Alt Bike Culture - Best Production Chopper

Okay, so out there in the LBS's, there are a number of choices when it comes to production choppers: The Kona chopper, The Nirve Switchblade and Cannibal, the Giant Stiletto and, of course, the Schwinn Stingray Spoiler, among others. So which do you like best? Why do you like them? Do you look for radical design and innovative integration of form and function? Do you look for practicality as well as design? Will you be using them just for casual cruising or commuting as well?

There is also one done that jesse james helped desighn that is produced for walmart.I know alot of you don't like that place but just for the sake of it it is out there.
anyway it has a radical desighn to it.I am not sure if I really like it or not.I think it would be rather uncomfortable to ride any real time so commuting would be out.I feel that way about all of them though.
I love the stingray.It just has "the look" to it.
The JJ desighned bike is just beggen for a little motor to be put on it.I am still thinking on that one.might be fun to just play with.
of all I think the stingray is the best of the bunch.mainly cause of the springer fork and BIG back tire.now I think they are even putting disc brakes on them.
Rick G

Wow !!
To me ?
The good, old venerable Stingray !

IE Cycles in California makes great chopper bikes at affordable prices. I seriously thought they had some of the best bikes out there.

Koffee

You don't buy choppers, you build them yourself. You start with some misc. parts and start chopping (thus the term) and fabricating and customizing and mixing and matching.
Just the opinion, mind you, of someone who has spent hundreds of hours doing exactly
that with various bikes (including the motored variety) over the years.

You don't buy choppers, you build them yourself. You start with some misc. parts and start chopping (thus the term) and fabricating and customizing and mixing and matching.
Just the opinion, mind you, of someone who has spent hundreds of hours doing exactly
that with various bikes (including the motored variety) over the years.

Indeed! Yet as much as I admire and respect hand-built choppers, this thread was directed at production choppers. :D

With all due respect, making choppers from scratch is a serious avocation that requires considerable time, skill and aptitude with a variety of less than common tools. If someone is willing to build 'em that you can ride out-of-the-box - and they will if there's a market - I say more power to them and the riders...

You don't buy choppers, you build them yourself. You start with some misc. parts and start chopping (thus the term) and fabricating and customizing and mixing and matching.
Just the opinion, mind you, of someone who has spent hundreds of hours doing exactly
that with various bikes (including the motored variety) over the years.

And that's what IE Cycles does. I can't do it, but they can do it for me.

Koffee

With all due respect, making choppers from scratch is a serious avocation that requires considerable time, skill and aptitude with a variety of less than common tools. If someone is willing to build 'em that you can ride out-of-the-box - and they will if there's a market - I say more power to them and the riders...

Don't get me wrong: I'm not deriding hand-built choppers. I admire, respect and appreciate them and their builders. Most of the threads in alt bike culture are directed toward hand built bikes, including choppers. I started this thread specifically to differentiate between them and production choppers/cruisers, etc., allowing one thread just for opinions and thoughts on production bikes alone.

I was actually responding to EarlT. :)

I was actually responding to EarlT. :)

:D

I'll chip in on production choppers. There's lots of models coming out now, but when I shopped last year, I thought the Phat Whopper Chopper was the best combination of rad design and functionality. The frame geometry and the springer triple tree fork are unique, the nexus 7 makes it functional and the sprung leather Lepper cruiser seat and over all look are just incredible. This bike has most other production choppers beat hands down, IMO.

Yeah, that whopper chopper is a sweet bike! Great components all around, you'd be happy riding that thing everywhere. Of course, its a pricy little meatball!

peace,
sam

I got mine for a really good price. Someone had special-ordered it and then decided they didn't want it. The bike shop gave it to me for a little over their wholesale cost. :)

I like the Stiletto, which I admit that I sell. It has a nice long look, chopper cues like the chain guard that looks like dual pipes, pinstriping by a real chopper/hotrod pinstriper (Coop) has an idler to keep the long chain from slapping around, ,more than one gear and disk brake.

I like the Stiletto, which I admit that I sell. It has a nice long look, chopper cues like the chain guard that looks like dual pipes, pinstriping by a real chopper/hotrod pinstriper (Coop) has an idler to keep the long chain from slapping around, ,more than one gear and disk brake.

