Recreational & Family - Your opinion - Raleigh vs Norco

Hey folks. I have my choices for my first (hybrid) bike narrowed down to these two:

$360 Norco Yorkville from a local bike shop
$260 Raleigh Sport Hybrid from Canadian Tire

(The prices shown above, for both bikes, are actually about $100 off regular price)

http://www.raleigh-canada.ca/popup/sport.htm#specs
http://www.norco.com/bikes/city_and_path/hybrid_700c/yorkville.php

I generally know the value of going to an LBS ... the two things in favor of the Raleigh are price ($100 cheaper) and front suspension.

Any opinions? I am particularly interested in whether front suspension is that important. I will be riding mostly paved streets, with occasional gravel shoulders or gravel roads.

Thanks

My wife has had a Raleigh Venture for two years. It is a well made bike and rides very well but it does have the 26" tires instead of the 700/35's that the one you looking at has.

She has had no problems at all. I've ridden the bike numerous times and like it although the fit isn't right for me since it is adjusted for her and it is a women's frame.

But I would have no problem buying a Raleigh if I found the right one in stock.

Regarding suspension, if you read the posts on here, it seems like there is a lot of mixed opinion but mostly positive if you are even entertaining the idea of anything but absolutely smooth tarmac 100% of the time.

Good luck!

Hey .. thanks for the quick response. I have been leaning toward the Norco, and still am, but it's comforting to know that if I did end up going for the Raleigh, it is probably not a bad deal either. Most of the reviews I've found of Raleighs tend to be fairly positive.

Thanks again.

It's $100 more, but If you're buying from an LBS, you have to consider what else you'll get:

-The right size of frame
-Adjustment to your body (stem swaps, etc)
-Discounts on accessories (You'd want a pump, waterbottles, cages, locks and the like)
-Free tune-ups
-Somewhere to go when things break

You won't get those from Canadian tire

+1 for the Raleigh. We sell Raleigh at the shop I work at. Great bikes.

Why are you limiting your selection to these two bikes? There are several other brands that offer nice entry level hybrids.

Whatever bike you get, buy it from a bike shop for all the reasons mentioned by ijgrant.

Hey Ron, thanks for the input.

The reason I am limiting myself is that there's not a lot available locally in hybrids. Lots of mountain bikes, few hybrids. What I've been told is that hybrids have gotten fairly popular, and at the end of the season (now), there's little or nothing left in stock. And only one of the local bike shops suggested ordering something in. That's the Norco.

Meanwhile, I haven't seen a LOT of hybrids (in what I'd call 'bike store quality') in that price range. (Anything in particular you can think of for $350 or under?)

I also found out the Norco is actually $325 tax in - not $360 ... so that nudges me more toward the Norco, especially since it's from a bike shop.

Thought I'd add a (sort of) funny story in support of buying from a bike shop. I went to Canadian Tire. They had just moved all their bike stock up on big high overhead racks (making room for fall/winter stuff) that make it REALLY tough to get at the bikes to inspect them for quality, size, etc. The guy working there in Sporting Goods did not seem eager in the least to tackle it. He more or less suggested I try one of the other CT shops in town (which turn out not to have my size frame).

But the funny part is that when he checked his inventory sheet, he found the bike and said, "Hey, that's a minibike" (ie, a motorized dirt bike.) He saw the 700C tire size and thought it was 'cc' as in engine size. Not exactly a trust-inducing comment :)