A Raleigh Chopper Bicycle.

A cycle that went through many design iterations. Some very bizarre. This one is missing the very desirable stick shift (3 or 5 speed) located on the flat plate on the cross bar. It also has a completely spurious suspension on the back rest (previous versions had the saddle spring cushioned). My first ‘go’ on a Chopper was as a prefect at school (1974), we were privileged to patrol the bike sheds and took the opportunity to play with some of the bikes. I jumped on a chopper, leant back on the back rest (why else was it there) and peddled forward hard. Pulled a wheely, zipped over backwards and cracked my head on the tarmac. Bloody stupid design, although I wish I had a garage full of them judging by the prices asked on ebay.

The young boy that let me take a picture of his bike was preoccupied by a mark 1 mini hidden deep within Carriden Boat Yard. They grow up so fast.