1970: Introducing the CHOPPER BICYCLE | Blue Peter | Retro Transport | BBC Archive
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- čas přidán 10. 09. 2023
- "They really are very modern bikes indeed!" - Valerie Singleton.
Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves take a couple of Raleigh Choppers for a test ride around the Blue Peter studio.
The bikes' distinctive dragster-inspired design - featuring asymmetric wheels, a long, cushioned saddle, high handlebars and crossbar-mounted gearstick - certainly makes them stand out, but how do they handle?
Originally broadcast 15 June, 1970.
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I never missed Blue Peter every Monday and Thursday. As I am now in my Sixties I remember watching this episode with the Raleigh Chopper and my excitement was off the scale . I was lucky enough to get the best Christmas present anyone could ever receive a yellow Raleigh Chopper . I loved that bike and some great times riding it .
I was the only kid on the estate who did not have a bike, so I was left out when the crew went on rides. Then my brother came home with an orange Chopper for me. He had a good job but it must still have cost him most of his wages that week. Wow, what a feeling. Oh to be 12 again.
That's a good brother.
@@marine4lyfe85 He was. Smart too, but never made me feel stupid because I was not on his level. Sadly gone now. But always in my thoughts.
I never had one but my older brother did. This takes me back to wonderful memories of all us kids playing out in the streets ❤
Same xx
In the Chopper's early days I think sales may have been slow as the styling may have been seen as a bit too quirky and American, sales probably took off when the cool kids got them, then it was on every kid's Xmas list...
The joys of riding out to places a bit far to walk to together with groups of peers from school,exploring and sometimes getting up to mischief,in the mid-70s. I wouldn't have known some of the places we found ourselves at existed without those bikes.
I had a Red Chopper back in the 1970's in New Zealand. These were amazing bikes and gave us freedom to explore many more miles away from home than we could have before. As Free Range kids we were out all day and only returned for meals. No i-phones, no screens, no worries!!
I built my own bicycle when I was 12 years old from the local scrap yard and the dump. It took me about six months to find all the parts and assemble them all in to a fantastic bike. It taught me the value of things and more importantly how to build things that I wanted from junk and my imagination. As the years passed all the cool kids choppers fell apart and rusted away while mine was as good as the day I built it.
I had three of them at different times in my childhood. Watching this brings back some very happy memories and also some very painful ones, thanks to the gear changer!!!
Oooofff! Right on the old cream crackers!
My older brother had one of these, and I inherited it years later. Everyone on the street insisted on borrowing it. It's still in decent condition and stored in our garage. Wonderful memories.
A great free advert for Raleigh to kick off the sales....
BBC don't do advertising!
@@BobCassidy They obviously did here. That was a sales pitch.
@@kevfit4333 no way. The bbc never ever do advertising!
Just like Ford placed Cortinas in Carry On Cabby in 1963 and Morris placed Marinas in Carry On At Your Convenience in 1971.
@@BobCassidy They advertised for decades. Think of any sitcom of the era. At Breakfast, the cornflakes box might have had 'Kelloggs' painted out, but they still left the cockerel on the box, so we all knew whose cornflakes they were.
"Leather seat"... it was sweaty vinyl.
This was my dream bike as a small kid in the 70s. Many of my peers had one and rightfully showed them off. I really wanted one for my birthday. But my father cheapened out and got me Tomahawk instead…smaller, no gears and no kudos either 😆
He later made up for it by buying me a BMX Team Murray even though what I actually wanted was the pricier and lighter weight Mongoose, which was the BMX to have at the time! Oh well, I still have both of them rusting away with flat tires. But my father has long since passed away, so they’re memories of him now 🤷♂️
The Mk4 Chopper came out in mid 2023. They're almost an exact replica of the old-school Chopper MK2. They look good but cost about *£1000!!* 😱
The Blue Peter team are riding MK1 Choppers. They had a longer seat. The MK2 had a luggage rack at the rear and a slightly shorter seat but it still didn't stop kids giving 'backy' passenger rides with their mates!
1:16 Many young boys (me included!) fell off the Chopper seat and landed on to that gear knob - *OUCH!* 💥😱😥
Omg at fall and OMG at modern price. I worked out that the old price would have been the equivalent of £500 now ! My poor mum got 2 of us one and a tomahawk for little brother. We never had two pennies to rub together but never did without. Never appreciated just how hard she tried.
I've seen comments here from others that had incidents too with that gear knob! I knew I wasn't the only one.
