In the 70s, there’s nothing I wanted more than to be like Evel Knievel (profiled earlier this year by USAToday). I practiced daily on my bike, even jumping 7 neighborhood kids once for a neighborhood record and subsequent lifetime ban from the whole jumping kids thing (I nicked one).
Scrolling through Steve Mandich’s Evel Incarnate site and seeing DJ Kieron in a replica EK jumpsuit with matching Raleigh Chopper bicycle, made me realize how far I could’ve taken my Evel Kneivel thing, if not for that flawed 7 kid jump. The Raleigh Chopper was cool.
Lily Allen rides a chopper in the cover art to her Alright, Still single. Raleigh revived the Chopper in 2004, sold them in the USA through 05, and the fan clubs continue today, all over the world.
Leave a comment