Chopper re release and special edition
Discussion
pablo said:
Don't know where I would ever use that, or what I would do with it once built.
But Strangely I want build my own all the same.
jamiebae said:
The mech looks like it's almost scraping the ground in the pics. I didn't know they came with a 5 speed option though, but I did have a Burner and not a Chopper when I was small younger, because the Burner was generally better....
[url]There were a few special versions. A mate of mine actually had this abomination.
|http://thumbsnap.com/QEZHzbTm[/url]There was a 5 speed.
And a 10.
There were Strykers(1), Choppers(2), Grifters(4) and (eventually) Bombers(3) in my street in the 1970s and early 1980s but one of the kids had one of these (below) with loose front cones, so I bought it off him for a fiver (cheap, even then) because his Dad and he knew nothing about bikes and I was too young to recognise that they were only selling it because of that. And I was probably pretty mercenary.
Anyway, it was pretty crap, probably incredibly heavy by today's standards, and had a nylon bush front headset which meant the handlebars (separate bars that slid into each fork leg) could be "pushed" forwards and backwards by a considerable margin, but it was my first wheelie bike, at which it excelled.
It was a far better and far worse bike than the Chopper. It was lighter (considerably - amazing to think how heavy the original Chopper is), and had 20" wheels fore and aft which was definitely better for rolling around on. But you tended to sit so far back that the front wheel rarely actually did anything useful. Great at the time.
Proper banana seat, like the Schwinns of the time too.
Half of me is considering trying to buy this one to "engineer" a proper headset into it but I just know it'd be crap. I built up a Skyway TA BMX with all the best parts I could think of a few years back, thinking it'd be great but when I realised I'm no longer a teenager, I hated it. This Intercity would be worse than crap. Wouldn't it?
Anyway, it was pretty crap, probably incredibly heavy by today's standards, and had a nylon bush front headset which meant the handlebars (separate bars that slid into each fork leg) could be "pushed" forwards and backwards by a considerable margin, but it was my first wheelie bike, at which it excelled.
It was a far better and far worse bike than the Chopper. It was lighter (considerably - amazing to think how heavy the original Chopper is), and had 20" wheels fore and aft which was definitely better for rolling around on. But you tended to sit so far back that the front wheel rarely actually did anything useful. Great at the time.
Proper banana seat, like the Schwinns of the time too.
Half of me is considering trying to buy this one to "engineer" a proper headset into it but I just know it'd be crap. I built up a Skyway TA BMX with all the best parts I could think of a few years back, thinking it'd be great but when I realised I'm no longer a teenager, I hated it. This Intercity would be worse than crap. Wouldn't it?
Edited by Watchman on Thursday 28th August 00:59
Does anyone know what the difference in weight is between the originals and the new (alloy framed) one?
I am hatching a plan to buy a cheap Mk3, an original banana seat and a 3-speed gear lever. Best of both worlds or abomination?
I should stop drinking... probably. Ebay is dangerous to the wine-afflicted.
I am hatching a plan to buy a cheap Mk3, an original banana seat and a 3-speed gear lever. Best of both worlds or abomination?
I should stop drinking... probably. Ebay is dangerous to the wine-afflicted.
bingybongy said:
[url]
There were a few special versions. A mate of mine actually had this abomination.
|http://thumbsnap.com/QEZHzbTm[/url]
There was a 5 speed.
And a 10.
An elderly neighbour of mine collects & restores original choppers. Keeps him out if trouble ! He has one of those dropped handlebar ones, 'new', in the box it came in back in the 70s! Bet that's worth a few quid ..There were a few special versions. A mate of mine actually had this abomination.
|http://thumbsnap.com/QEZHzbTm[/url]There was a 5 speed.
And a 10.
jamiebae said:
With these feet said:
Shame realy, they would have sold a shedload with a genuine replica though as said H&S said otherwise.
