THE Chopper, the iconic 1970s knee-grazer, is to be unleashed on a new generation of daredevil teenagers after an absence of more than two decades.

But the banana-seated dragster bicycle, as famous for its potential to pull off Harley-Davidson-style wheelies as it was for its ability to frighten parents, is again causing controversy as two men argue over who invented it.

Raleigh, which is bringing out a new version of the bicycle this year, claim that the two-wheeler is the invention of the company’s head designer, Alan Oakley.

But Tom Karen, who pioneered crash-test dummies in this country, has now stepped forward claiming that the inspiration was his.

“I think it’s grossly unfair,” Dr Karen said. “I was really unhappy because I have all the evidence that we were called in to design it and I could parade all the designers who worked on it. I think it’s very sad because there is no way I would deny them credit for putting it into production — but the concept was not theirs,” he said.

Raleigh, which says that it has never heard of Dr Karen — although both the Design Council and the Design and Industry Association list him as the bicycle’s inventor — maintains that Mr Oakley had a brainwave while sitting and thinking on a flight back from the United States and that he sketched the design for the cycle on the back of an envelope.

Dr Karen, though, insists that his company was approached in the 1960s to come up with a prototype, which was then sold to the bicycle manufacturers. The first Chopper was made in 1969 and the last in the early 1980s.

The company is hoping to tap into nostalgic interest in the bicycle, originals of which can fetch more than £400, by introducing a limited edition of 2004 Choppers in red this April.

Such is the demand for the new bicycles, which will cost £250, that a waiting list has already been drawn up.

“As far as we’re concerned, Mr Oakley is responsible for the design,” said a Raleigh official. “The Chopper was designed at Raleigh by a team headed up by Alan Oakley, who was the design manager.”

However, records kept by the Design Council would appear to contradict that claim. In 2002, the council nominated Dr Karen for his outstanding achievement in design, including his invention of the Chopper, 1.5 million of which were eventually sold.

“Our records show that Tom Karen was indeed the designer of the Chopper,” said an official at the Design Council. “I don’t know why Raleigh are claiming he wasn’t and I can’t shed any more light on it but obviously we recognise Tom Karen as the designer behind this classic.”

Dr Karen says that he does not have the funds to mount a legal challenge but hopes that he will eventually gain recognition for his work.

“I have written to Raleigh but I have never received a response,” he said. “They have never come back and denied that it was me. I have photographs of the renderings we produced for Raleigh and diaries going back to the late 1960s, when we were hired to design it.

“All the evidence that they have is a doodle on the back of an envelope. I could draw the Eiffel Tower on the back of an envelope and say I invented it, but that isn’t proof that I actually did.”

The new Chopper will retain the red-lined tyres, distinctive “ape-hanger” handlebars, elongated seat, backrest and chrome seat loop.

The only significant difference will be the gear lever, which, for safety reasons, will move from the crossbar to the handlebars.

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