I’m not sure if the world was a safer place to be a child in the 70s, but thankfully I survived it without too much bother.
We were always encouraged to play out, usually down the other end of the street by my parents. Most days after school we’d all get together to do nothing. There usually was a football and always a push bike. My bikes were second-hand mostly or previously loved as they call them today. My dad would renovate them in his shed, frames were repainted, tyres replaced and fresh stickers applied. I never had a pedal bike pinched from me, funny that.
My first bike was a Raleigh Budgie, it was purple and the saddle was rock hard despite looking soft that quickly made way for a Tomahawk, another product from the Raleigh range. The rolls royce of pedal power was the Raleigh Chopper. In 1977 Raleigh launched one with a chrome frame and mag wheels, it was the first thing I’d truly lusted after, it wasn’t so much a push bike more a dream machine. I never got one of those limited edition examples, but I did get a Chopper. Mine came from the treasure hunt small ads in the Dagenham Post, before I could ride it it was taken down the shed to be pimped! The bright orange paint work thankfully remained, the wheel rims were freshened up with a buffing wheel and tyres were pumped up. Everything got a good squirt of 3 in 1 oil and only then could I have it. My mum’s sense of humour shone out when she said I had a limited edition Chopper! It was a bit too big for me, but like everything pre owned I got I grew in to it, be it a bike or a pair of pants.
Me and my new wheels went everywhere, the hard plastic grips used to make my hands sweat and aggravate my eczema infested fingers. The seat eventually grew to fit me. There was an annoying slip gear between 2nd and 3rd gear, if it slipped in to this whilst pedalling furiously it would result in a painful clash of man fruit against the gear selector. I crashed in to a parked car once, this was after the passenger opened the door in to my path, and I slid down the door like a cartoon character hitting a wall. My pride more dented than his mangled door.
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Suddenly there was a new two wheeled craze sweeping the streets, the BMX had arrived, sadly I was already too tall for the dinky stunt bikes, it didn’t stop me wanting one though. Suddenly the Chopper was like wearing flared trousers when your mates had soul jeans with coloured piping down the seams.
I eventually ended up with a racer looking bike; it looked modern with alloy rims and quick release wheels, more suited to the Tour de France than the sticky fingered streets of Dagenham. It wasn’t long before my quick release rims were stolen and never to be seen again. I was 13 now so instead of asking my parents to sort the problem I simply stole someone else’s wheels to replace mine, recycling almost.
Pushbikes gave me freedom. When the voices rose at home I’d get my bike out, when the sun was out in the school holidays I’d go out all day riding around. Eventually pedal power would give way to mopeds and motorbikes, both in turn bringing their own sense of adventure and greater freedom, and of course danger.
