Local history

Raleigh bosses in 1967 could have been forgiven for screwing up Chief Designer Alan Oakley's Chopper idea, sketched on the back of an envelope, and asking "what the hell were you thinking?"

The design is bonkers. Huge handle bars, a bulky, padded seat with backrest and a car-like gear lever on the main frame, all made it look, well, just plain odd.

However, there was method behind the perceived madness. The idea was to make it look like a Chopper motorbike as seen in Easy Rider, the popular film of the time.

Alan Oakley - inventor of the Chopper

Kids everywhere could pretend to be bikers but above all look cool.

Attempts to sell the Chopper in the USA were unsuccessful but it was a hit in Britain. It became the must-have item for kids and has since become synonymous with the 1970s.

It's believed the bike even saved the Raleigh business, after the company sold millions of Choppers around the world.

With the dawn of the 1980s Raleigh ceased production of the Chopper when the BMX took over the market.

However, in 2004, due to popular demand, a limited edition Chopper became available. Modifications were made to discourage 'backies' and they also moved the gear stick to a safer position on the handlebars.

Enthusiasts still collect the bikes, restore them and go to rallies, as demonstrated in our gallery: