Hybrid Bicycles - Raleigh Detour Deluxe-upgrades recommendations?

Hi all,

I just ordered a '09 Raleigh Detour Deluxe and will pick it up at my LBS this week. I just want to check in with people with experience with this bike and what will be worth changing to make it better ( faster/lighter, more reliable). My upgrade budget is $100.

I am asking now because it will cost me less $ and hassle to do the component swapping when I get my new bike vs doing it later. Most LBS let me do a swapping and just pay for price difference.

I already heard that the tires aren't too puncture resistant. Also, the suspension seatpost is not that great...what else?

Thanks in advance!
-Donna

Also, I weigh about 130lb, if that matters...

I have a Raleigh Detour 3.0 from last year.

The only thing I changed on mine were the pedals. They were a flat faced plastic type. Found it hard to keep my feet on them at a high cadence. Something with teeth worked better for me.

Tires? I've had four flats with 4200 miles on the bike. Don't know if that's high or not.

A Brooks B-66. A Raleigh simply isn't a Raleigh without it.

Your pedals will probably be fine. The Deluxe comes with nicer pedals than the standard Detours.

I would definitely check out a new saddle before I left the shop. My Detour's orginal saddle was much too large and soft to be comfortable. I'm not sure what type of saddle they are putting on the Deluxe this year.

My tires have been fine, no punctures at all but that may be more of a reflection on where I live and ride.

Something you may want to get is a cycle computer. I think they're worth it.

Dan

I find the pedals to be too narrow.

I added a black traditional location kickstand, but will probably replace it with a rear-mounted one, as I find the center mount is no good with a load on the back.

I plan on upgrading the lighting to an Inolight Extreme at some point, but the standard lighting is fine for lit paths.

I went to a B33 seat, but that would be too heavy-duty of a seat for your weight. The suspension seatpost may work for you with your light weight. At 100Lbs heavier than you though, it was no good for me, so I went to a solid seatpost.

I've not had any flats yet. If I start, I'll probably switch to Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires.

I do love my bike.

My bike;
2009 Raleigh Detour Deluxe. Added Brooks B33, Kalloy seatpost, Wald folding baskets, Avenir insulated bag, kickstand, Lezyne Pump, Sigma speedometer, and bottle cages.
http://wbengston.com/bicycles/detour1.jpg
http://wbengston.com/bicycles/detour2.jpg

How readily available are the rear racks to work with the disc brakes, or do you need to get them from Raleigh specifically?

VaderSS,

Thanks for the pics. I was gonna get northroads bar, since I don't like straight bars. Seems like the sweep bars will be comfortable.

I also recommend the Brook's B-66 seats. Those are so comfortable! You could accidentally do a century before your tail barked at you.

Thanks all, got my bike today. It's great! Turned out that the LBS's policy is another component I want to change, they just give me 25% discount on new purchase and let me keep the original. So I didn't change much. Just the saddles. I found the traction on the saddle annoying, as I can't slide on and off it easily.

The bike is very ergonomic, very steady, and comfortable. I like that it is stable even with my pack strapped on top of the rack, and i can stand up to pedal. It goes thru rough patches of road nicely too. I just wish it is lighter, so it feels faster. But the LBS salesperson said any other bikes in the same price range is similar in weight, esp. once loaded up with fenders/rack/light. And since i regularly carry additional 5-10 lbs (including locks), even if I get a bike that's 1-2 lbs lighter, it won't make much difference.
Anyway, I am happy with it. It is so comfortable to ride on it that I don't mind going slower. I don't know, maybe it's the brakes, or whatever, the bike is smooth like butter, but also feels a little heavy like butter :)

Thanks all, got my bike today. It's great! Turned out that the LBS's policy is another component I want to change, they just give me 25% discount on new purchase and let me keep the original. So I didn't change much. Just the saddles. I found the traction on the saddle annoying, as I can't slide on and off it easily.

The bike is very ergonomic, very steady, and comfortable. I like that it is stable even with my pack strapped on top of the rack, and i can stand up to pedal. It goes thru rough patches of road nicely too. I just wish it is lighter, so it feels faster. But the LBS salesperson said any other bikes in the same price range is similar in weight, esp. once loaded up with fenders/rack/light. And since i regularly carry additional 5-10 lbs (including locks), even if I get a bike that's 1-2 lbs lighter, it won't make much difference.
Anyway, I am happy with it. It is so comfortable to ride on it that I don't mind going slower. I don't know, maybe it's the brakes, or whatever, the bike is smooth like butter, but also feels a little heavy like butter :)

pix please

How readily available are the rear racks to work with the disc brakes, or do you need to get them from Raleigh specifically?


Rear rack is stock on the Deluxe.

I think this is the rack that works with the disc brakes:
https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/item/13065