I worked out too what cost of a Chopper should be today due to inflation and you're right. Old MK1 & MK2 Choppers cost *A LOT* of money on eBay, so Raleigh just priced the MK4 about the same to get their piece of the pie. Very overpriced really as a better performing mountain bike can be purchased for much much cheaper.
I think the best way to get a Chopper is to get MK3 and put MK2/MK4 parts on it (seat, etc) to make it look more like a MK3. MK3 Choppers go for a much cheaper price on eBay as they didn't look as good as previous models.
Search for a video here on CZcams by Huh Tasker called: Electric Raleigh chopper overview
There are other electric Choppers. Also see Sam Pilgrim do some crazy stunts on a MK3 Chopper on a mountain bike track in the woods! 😃
@@djdrwatson YES. But WHY !!!??? LOL.
Like everything now. If you buy a door, you then have to buy the handle and the hinges so as you can actually USE the door ...
Its amazing they still sell bikes with wheels at all.
Yes anorak......😂
I had one of these as a kid!
I'm 59 and way back in the 70's I was the proud owner of a bright yellow Raleigh Chopper, having moved up from the Tomahawk, it's smaller sibling.....Oh for those carefree days again playing out on my bike, no mobile phones, no ipads or computers...Happy days indeed!!
When i was a kid in the seventies my older neihbours, two brothers each got a brand new chopper. One had the bright Yellow one and the other got the beautiful Purple one. I loved the Purple one more but they were both stunning bikes. They both had the wider Red gear change lever. Then a few years later my friend got a plane Blue chopper (with the smaller round gear knob). Didnt like the colour much. They were very soft and slow bikes (rather like the Raleigh Grifter bike) but they were lovely to ride.
I remember my dad buying me a used bike like this in 1981 or so~
They were really good, especially 2 up which the white band on the seat said 'no passenges'
This brings back the memories. I had one as a boy in Peterborough. Loved it.
I loved my "Chopper" (we called them "Dragsters" here in Oz). My older brother and I got ours on xmas day in 1975 (his was metallic dark blue and mine was metallic yellow, with banana seat and gear shift). We went straight up to the top of our street (a pretty big hill), I came down waaay too fast, stacked it into the gutter and cut my foot. I started screaming and the neighbour came out and carried me back home. Good times.
Best bikes ever - bring back great childhood memories.
I had a Mark 1 that my dad won for me in a competition in the Daily Mirror. The roll bar at the back was great for him to hold whilst I learnt to ride! It was squared off though, not rounded at the top. I had a round gearknob like the Blue Peter ones, but my pedals were rectangular rather than rounded.
It was always an ambition of mine, to show Val Singleton my own chopper!
I think Peter had already done that.
I had a chopper a big red one, would be worth a lot of money now, wondered what ever happened to it
Mum & Dad bought one for my birthday - £35 I couldn’t believe it. To say I was beyond excited is an understatement. I don’t know how they afforded it as they didn’t have loads of cash but it was absolutely brilliant. It had some weird failings, but most of those were irrelevant at that age.
That gear shift could be pretty evil to the groin when going up a hill, standing on the pedals, and it slipped out of gear, lurching you forward right into the shifter. Ouch. My brother had one of these bikes, and I sometimes wonder if that's why he didn't have children - lols.
Sounds like they should have come with a "cup" for guys as standard equipment. 😂
😂😂😂
They were badly designed. The small front wheel made it much less stable, even small bumps or potholes would catch the tiny wheel and make you fall off. All show and no go
My Dad bought me my Chopper in the summer of 1971. It cost £36 from Whites Wonderland, in Thundersley, Essex.
Never had one, a friend at the time had one. Great for giving saddles to someone with the long seat. Remember its smaller brother for younger children called the Chipper. Then the forerunner over here of the BMX, the Grifter.
One of my cousins had a Chopper and his younger brother had a chipper. There was a 'chippy' for little kids. My cousin who had the chipper had a Grifter later on which I used to love ti ride. A few months ago me and the sister were reminiscing about the Grifter and what colour it was😂- I said metallic blue she said silver! Happy, happy days. I had a go on the Chopper when my middle cousin inherited it off his older brother.
My first bicycle was an orange Chipper. It was nice having a comfy seat to sit on instead of a ball crusher/arse splitter. I rode it all round the neighbourhood,but sometimes on the pavements when on the roads that had busier traffic. One day I failed to brake quickly enough and crashed into the back of the legs of a middle aged lady walking in front of me,laddering her stockings and causing a small cut. She was not happy at all.
@@rjjcms1 there was even a three wheeler for tots called Chippy.