Personally, I love it. It's a great ride: smooth and reasonably fast...and well built

I'll chip in on production choppers. There's lots of models coming out now, but when I shopped last year, I thought the Phat Whopper Chopper was the best combination of rad design and functionality. The frame geometry and the springer triple tree fork are unique, the nexus 7 makes it functional and the sprung leather Lepper cruiser seat and over all look are just incredible. This bike has most other production choppers beat hands down, IMO.

Love the Zappa quote

I couldn't say where she was coming from, but I just met a lady named Dyna Moe Humm.........

:D

You don't buy choppers, you build them yourself. You start with some misc. parts and start chopping (thus the term) and fabricating and customizing and mixing and matching.
Just the opinion, mind you, of someone who has spent hundreds of hours doing exactly
that with various bikes (including the motored variety) over the years.
I think I'll buy a production chopper and hack it up to be a normal, diamond frame bike. An Unchopper?

With all due respect, making choppers from scratch is a serious avocation that requires considerable time, skill and aptitude with a variety of less than common tools. If someone is willing to build 'em that you can ride out-of-the-box - and they will if there's a market - I say more power to them and the riders...

You're right.
Didn't give enough thought to how that post would come across (sounded kind of rude and judgemental when i read it later)- i meant no offense to anyone. Sorry.
Am absolutely unopposed to anyone riding whatever they feel like riding.
Have a great weekend!

I like your plan, cranky! Toss those crazy triple-trees and go buy a Ritchey headset at the LBS, and maybe some Easton low-rise bars instead of those crazy apehangers. Serfas grips, Shimano SPD pedals and Mavic rims, getting closer! Two 26" wheels with 2.1" tires, maybe Kendas. Cantilever brakes and an 8 speed groupset.

Unchopper!

peace,
sam

Here is some weird stuff !

http://www.3gbikes.com/

I must admit I've seen some pretty sharp looking bikes out there nowdays Electra seems to have some cool ones. In my day it was either a Schwinn Stingray or homemade. I once cut the tubes off a swingset glider to use as forks. All was cool until I did a wheelie and the forks and front wheel went down the road without me. I think it was Cycling Plus that did an article on choppers awhile back. They weren't really into the scene, but the bikes they showed were awesome.

I may not own an alt bike bike but I have rented a stingray spolier in orlando couple months ago. It owns any other bike out there...it has comfort,looks,speed(its fast for an alt bike) and it has those pimp disc brakes. I give it a REE-DICK-U-LUSS on the funny word scale.

I looked at a Jesse James chopper yesterday, I lifted it up and it weighs a tonne.
I love the look of the Stiletto but they don't sell them in Australia. :(
I am about to pick up a Razor Viper to electrify, probally a bit normal for some but it is very light for a chopper (although only single speed at the moment).

I may not own an alt bike bike but I have rented a stingray spolier in orlando couple months ago. It owns any other bike out there...it has comfort,looks,speed(its fast for an alt bike) and it has those pimp disc brakes. I give it a REE-DICK-U-LUSS on the funny word scale.

I agree. just bought i schwinn spoiler. 7 and a 1 /2 foot long. love the low handlebars to the high ones. got a sadlebag, front tool bag,iron cross seat, mirrors, custom paint in between the red flames, spiked german helmet. Took best chopper in show at local event. they had a lot of those occ with the high bar in a upsidedown V shape. The bike all had names. I had to give mine one to enter. "BLACK SUNSHINE".

looking for brake light to work with disk brakes. it sits real low and everyone loves it. not the most comfortable for me. it kind of like bring out an old hot rod car. JUST DONT FORGET TO REMOVE THE MADE IN CHINA LABLE! Definately a head turner. i was looking neon lights or a 110 decible horn. RIDE LOW, Jim.

I looked at a Jesse James chopper yesterday, I lifted it up and it weighs a tonne.
I love the look of the Stiletto but they don't sell them in Australia. :(
I am about to pick up a Razor Viper to electrify, probally a bit normal for some but it is very light for a chopper (although only single speed at the moment).

Hate to reopen a thread for nothing, but they certainly sell the Stiletto here. Any Giant dealer should be able to get you one.