IT IS NOTHING TO DO WITH H&S!It is because tooling up those unique components for a short run would cost a fortune and put the price up to the wrong side of £300 and maybe even more. They are using the H&S get-out in their PR and sales materials but there is no law in existence which would have prevented them selling a faithful replica, they have done it for the same reason the bike has lost its hub gears - cost.
Watchman said:
There were Strykers(1), Choppers(2), Grifters(4) and (eventually) Bombers(3) in my street in the 1970s and early 1980s but one of the kids had one of these (below) with loose front cones, so I bought it off him for a fiver (cheap, even then) because his Dad and he knew nothing about bikes and I was too young to recognise that they were only selling it because of that. And I was probably pretty mercenary.
Anyway, it was pretty crap, probably incredibly heavy by today's standards, and had a nylon bush front headset which meant the handlebars (separate bars that slid into each fork leg) could be "pushed" forwards and backwards by a considerable margin, but it was my first wheelie bike, at which it excelled.
It was a far better and far worse bike than the Chopper. It was lighter (considerably - amazing to think how heavy the original Chopper is), and had 20" wheels fore and aft which was definitely better for rolling around on. But you tended to sit so far back that the front wheel rarely actually did anything useful. Great at the time.
Proper banana seat, like the Schwinns of the time too.
Half of me is considering trying to buy this one to "engineer" a proper headset into it but I just know it'd be crap. I built up a Skyway TA BMX with all the best parts I could think of a few years back, thinking it'd be great but when I realised I'm no longer a teenager, I hated it. This Intercity would be worse than crap. Wouldn't it?
I had one of those aged 10 purchased from Tesco home and wear in maidstone came with shimano hub gears and a dynamo lighting set as standard it was quicker than a chopper but eventually the single bolt holding the forks on snapped was it called an intercity or something mine was candy red !Anyway, it was pretty crap, probably incredibly heavy by today's standards, and had a nylon bush front headset which meant the handlebars (separate bars that slid into each fork leg) could be "pushed" forwards and backwards by a considerable margin, but it was my first wheelie bike, at which it excelled.
It was a far better and far worse bike than the Chopper. It was lighter (considerably - amazing to think how heavy the original Chopper is), and had 20" wheels fore and aft which was definitely better for rolling around on. But you tended to sit so far back that the front wheel rarely actually did anything useful. Great at the time.
Proper banana seat, like the Schwinns of the time too.
Half of me is considering trying to buy this one to "engineer" a proper headset into it but I just know it'd be crap. I built up a Skyway TA BMX with all the best parts I could think of a few years back, thinking it'd be great but when I realised I'm no longer a teenager, I hated it. This Intercity would be worse than crap. Wouldn't it?
Edited by Watchman on Thursday 28th August 00:59
Where on earth did you find that picture and has anyone else ever seen this bike !?
Edited by mad4amanda on Friday 29th August 21:07
BS6102 includes a set of dimensions for saddles which a banana seat would not comply with.
Raleigh would have loved to make replacement seats in the 1990s, they were desperate for a few quid. But the original tooling as lost in the big fire along with a load of grifter stuff and it did not meet the BS introduced in 1983 so it couldn`t have been fitted to new models so no point in investing in new tooling. Hence the split seat of the reissued model where the back support was not considered for BS purposes to be part of the saddle which was a completely separate part.
The legendary and iconic gonad shifter also fell foul of the same legislation under sharp objects and protuberances clause.
Raleigh would have loved to make replacement seats in the 1990s, they were desperate for a few quid. But the original tooling as lost in the big fire along with a load of grifter stuff and it did not meet the BS introduced in 1983 so it couldn`t have been fitted to new models so no point in investing in new tooling. Hence the split seat of the reissued model where the back support was not considered for BS purposes to be part of the saddle which was a completely separate part.
The legendary and iconic gonad shifter also fell foul of the same legislation under sharp objects and protuberances clause.
Edited by mad4amanda on Friday 29th August 21:35
mad4amanda said:
I had one of those aged 10 purchased from Tesco home and wear in maidstone came with shimano hub gears and a dynamo lighting set as standard it was quicker than a chopper but eventually the single bolt holding the forks on snapped was it called an intercity or something mine was candy red !