It must have cost a week's wages when only dad was in work at the time but my blue Chopper arrived on my ninth birthday in '71. The best present that my parents ever bought me, and I so wish they were still here for me to thank properly! The bike was treasured, cleaned and polished every Sunday without fail. Of course, several friends of the same age also had one, and we'd ride the streets and playgrounds together, especially during the long days of summer way back then - Amazing times!
Ah yes great memories. I had a purple one and my friend had a yellow one (purple was better, lol). His younger brother had a baby chopper that was called a chipper iirc.
I had the Chopper Sprint (just to be different). Best birthday present I ever had. Either in 1972 or '73. Can't remember which.
Cracked my head open after flipping backwards when doing 'wheelies' and smashed my face into a fence post after going over the handlebars.
Those were the days 🤣
I had a purple chopper I loved that bike this takes me.back
So much for the BBC not having adverts for products
Strange one alright. They obviously didn't mention Raleigh by name and only briefly showed the badge (which you'd have to know was a Raleigh badge), but still clearly an advert for a specific product.
@@scottishwildcat They mentioned 'Chopper' constantly. If you were a parent you're not going to Halfords asking for a Raleigh bike, you're asking for a Chopper. Blatent advertising. They did the same with One foot in the grave, always a Tescos bag when they went shopping, If my memory serves me correctly
Ahhh i had such great fun on my Chopper
Superb bikes and fond memories.
Choppers were great posing machines, I remember all the 10 year old girls looking on with longing in their eyes as we sat astride our Choppers in the ally way. They were OK for riding on the flat and going down hill was fun - not too fast though else the front wheel got the wobbles sending you sliding along the tarmac on your face using your chin as a brake. Cycling up hill was a chore and could be embarrassing when old ladies passed you at walking pace, we were surrounded by hills so never ventured very far on our Choppers. I kept mine for a year between birthdays then my Dad traded it in for a 10 speed, drop handlebar racing bike for me and I never looked back - suddenly the whole world opened up in front of me.
The orange original with car like round gear knob, that's the one i got for my Christmas/Birthday that year.
Me and my mates had the Chopper, Chipper and Thomahawk between us.
*other brands of bicycles are also available 😉
2023. Now commanding high prices for used models in good condition.😊
I would buy one today if i could.
I wasn’t allowed a Chopper. I still think it’s why I’m a bitter 60 yr old. My mate had a Tomahawk. Wasn’t that a smaller version? But these old archive videos are incredible.
My younger brother had one - rubbish handling (even on smooth roads and pavements). I know they're more an 80s-thing, but give me my trusty BMX any day!
I had one but my little brother had a small one called a Tomahawk.
We were too poor to have one.
Collectors items now....😁👍
A very exciting ride was that bike, particularly the suicidally placed gear change.
I often rode my red Chopper from my house in Tooting to Bishops Park in Fulham, Just so i could be where The Oman was filmed 😂
good bikes
I had a Blue Budgie 😂 loved it on the Estate …..happy days until i left it on the path and came back from me lunch & someone had snapped the handle bars at the stem …….😢😢😢
Live the dream
Had one. UNTIL IT WAS STOLEN !!! And by that time, they were no longer being sold. Parents then made me get a nerd bike afterwards. That actually lasted over 20 years.
It was the rolls Royce of kids bikes, I loved my red chopper untill one night it mysteriously disappeared from it's home in the shed, that was the end of my chopper days
The only memory I have of it was slipping of the seat and landing my nuts on the gear selector.
My brother had a yellow one. I used to ride on the back while he didn't sit but just peddled.
Why oh why…are these bikes not available NOW!?!?!?!?!
The classic triumvirate. Happy days.
Valerie with her scarf ready to get caught in the back wheel rotation.
I never had one we couldn't afford it .I had a Puch cycle but my friend had one and the back bar on the seat saved his life. He cycled from a side road didn't stop and a crane lorry bumper came in contact with the back of the seat bar catapulting him off the bike on to the pavement a ambulance was called off to hospital very lucky had a few stitches and the bike lived to with the bar bent
I had a mark 2. First thing I did was remove the new fixed forward handlebars and replaced them with a pair of pig wide bars like the original mark 1.
me and my wee brother hade one
The Schwinn Stingray was the class of the field.
Back in those days, the Schwinn was made in Chicago. A quality product made by skilled craftsmen.
Yeah I always wanted one of those but my dad was a tightwad, lol. Banana seats were great for riding your friends around with you.
The Malvern Star dragsters we had in Australia at that time were much better looking in my opinion.
The BMX killers this bike.
