Saw him again to day in fact whilst the sun was shining down.
No crash helmet, normal shorts and t shirt.
No doubt he gets some sarcastic comments from car drivers as he passes.... Perhaps even other cyclists.
Me? He brings a smile to my face everytime I see him! 😃 He always has a wry smile on his face and looks like he is re-enjoying one of the best times of his life. His childhood.
Just getting on his Chopper and riding.
Good luck to him. 😊
Is it an original Chopper? Has he modified the seat height etc.?
Good again and not sure. Probably the modern version but not noticed the brake type fitted.
Ditto seat height. Relying on a very old memory here....but did that involve drilling holes in the chromed seat support?
looks like he is re-enjoying one of the best times of his life. His childhood.
Hmm.. childhood is not great because of Choppers!
I'm not sure what the mods are. A few years ago I a couple of guys riding Choppers on LEJOG, and I seem to remember that they were heavily modified - it looked a bit like another bike sitting atop a Chopper!
^^ isn’t that the mk2?
the mk1 had wider bars and the gear nob, was a nob not a cylinder thingumy..
Defo a Mk 2 up there with Sid James, Mk1's had different seat stays at the back(straight not kicked forward like the Mk2).
Guy on the l'eroica last year was using a Orange chopper with a raised seat for better leg extension, comprised of a longer seat post and 2 x flat metal brackets between the rear seat mounts and sissy bar to raise the seat height, bog standard other than that (reason i know this is because I was marshalling and had a go on it at one of the feed stations)
Mk1 also had adjustable handlebars (fore and aft), Mk2 were fixed in the forward position.
The first choppers I remember had straight back stays, a gear knob, and a round roll bar on the saddle. Mine had that but the roll bar was squared. Then they went to those abominations with the bent stays, gear bar, and tiny rack.
I also remember a version with a drop bar and 5 speed derailleur gears.
Mine was a shit bike, but I bloody loved it.
I bought a mint condition one a few years ago for £100 from an old couple who had it in their shed. I had been looking for one to restore. I had planned on riding it a bit but one ride was enough to make me sell it. Talk about flexy. The whole thing felt like it was made of jelly. Mainly due to the bars but the whole bike was just terrible. I stuck it straight on eBay and it sold for about £700.
Mine was a shit bike, but I bloody loved it.
wasn’t just yours 🙂
I had a purple mk2 and the matching ballbag after slamming the young plums on the t shifter.
ahh the good old days
As a kid I accompanied a school trip ( my uncle was a teacher there and was leading the trip) to tour around the Isle of Man ..where we got the train down to Liverpool took the ferry across cycled around the island staying in youth hostels..ferry back and rode back to Newcastle up through the country staying in youth hostels all the way back ..
The overriding memory of that trip ( nearly 50 years ago ) was of a kid touring on his Chopper and surviving the drop off TT mountain & Ireshopeburn in Weardale ..
I don't think he ever walked the same afterwards though !
There's a middle aged woman round our way who commutes on a kid's scooter.
I had a purple mk2 and the matching ballbag after slamming the young plums on the t shifter.
I had a purple mk2. Learnt to wheelie on it. As for the constant testicular risk, the Smiths describe the pain well;
An emergency stop
I smelt the last ten seconds of life
I crashed down on the crossbar
And the pain was enough to make a shy, bald, Buddhist reflect
And plan a mass murder
