popular that Chopper actually saved the company Raleigh from going bust, when it sold millions of them worldwide. The first version was released in 1969 while the second improved version, Mark 2, was made available in 1972. It cost merely £32 (US$53.40, RM169.80) for a standard Chopper to £55 (US$91.70, RM291.80) for the deluxe back then.
The Chopper remained in production until 1981 when, you guess it, the BMX craze had taken over its market. It wasn’t until 2004 that Raleigh released a limited edition Chopper – Mark 3 – due to popular demand, costing between £200 and £300 (US$333 – US$500, RM1,060 – RM1,591). There were several rounds of limited editions release since then, such as the Special Edition Beano Chopper last year.
And now, another limited edition will be released again, scheduled to be made available next year, 2015. Priced at £250 (US$417, RM1,325), the 2015 Chopper comes with gold and silver to pay homage to the golden age of British motor racing, in addition to red and green. Since it will be available in limited 400 units only, obviously it will become collectible hits again. Get ready for insane price jack-up in eBay.
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August 14th, 2014 by financetwitter
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