I had the tomahawk.

Before the grifter XL

I managed to pull a proper wheelie on a Grifter once, and get one complete pedal turn in. Got a round of applause for that! (all my mates had Mongoose and Diamondback BMXes by then)

I swear the crack in the pavement is still there from when the wheel landed again.

We set up a massive ramp in the woods once too. Big run in, big air, and it’d set off all the local quake detectors on landing. Totally bent the fork steerer too, and the head tube was oval.

friend* had a chopper though. Still had stabilisers on both sides when he was 9-10 years old. Was a right laugh playing “follow the leader”… ride thru a puddle on a Grifter, and then he’d get stranded, peddalling away getting nowhere. (* think our version of roland browning)

I had a purple chopper with the t bar …..

Cool at the time but definitely crap ….The thing was so big an weighed a ton course putting the gearshift where you had to take your hand off the slightly dodgy steering to change it pure design triumph..

Reminds me of the mk4 cortinas and empty streets.

I rember the grifter had a grip shift but not the pose value of a chopper

Reminds me of the mk4 cortinas and empty streets.

Mk3 surely, and strangely when ever ii see a chopper I am reminded of the red hand gang, no idea why.

I had a red Chopper, Mk II or III I think. Still got it in the back of the garage. Awesome bike, but slightly on the heavy side…

I had a Tomahawk. It was ace and crap at the same time. Could never keep up with the less cool but faster kids on their Raleigh Chicos.

Page me when they resurrect the Grifter.

Now you’re talking. Mine was in electric blue, and I upgraded it with chequered flag stickers to make it go faster. I don’t think the gear hub worked in the entire time I had it.

Blue Tomahawk, first bike. it had the full chopper style seat too. I remember the white leatherette band around the seat saying ‘this seat is not designed for passengers’ or somesuch. Was so excited when I saw it’s metallic blue shiny chromeguarded goodness on the morning of my birthday that I half-fainted and comsequently had a delirious episode. Never did before or since. Probably has a lot to do with this ongoing facination/obsession with bicycling. I rode that thing like a bastard around and around for endless hours for two years solid until replaced by a Puch 3 speed boys ‘racer’ that was made from lead gas pipes or somesuch. Even that didn’t stop me, obviously…

Grifter pics bringing back memories of the shameless lust I had for one of those. Never realised, and then mtbs came along.

dudeofdoom – Member
I rember the grifter had a grip shift but not the pose value of a chopper

Wondering now whether my desire for a Grifter as a kid is the source of my stubborn refusal to move away from gripshift?

chopper 5?

or a bomber

or a grifter xl

Looking back, the Chopper truly was gash.

However, back in 1979 it was bloody cool, especially when one of the older kids gave you a lift on the back of one. And despite the many ergonomic triumphs of the new model, it isn’t a Chopper without the gearlever mounted on the frame and a proper banana seat.

Reminds me of the mk4 cortinas and empty streets.
Mk3 surely, and strangely when ever ii see a chopper I am reminded of the red hand gang, no idea why.

Dunno I rate cortinas as highly as choppers tbh but you may be right 🙂

I rember it was a time before StarWars though 🙂 which I do like

What is really frightening is that Raleigh actually had a product that every kid lusted for ….

Is there such a thing now ?

Pfffft,
Mk1 Choppers had straight seat stays and a round gearknob.
And they were orange.

I had a grifter – got it the same Xmas everyone else got a BMX

It honestly still hurts – bike ownership is all down to timing I guess

I had one of these bad boys, a raliegh Jeep. Came with contrast mudguards and chain guard in candy apple red, but they were soon ‘lost’

Actually an awesome woods fun bike.

” really, really, really wanted a chopper. Came downstairs on Christmas morning and was presented with a Chipper instead.”
Only a few minutes ago my wife told me that this abortion that pretends to be a Chopper was about. She then told me that a woman at work has ordered one 🙄 because she pleaded for one as a kid. Xmas morning she got a Raleigh Shopper! Don’t you just feel for that kid?

Reminds me of the mk4 cortinas and empty streets.
Mk3 surely, and strangely when ever ii see a chopper I am reminded of the red hand gang, no idea why.

I think one of the kids rode a chopped out bike with ape hangers in the intro to the programme.

Bombers were surprisingly good off-road way back when. My mate had one fitted with a wider low-rise bar and it was very stable and cornered sweeping bends brilliantly. Not too nimble mind and didn’t like uphill much!

It’s got to have the gear lever on the top tube so that you catch it with your knee on a particularly steep climb and knock it into 3rd

Xmas morning she got a Raleigh Shopper! Don’t you just feel for that kid?

Ouch!! 😥

I did a wheelie on my chopper in 1982. The front wheel fell off mid wheelie and I smashed my front teeth. I got a bmx as a birthday present soon after…

The new one is £250!! How much is an original one?

My first bike (when I was eighteen!) was a Raleigh Bomber that someone gave me in bits.

I learn’t a lot about bike mechanincs and the value of a friendly LBS while putting it all back together.

I wish I had it now. It would be perfect for Swinley Forest.

Did that guy make it up mount vontoux (spelling?) on one for charity?

I think you might mean this guy.

I had a Tomahawk, over the bars and stitches in my forehead a couple of times. Moved onto a Grifter and then a Burner. The Grifter was a pig to wheelie and jump. A mate had a Bomber with cow horn bars, was considered cool back then.

I went from a Tomahawk to a Strika. I miss the latter still

I once done a wheelie on a friends strika and the front wheel fell off,
I didn’t end well .

Strika and pedal back break was the dogs bollocks 20 foot long skids + 😀

I had old school Chopper and loved it but eventually got rid of it and got a brand new Mongoose BMX for Christmas 8)