Raleigh Chopper Mk 1

The Raleigh Chopper Mk 1 was the first version of the Raleigh Chopper, the high-rise-handlebar children's bicycle made by the Raleigh Bicycle Company of Nottingham. Retrowow records that it launched in 1969 in the USA and in 1970 in the UK, where it was sold as The Hot One alongside the RSW Mk III and the Moulton Mk III. Like some versions of the Schwinn Sting-Ray it had a 16 inch front wheel and a 20 inch rear wheel, a large padded seat, a kickstand that gave it the lean of a parked motorcycle, and a standard Sturmey-Archer three-speed hub worked by a gear lever on the cross bar. Wikipedia says the Mk 1 was produced until 1972, when the Mk 2 replaced it with a shorter seat. A 1970 Mk 1 cost 34 pounds 19 shillings in Britain, and the ten-speed version is the most prized of all Choppers among collectors. It is the first generation of the Raleigh Chopper.