I like the looks and specs on the Raleigh i8 but they were available only in the USA and now look to be absent on the Raleigh USA website. Raleigh has a jumble of models worldwide that appear to be made in different countries -- although most look like they come from China. I wish the company would develop a
single slate of models in different speeds and at different price points and market them like the other folding bike companies do. At the moment, we see one model in Canada, another in the USA and yet others in Australia, the UK, Singapore and Malaysia (I assume the UK models also pop up in Europe). Wouldn't it be nice to see the same select, state-of-the-art models offered for sale in every country they distribute to?
I've heard about the Big Apple tires but I'm not sure if there would be a great deal of ride difference between them and the econo-versions now on the Avenir: Ponely 47-406 20 X 1.75 35psi/2.4 Bar. The Thudbuster looks like a great thing. However, my folder has an odd-size 30.4mm diameter post and it's only 400mm in length. The Thudbuster folding bike pickings are wider than that so they won't work, although their extra length would be welcome:
http://www.thudbuster.com/products.html .
Looks like the LT 27.2mm XL -
black (not silver alloy as with the folding bike versions) X 450mm would do the trick as long as it was teamed up with the 27.2mm - 30.4mm seattube shim. That would add 50mm to the length of the seatpost right away, which is certainly one of the limitations of the Raleigh Avenir. But that also adds almost 200 bucks to the accessories tally and that's pretty steep for a "free" bike. Is that Thudbuster worth it for the difference it makes?