The Raleigh Chopper - A Rude Awakening!

There were four boys from the local stairs who had the radically innovative Raleigh Chopper bicycles.

Les Ramage; in background Derek Ramage and Mark Robertson

Colinton Mains Park

The boys were all the same age and in the same class at Hunters Tryst Primary School - the twins, Les and Derek Ramage (4/3 Oxgangs Avenue); Ali Douglas (8/3); and Iain Hoffmann (6/6). Les, Derek and Ali all got their bikes first while Iain got his on Saturday 8th May 1971. Les and Derek had a red one and a blue one; Iain's was yellow. 

Iain Hoffmann with Simon the cat

The Choppers were a wonderful design and exuded coolness. They were so different and go-ahead and made an enormous cultural impact. In the United Kingdom we hadn't seen anything like them. It was a radical change of direction. That said I may have seen something broadly similar advertised in the American comics which I read. 

But whilst they looked fantastic ironically they were useless for cycling very far. They were fine to cycle around the four blocks or to go for a short spin down to the shops. We reveled in trying to look cool particularly in front of the girls. 

The unusually long seat, with its double length could accommodate two people, a bit like a motor bike; however the bike was awkward to ride. 

The anticipation of getting Iain's bike was immense. 

After Les, Derek and Ali got their Choppers I felt sorry for Iain not having one too. 

But because of my various jobs I'd managed to save up some money and was able to put down a sizeable deposit at Fernie's of Dalry to secure the bike. It cost £36 (with credit) but I had to persuade Mother to act as the guarantor. Thereafter I had to pay the remainder over a period of months.

The design militated against the bike being useful for rides to say Morningside or beyond. It was slow, heavy and had wide tyres. The high handlebars were based on the motorbikes which the Hell's Angels rode. However, it meant you couldn't get any real leverage or power when it was most needed. For example when I first collected Iain's Chopper I cycled it home from Dalry to Oxgangs. I noted in my diary: 'I cycled all the way up from Dalry; the Craiglockhart Hill was a killer.' 

I was clearly breathing out my arse! It was an early rude awakening or wake up call to the design flaws of the bike. 

Iain says 'I remember the Chopper with great affection. I had some great times with it. Of course if it wasn’t for Peter I would probably be running about on a soap cart. Peter and I were unclear what happened to them in later years - probably sold for peanuts, scrapped or taken away by the repo man for not keeping up the payments! I wondered why I could never get a mortgage and the dirty looks from the bank manager over the years ha ha - only joking! When I look back I remember a girl in my school class, Maggie Campbell (Oxgangs Farm Drive) who was one of the first to get a Chopper. She was lucky, she didn’t have to keep up any payments as she won it in a Kellogg’s competition - great memories, happy days!'

Ruth Kaye (Blades) (6/6 Oxgangs Avenue) said 'Yes the Chopper was a great status symbol. We could never afford such luxuries; we had to make do with an old annual on a roller skate - no steering or brakes of course, but it was grand fun.'

Alan Brown from Oxgangs House said 'I also owned a Raleigh Chopper 1976 model; it was the best bike I ever owned although the gear stick position was in a dodgy place!'

Postscript: Margaret Miller nee Campbell (26 Oxgangs Avenue) got in touch today (27th July 2019) to say it was she who won the Raleigh Chopper but rather than Kellogg's it was in a Typhoo Tea competition - what a thrilling moment for Margaret although she was slightly gutted as she wanted it in green metallic rather than yellow!

Friday 23rd July 1971

I got the 6.00am number 16 bus down to Morningside and joined the rest of the milk crew. It was absolutely pouring with rain; in fact it stayed on for the rest of the day. Half-way through the round I was drookit but it was actually quite refreshing on a summer's morning scampering from the milk float back 'n forward along the garden paths as well as up 'n down a few stairs too. And being the summer holidays it wasn’t as if I was having to turn up later at Boroughmuir all bedraggled. 

Iain Hoffmann (6/2 Oxgangs Avenue) and Ali Douglas (8/3)

Ironically probably because of the rain Iain and Ali Douglas went off to Warrender Baths to get wet inside rather than outside. 

Although I cycled down to Bairds Newsagents in the afternoon it was so wet I decided just to leave my bike at the shop. I'll collect it the morn; so I instead took a number 41 bus up to the City Hospital to sell the Edinburgh News' around the wards. 

I then just walked home squelchin' all the way back to Oxgangs Avenue through the hospital woods across the burn and through Colinton Mains Park. I was so flipping wet I could have lain down in the burn and it wouldn’t have made any difference! Mum and John are away to the Dom (Dominion Cinema) to see When 8 Bells Toll. So it was a wee T.V. evening for me and a large poke of Rissi's chips whilst I dry out for at least the third time today. Simon the cat is on my lap so that's helping to speed up the process.