Raleigh chopper mk3
- Thread starter Davelilly27
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Davelilly27
Retro Newbie
Thanks for all the feedback this is the Raleigh chopper mk3 restoration completed having fun on it this summer 
Old Ned
Old School Grand Master
According to Henry Cole (of motorbike fame) Mk3's are not as collectable or pricy as Mk 2' and much more so than Mk1's. On one of his shows a few days ago there were Choppers with derailleur gears (looked like low end Shimano) and stem lever. Were these an actual Raleigh option?
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
Yes they were, Tim is our chopper expert @27motorhead
27motorhead
Old School Grand Master
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MK3's were truly awful and caused a dip in Chopper prices. V-brakes, twist grip gear changing, crappy 2-piece saddle, they were WAY off the mark. The more recent MK4's are a pretty good modern execution of a MK2, but you just cannot beat the originals with MK1 being the most desirable over the MK2's
Some notable production variants were:
In the US you could get 10 speed MK1's and also with a high back rest option (check them out, they are crazy high). The shifting is done via a split T-bar shift
In the US they also did a girls MK1 Chopper with no top tube and the shifters were mounted on the side of the stem
You could also get a pink MK2 5 speed in the UK
They brought out a MK2 Special Edition in silver with diecast alloy wheels to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee
Chopper Sprint - MK2 Chopper with bonkers drop handlebars and a truncated saddle with low sissy bar
There is also a one-off gold plated Chopper at Raleigh HQ in Nottingham
Yep the derailleur Choppers had pretty cheap front and rear mechs, they were just kids bikes after all...
27motorhead
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Forgot that Raleigh also offered a tall frame version of the MK1. Again only for the US market, cos they always seem to get the fancy pants versions!
Guinessisgoodforyou
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Tall frame? Pictures please
27motorhead
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Will do some digging…Tall frame? Pictures please
Guinessisgoodforyou
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Thanks Tim