I only had a Tomahawk. Poor me, no gears at all!
Urologists' nightmare. The gear lever knob would go missing either stolen or lost and the resulting metal lever was responsible for a great many injuries requiring delicate surgical intervention.
John Noakes on a Chopper. Can you get any more seventies than that?
Jimmy savile
@@darkstar223 ...on John Noakes on a Chopper
Design based on a dragster.big wheel at the back small wheel at the front.
Guys would you describe them as 'modern' at all? Wasn't sure we heard your thoughts on that 😂
Shame they never filmed those modern bikes on one of them modern colour cameras?!!
How much would one of those be worth mint.
I had one for Christmas 70/71 the cost was 35 quid
American here. Is a quid the same as a pound? And what's a bob?
a quid = £1 and a bob is £0.05 or 5 pence@@marine4lyfe85
1970....I was 16 and half way through studying for O levels. Already too old for a chopper.
Bẻtter days indeed give me the 1970s anytime for ẻverything unlike compared to todays times...
you could get 4 people on a mark2
Chopper was King of the 70s until the likes of Grifter came along to shake things up - I couldn’t afford neither so my dad made me a Chopper lookalike 😅
I had a Grifter. I wanted a BMX with blue frame and yellow mag wheels, but it was too frivolous.
I was told by a bike shop owner that Raleigh had loads of chopper frames which they didn't sell.
They turned them upside down and that was the frame of the grifter.
@@gow03333 they're nothing like each other.
@@gow03333 funny 😂 (and they were acknowledged as similar in that way), but sadly urban Myth.
Everybody wanted one but the truth is they were unstable and exhausting to ride.
all girls like a nice chopper 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Raliegh couldnt buy this level of advertising..
but im sure someone scored from this????
Noakes is wearing sandals and socks?
I must be the only one disappointed to get one for christmas (wanted a racer of grifter) big heavy horrible things. Was in the out house for 20 years, then neighbour said, 'what you doing with that' said take it out of the way thinking it was rubbish, he forgot to tell me it was worth 300 quid which I found out a week later.
The only thing that does not command a high price when it ages are people in 2023
An original Chopper owner will be entering retirement in 2023.
Much happier care free times. I keep forgetting which country this is 🤔😕
I wanted a Chopper but never got one. In fact I wanted a green one, which was unpopular and therefor collectable subsequently. As a means of transport the Chopper was a terrible bike, but who cares when you're a kid?
Advertising on the BBC - whatever next 🧐
Look kids - a bike you have to pedal! None of this motorised crud!
I never realised that the Chopper's reflector was positioned right between the buttock area of the anatomy which would give the appearance of a glowing anus to oncoming drivers!
I also thought that Pete's Kung Fu sash/waist band adornment was incredibly stylish and far out and I, Lance Reardon, would love to see them making a comeback in the fashion-devoid 2020s!
Huh-huh-huh-huh... you said: "glowing anus."
Plus I would be perfectly happy wearing a Kung Fu sash like Pete's - I'd wear it when I went shopping to ASDA and make Bruce Lee noises in the queue before being asked politely to leave by Security...
Need to take the seat off
All a bit product-placementy for the BBC, especially for the ever-careful Blue "sticky tape and sticky backed plastic" Peter... wonder who benefited from a brown envelope that week.
I wonder how much Blue Peter got paid that product placement lol
Looked great. Really dangerous and crap handling, but we didn’t care then!
Ball crusher
I preferred the "Grifter".
And come off the bike you will, frequently..
That's not a roll bar for protection, it's a sissy bar. As in the kind on a real chopper. Had a similar design with the 3 speed shifter and ram handlebars. Not very practical.
This is pretty weird, like blatant product placement son Blue Peter 😮 1000s of parents must’ve cursed. Alan Partridge would be proud.
Bring back the penny-farthing. That's a proper bike. You want a tiny back wheel and a massive front wheel, this modern rubbish has it the wrong way round.
But obviously the chopper looks better.
But how do you get off? Just fall over?
Note Valerie's highly inappropriate costume: she's lucky she wasn't decapitated by her scarf a la Isadora Duncan. But God knows how many Blue Peter copycat viewers came to grief themselves.
Nowadays health and safety would have a fit!
Why is the bbc selling bikes
Horrendous design... you run into something or pull too hard on the front brakes, your face will be heading for the pavement. The handlebar clamp was notorious for allowing the handlebars to rotate forwards under even slight pressure.
I had one, total piece of 💩and very u ergonomical
How did they get away with this? It’s a blatant advert.
Worse product placement than the scene from Wayne’s World!!