Where on earth did you find that picture and has anyone else ever seen this bike !?
It's on an auction-house website from an auction in May. Just so happens to be an auction-house in my home town, which made me wonder whether a) it was mine (couldn't have been - I automatically removed anything surplus like mud guards, chain guards, reflectors and lights in those days) or b) they were only sold in my home town (Solihull) but as you happened to have one from Maidstone, that dispels that one too.Where on earth did you find that picture and has anyone else ever seen this bike !?
Edited by mad4amanda on Friday 29th August 21:07
Amazed that anyone else has ever heard of it, much less actually had one.
It *was* better AND worse than a Chopper, wasn't it?
I've emailed the auction-house, to see if it sold or is still available. I'm hoping they have sold it or never reply.
Well turns out they were manufactured in portugal according to the interweb and sold under the iverson brand Designed by none other than George Barris ! No wonder it was cool!
Did your tyres wear through the black layer and turn white?
If only it had a decent headset and bottom bracket it would have been fantastic the chrome on mine was unmarked wonder if it was stainless ?wheels took so much abuse as I thought I was Evel Kenievel and did huge jumps and rode through acetone set on fire and stuff!
Did your tyres wear through the black layer and turn white?
If only it had a decent headset and bottom bracket it would have been fantastic the chrome on mine was unmarked wonder if it was stainless ?wheels took so much abuse as I thought I was Evel Kenievel and did huge jumps and rode through acetone set on fire and stuff!
Edited by mad4amanda on Friday 29th August 23:03
Mine was a little rusty in places, but I "did maintenance" on my bikes to compensate for the hard life they had when ridden, so I kept the surface rust at bay. Tyres were fine but I didn't have it for that long overall. The kid I bought it off had hardly ridden it, and I reckon within 6 months I had moved onto BMXs.
I only ever thought of it as a temporary bike. I think I bought it when I'd gotten bored with my 24" racer that had been converted to a spuddy-tyred cowhorn-handlebar'd "tracker" - or I'd broken it. A number of us at that age were running old and cannibalised bikes, despite the fact that our parents could have afforded better. It was fun to keep them going.
I had the Intercity when I first ventured away from home. Probably no more than 10 miles round trip but it was a great adventure. One of the lads was losing the battle to keep his bike/tracker running, so when a number of his spokes failed on the "big ride", causing his bike to be unrideable, he sat backwards on my seat holding his bike while I pedalled us both homeward.
I think this very moment caused me to look for cargo-carrying bikes thereafter. I was fascinated with side-hacks - side cars bolted to BMXs in the early 1980s - and having carted my daughter around in a trailer the past few years, I am seriously tempted to buy a Bullitt Bike now.
I only ever thought of it as a temporary bike. I think I bought it when I'd gotten bored with my 24" racer that had been converted to a spuddy-tyred cowhorn-handlebar'd "tracker" - or I'd broken it. A number of us at that age were running old and cannibalised bikes, despite the fact that our parents could have afforded better. It was fun to keep them going.
I had the Intercity when I first ventured away from home. Probably no more than 10 miles round trip but it was a great adventure. One of the lads was losing the battle to keep his bike/tracker running, so when a number of his spokes failed on the "big ride", causing his bike to be unrideable, he sat backwards on my seat holding his bike while I pedalled us both homeward.
I think this very moment caused me to look for cargo-carrying bikes thereafter. I was fascinated with side-hacks - side cars bolted to BMXs in the early 1980s - and having carted my daughter around in a trailer the past few years, I am seriously tempted to buy a Bullitt Bike now.
Edited by Watchman on Friday 29th August 23:19
I can't save the pics from the auction-house website but you can see the other angled views here:
http://www.knowleauctionrooms.co.uk/catalogues/gs1...
http://www.knowleauctionrooms.co.uk/catalogues/gs1...
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff