Відео

Worst bike ever made, stay away from hill's, speed wobble will get you.

I work in small charity that provides free bike repairs for kids in a low income neighbourhood. Kids bikes are now far too complicated, fragile and expensive to repair and the difference between the bikes of the 80s is staggering. No twelve year old needs hydraulic disc brakes, suspension and endless gears. It just breaks and can’t be repaired by the average dad.

Had one. Put three foot aluminum tubes over the forks and made it a real chopper.

Same exact bicycle $200 Canadian in Ottawa .

I had a commando in black come on guys you all know it was the don at the time.

I’ve added this video to the Raleigh Grifters Owners Club on facebook 👍👍👍👍

That brings back some good memories seeing them bikes good times

I had a blue Tomahawk, great bike. I was gradually outgrowing it and the handlebars were set as high as they'd go. Whilst riding over some rough ground the front tyre suddenly dug in. I went head first over the handlebars and landed on my chin, cutting it open. The bike landed heavily and the extended handlebar tube got bent. We managed to get it straightened before my dad found out. I had a scarred chin for years. Still, happy memories. The yellow Chopper that succeeded it was even more fun.

The tuff burner didn't have mag wheels they had skyway wheels iirc

The Chopper wasn’t just the most iconic kids bike of the 70’s and early 80’s, it has to be argued that as a single brand/model it’s the most iconic bike ever. BMXs of the mid-80’s onwards might argue they were the most iconic TYPE of bike, but that’s a stretch. There’s been no more identifiable, more sought after, more unique bike of any kids generation, before or since. These days you go and buy a type of bike (road, gravel, MTB, etc) but from a multitude of brands and models. The chopper was one of one. Arguably the only bike (in the UK) that comes close in status (unique, one brand, one model, millions sold), would be the Brompton. But beyond that?

Yep learned to ride a stricka or was is stricker, 1970’s , everyone out on new bikes for Christmas. Had the bright yellow chopper, came with friggin long tassels off the handle bars, I was mortified and cut them off 😂. Then 1980 was bmx, burner aero with yellow mag wheels. Great memories 👍

You forgot the ChipperThat was truely the baby Chopper

Christmas 1978. I got a Grifter, my brother a Stryker…brilliant!

Amazing for an utterly abysmal bike to fetch such a large amount. Interesting information though and I enjoyed the video.

Mine was orange , with black lettering. It also had lights , a red bullet light on the back and a headlight on the front. It had a front wheel hub dynamo to power the lights as you road it. So it was a 1974 or 75 model. None of the choppers shown had that.

I had a Boxer and remember how comfy the seat was

Does anyone remember the javelin cycle club i bought a chopper off a neibour years ago with full accecories on it wing mirrors badge bar airel with racoon tail extra reflectors on the sissy bar tool pouch on the rear rack speedo,siren and pa system with cb type microphone and a set of javelin cycle club decals on both mudguards and chain guard .

Only ever had one raleigh tracker as they where pretty rare beasts but all the rest includeing the vektar where quite pretty common (i had a sinclair c5 in about 1988 too what a lame bike /trike lol )thanks for another great trip down memory lane 🤘

Great memories! I remember all of those bikes. I learned to ride without stabilisers on my neighbour's chipper. After breaking my Texan bike i got a Grifter - great bike but so heavy and that third gear used to kill me! Loved to bend the end of the mudguards over so it rubbed on the tyre and made a motorbike sound - and wore a hole in the plastic... Then i moved on to an Ultra Burner in black and gold a few years later, after watching ET. Great times.

the vektar was trying to cash in on the craze for knight rider and streethawk at the time

Ahhh the commando. I covered many miles on mine.. oh the memories

I'm old enough to remember when those were new in the early 70s. Also old enough to remember the Schwinn Krate bikes when they were new as well..

A stupid bike.

Yes 💪🏻💥 The Tomohawk at number 1 🤙🏻 I had a Purple one and it was My best mate for years 🤘🏻 Loved that Bike, had many a great adventures 👌🏻 Thanks for posting. Nostalgic and I dig it ❤️

What about the ole Raleigh Tomohawk?

Dreamed to have one but never happened. 😢

I had a Chipper what i bike

I remember riding a chipper once a becomeing one with the chipper .😮

Couldn’t afford a BMX when I was a kid 🎉

I had the super tuff burner with gold chrome and bear trap peddles. Beast of a bike. 50 years old now and i might try get a reconditioned one.

I had a striker then a grifter 3 speed sturmey archer gears.seats were horrible when got wet.and the plastic guard on the rear .was circled out where I'd worn it out.

does anyone rember the budgie

went over the handel bars of my tomahawk and dislocated my elbow , they werent the safest design !!!

not a kid in the land who owned a chopper and never had the wind knocked out of him 🤣 The grifter was a bit lethal in that regard also when you hit a slip gear. brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it.

Two things I remember about the Grifter was it’s weight and how the hand grips always seemed to rub the skin off my thumb knuckle leaving my thumbs quite sore. Don’t know if that was common or just me.

Strika, Boxer, Grifter & Super Burner.... stull got scars to prove it, before health & safety was a thing. Then came football matches, girls, clubs (at 14) snakebite & the rests history 😊

You had cracked if you're parents could afford it!!!

raleigh super burner 😍

I had an orange Commando in the mid ‘70s, and a black Chopper around ‘80/81. Loved them both 😊

The only REAL Choppers are the Mk1, the rest are health and safety driven crap. A pristine Mk1 will set you back 2500 quid minimum.

I had a chipper when I was little and then got a chopper when I got bigger.

I have what I think is a rusty 1930s Claude Butler racing frame that was apparently used in a pre war Olympic games. It is made of some kind of aluminum alloy but rusted all the same. I believe the front wheel is original but nothing else is. Is it worth anything?

I have a mk 1 chopper in flamboyant green in totally original condition Made in march 1971 sold in los Angeles then it was briugh to uk by iriginal owner who i bought it off So its a rare bike due to colour & the fact it was sold in usa Like i say to folk go find another You can't

Rumour as a kid was that you could put you broken mag wheels in the freezer to repair them! Then again we did also try smoking dry banana and rabbit poo 😂😂😂

Bought an Grifter XL for £20 in 1985 (2nd hand). Thought they were better than a BMX as it had 3 gears. Could easily do wheelies for long distances but could never do bunny hops. 😂

In my village back in the day was an old man making bikes from second hand parts. Most kids had a bike assembled by him. They were great and we knew no better.

No Raleigh Strika? My brother had a green one and his friend had a yellow boxer. I was always left behind on my purple budgie mind you I still had my stabilizers on in 1979

i had the burner and loved it but mines was white and green, also it wasnt that light lol

Which one originally came with big chrome rear view mirrors that had to be removed as when kids crashed their bikes the mirrors fell off and too many got impaled on the long metal stalk that supported them, was it the Tomahawk or the Chopper? I remember the safety concern issue but can't remember which bike it was.

I had the blue boxer , identical to the one shown . I used to try to do ‘endo’s’ by riding straight into a curb or wall to get the back wheel to lift up 🤣🤷. My dad had to keep taking it to work to weld the front forks back together 🤣 . He was alright about fixing it until my brother grassed me up for slamming into things on purpose 😅 I’ve grown up now and got myself a chrome burner which I have modified with mushroom grips and layback seat post 😂