Raleigh Commando

The Raleigh Commando was a children's bicycle introduced by Raleigh in the 1970s as one of the models meant to follow the Chopper. BikeBiz's history of the company records it as launched in 1973 and aimed at youngsters, and says it was the first replacement product for the Chopper but did not have a major impact. Another source dates its release to 1974 and describes it as a scaled-down follow-up to the Chopper with 18 inch wheels, a Sturmey-Archer three-speed hub and caliper brakes, made for only a short time. It was part of Raleigh's effort in the 1970s to find a new children's bicycle as sales of the Chopper began to fall, an effort that continued with the Grifter in 1976 and the BMX range after 1982.