Mountain Biking - Newbie needs input on Raleigh MT-500 Bike

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layz1
05-07-03, 05:58 AM
Hey guys,

I've been looking for a HT in the 300-400 price range, and have come across an 18" Raleigh mt-500 with mainly xt/lx components.

I've searched the internet (mtbreview along with a few other sites) and haven't been able to find much info on this specific model.

Do any of you have an idea of how good of a bike this is, and how much it should be worth?

Right now its just an option I'm considering (along with a used trek 4900 or possibly a used stumpy), but I'd like to get as much info as possible before finally buying a bike.

Thanks
:beer:

DiL
05-07-03, 10:09 AM
I've never heard of an MT-500, and there is no mention of it on the Raleigh page. I can find no mention of it anywhere. Raleigh tends to give good components (deraileurs, brake, shifters) at the cost of a heavy frame and a cheap fork. I suspect its a RS Judy TT or a RST fork. They're anything but the best, but they do the job if you're looking for an affordable bike. The frame, like I said, is heavy, but its tough as nails.

4900 is a similar story, cheap fork, cheap components (alivo / and some deore), its a pretty light frame though.

If you can find yourself a used 02' stumpy I think you'd be pretty happy with it. The Duke is a great fork, and the M4 frame is what they're still using today.
layz1
05-07-03, 11:29 AM
Thanks for the reply DiL.

The only info I've found on the MT-500 is that its part of the Raleigh fleet series (police forces use them for patrols). The seller says that the bike is around 24 pounds, but I'm not extactly sure if thats considered heavy or not.

The stumpy I'm looking at is a M2, how much different are the m4s? Thanks again.

DiL
05-07-03, 11:58 AM
24 pounds is a good weight for a XC hardtail. Any idea what fork it has?

I don't know anything about M2 specifically. Presumably, its an alloy like the M4 / M5 which is designed to improve how the metal is worked with. That is, after welding it won't lose as much strength.

This is from the Specialized page on M4

The highlight for frame building purposes is M4's modulus of elongation, a measurement of how much shaping a given amount of material will take before it tears apart. Gram for gram, the M4 has almost twice the tensile strength of 6061 aluminum. It also has exceptional fatigue strength. And the basic density is equal to standard aluminum's-so it's plenty light.