Raleigh has relaunched the Chopper, in all probability its most well-known mannequin, in a brand new model up to date to satisfy the protection necessities for all bicycles within the 2020s.
The brand new Chopper has the well-known sprung banana seat of the unique and even the highest tube gear shifter, which was relegated to the bike’s bars in later variations of the Chopper, in deference to the march of well being and security.Â
The MK 1 Raleigh Chopper was launched in 1969, however it was with the MK 2 Chopper, comprised of 1973 to 1985, that the bike actually took off, promoting tens of millions worldwide and within the Eighties rescuing the Nottingham-based bike model, which had as soon as been the biggest on this planet, from near-bankruptcy.Â
Delicate modifications to satisfy trendy rules
The relaunched Chopper follows the design of the MK 2 Chopper, with a Cr-Mo metal body and mismatched 20 inch rear and 16 inch entrance wheels.
As with the unique, the 580mm riser metal handlebars are welded to the stem, in order that they will’t be tilted backwards. Though later Choppers included derailleur gear choices, the brand new bike replicates the three-speed hub gears of earlier fashions.
The “sissy bar” behind the saddle is there too, though it’s a number of inches decrease than on the unique bike. As with that mannequin, there’s the brief rear rack to hold your frisbee or no matter and that humorous mount within the headset to push your Ever Prepared entrance mild onto. In fact, there’s no sight of disc brakes, with rim brakes answerable for stopping energy.
Adam Snow, Head of Product Administration at Raleigh, says that the corporate bought a lot of MK 2 Chopper frames, which, alongside the unique hand-drawn technical drawings, had been scanned for brand spanking new CAD design templates for the brand new bike and to construct up an correct scale mannequin – a necessity for modern-day manufacturing processes and strategies. It then constructed a prototype within the UK and labored with Raleigh’s Taiwan-based manufacturing companion to fabricate the body and parts.
In keeping with Snow: “We needed to change the peak dimension of the saddle and sissy bar (saddle help) to satisfy trendy security requirements and enhance the gauge (thickness) of the body and fork tubing to permit the bike to go bodily power testing.Â
“There have additionally been some concessions to trendy manufacturing strategies however all key options from the unique bikes, we have now tried to maintain with this new mannequin. For instance, somewhat than braised joints, the brand new bike is welded, however to retain the genuine look the pinnacle tube has been CNC machined to a fantastic element.”
Snow factors out that regardless of its beefed-up body and parts, the trendy bike’s 18.4kg weight is much like the unique.Â
The brand new Raleigh Chopper body is available in one measurement, 37cm and the bike is offered in two colors, Infra Pink and Extremely Violet, once more reflecting two of the color choices of the unique Mark 2 Chopper.
The beneficial retail value for the brand new Chopper is £950. That’s fairly a soar from the £32 for which the Chopper initially offered.Â
Raleigh describes the brand new Chopper as a restricted version, so it stays to be seen what number of it plans to fabricate or if the Chopper will take off with youngsters (and their dad and mom who bear in mind driving the unique) and once more turns into a blockbuster bicycle.
It’s additionally providing a variety of spares for the brand new bike, a lot of which it says are appropriate with the unique Mark 2 Chopper, so it may be time to mud it off if you happen to nonetheless have one lurking in your shed awaiting a restoration mission.
The Chopper follows within the wake of different bike revivals by Raleigh, with a duplicate TI-Raleigh Group bike launched in 2020 to mark the fortieth anniversary of its Tour de France win.
