Author Archives: barneybear69

Well after talking about it for a long time we have made progress on organising our ride. Dates 22-24 june 2013 The riders will be: John Bell – Completed C2C a few time now – lazy trainer and built for … Continue reading →

Today was a day to push the mileage even further to nearly 17miles (steady as I go). It was after all my birthday weekend (thanks for all the birthday wishes) so I decided on the Sunday to go out on … Continue reading →

every time just seeing the bike (and realising it’s an original) puts a huge grin on people’s faces every time somebody wants to take a photo every time somebody tells me “they used to own one” – maybe, but where … Continue reading →

As I am getting quite a few hits on the site now I thought I’d make it easier for people to remember the domain name. I am proud to announce the purchase of http://www.purplechopper.co.uk It doesn’t get much easier than … Continue reading →

I thought I’d extend my ride out today so ventured out on a 12 miler but still not venturing too far from home in case of any major mechanical issues ( you’d think I wasn’t confident). Headed west past the … Continue reading →

Well as most people who know anything about Raleigh Choppers will be aware the majority of them came as 3 speed using internal Sturmey Archer (AW) gears. They were notorious at slipping in 1st which will cause most men to … Continue reading →

Well I’ve now had the chopper ready for a couple of weeks and in total I’ve done 24 miles on it. It may not have been far but it’s been eventful. I’ve done 2 trips to The Hub ( a … Continue reading →

You’ll find them on the Big rebuild page within the restoration section at top of this page

the restoration is complete – hoorah 🙂 Once the chopper was returned with the paint on I claimed the glory of putting on the stickers  to then go back to the paintshop to have its final coats of protective lacquer … Continue reading →

Alan Oakley from Nottingham, designer of the iconic Raleigh Chopper, has died aged 85 after a battle with cancer. He famously sketched the design on an envelope on a return trip from USA where he’d been inspired.

Well, this weekend I have been stripping all the paint off the frame. Mainly using a wire brush attachment on the drill but for all the awkward areas and there were plenty) it was good old Wet or Dry or … Continue reading →

Well, some parts of the bike were in a sorrier state than I originally thought. But on the bright side some bits were better – hoorah I had originally intended to make the bike a runner and not take time … Continue reading →

Well, after watching every MKI or II Raleigh Chopper for weeks that went through Ebay I   discovered they were fetching £200 (for wrecks) to £2800 (for concourse show bikes). I was after a bargain bike that I might need … Continue reading →