Mountain Biking - Raleigh?

Okay guys...Im not planning to buy another department store bike once I sell my current bike and I never will buy another d-ment store bike...

However! Raleigh has gone with Canadian tire but they still make their tarantula and adrenaline. These were ont he site. They have altus components and rst forks. Are they even still good at all? I mean Raleigh used to be a good brand I suppose. But does quality suffer on the same models with the same components in d-ment stores? Slacky work at the factory? Bad Mechanics?

I have an 04 Raleigh Talus, and it's a great bike...actually probably too much bike for me, but hey it was a good deal :)

I'd still say they are quality bikes.

I would go a bit higher up the line and get a model with rockshocks or manitou forks on it and at least deore components. LX or XT is a plus.

If Canadian Tire sells them, they are crap, because they were assembled by someone who knows nothing about bikes... quality comes with the assembly.

catatonic, where did you get your Talus. I thought raleigh stopped selling to LBS's.

I would say that Raleigh aren't necessarily bad, but you can rest assured that Crappy Tire Raleighs will be the extreme bottom of their line.

I bought it at the shop down the street from me (Bicycle Express). It was a special order, but yes, Raleigh/Diamondback (same company now) do still work through LBSs. They seem to have a nice wide range of products, but sadly nothing too inspiring outside of the top of the line.

Actually out here in Campbell, there is some shop that I pass sometimes that sells Raleigh/DB as well. Given they have started showing up at sporting goods stores as well, but those guys are not given the options for the better bikes. Getting that Talus was a massive pain...for some reason the warehouses just seem to keep running out...I had to wait over a month for the warehouse to call the LBS and confirm I still wanted it....it was well worth it though.

Only complaint on that bike is the QR seatpost clamp sucks badly....i promptly switched it out for a non-QR style clamp. The rest of the bike is great, powdercoat finish on the frame, good balance of lightweight and strength (if it can handle a 220lb rider being a moron like I do best, then it's pretty good), and also has some serious good looks....the picture on their site doesn't do it justice. It's like seeing a picture of a 68 camaro RS and then seeing it in person...man...now this whole bit is making me want to go out and ride...I need to go to sleep, darnit!!!!! :mad:


heh, it's all good though :)

From my expierience with raleigh, Id say those bikes are built like tanks. I ride with a guy who has a raleigh, and severe anger problems. Almost every time we ride, after about 3 hours of riding, when he gets tired and has to ride up any kind of a hill at all, he throws his bike. And not just tossing it either, he HURLS it onto rocks, over dropoffs, into trees an streams, ect. he's done this since i started riding with him, about 3 years ago, and the bike still works fine, with only minor damage. 1 bent pedal, a bent brake lever, some chipped paint and a flat tire is all it sustained. Ive seen this bike take everything. raleighs are not cheap bikes and they are definitly not department store bikes either.

http://www.cripplefight.com/smileys/mumble.gif

SCORE!!!!

BD, where did you get all these smileys?

Right click, properties.
I have hundreds of them, just nowhere to host.

i just bought a raliegh outland a few months ago. in talking with the LBS....crappy tire will only be carrying the lower end portion of the raleight line. the upper few models are out of crappy tires price range. i love my bike.....and i got it for a damn nice price too. ive spiced it up of course and im very happy with it. (only bummer is its last years model so i dont got the funky flat spokes)

Raliegh ? I got one , put well over 2000 miles on it this summer . I guess I weigh 208 pounds now , muscles :) and I really ride like a lunitic ! No whipouts but many close calls , I go over rough roads and I can fly , Nice bike , But I will upgrade now that I have no more wieght to lose .
jar

I bought an MD-80 from the LBS a couple weeks ago. Good components for the price. I could have spent a couple hundred more but not much more bang till you get near a grand really. The LBS also sold, Giant, Kona and Rocky Mountain mountain bikes. The MD-80 is a really good deal, Raleigh just doesn't have cache or cool factor. But I am too old to worry about being cool ;D

i bought my first bike, a raleigh m60 when i was in middle school, back in 98. the frame is kick ass and still holding up great, but ive upgraded all the components.

I just saw the new M20s and man for $200, I'm impressed. still 6061 al, but powdercoated frame, cane creek aheadset (yep, threadless baby!!), still has a crappy SR Suntour fork, and shimano tourney...but hey for a $200 bike, it's very very nice. I think it might have had rapidfire too, but that could have been at customer request.

If it did come w/rapidfire, it very well could have been one of the best starter bikes I have ever seen. tourney may not be great, but you can just up the rear derailer to deore, and swap out the fork and you have a somewhat decent entry level trailbike. If not, well you have what could be an excellent city bike. Really I think Raleigh did the right thing here and took a slightly higher cost and came out with a far more attractive and easier to modify bike.

try the raleigh outland..........i just bought one a few months ago. great bike for the price. yoy get a bit better components. im thinking of upgrading mine a little (although noone hereanswered my thread?? :( anywas, ,ight save you a bit later on. plus it comes with the sr 75 which is at least a step up from most of the sr forks on bikes this price.

plus it comes with the sr 75 which is at least a step up from most of the sr forks on bikes this price.

Does it have a lock-out?

i bought my first bike, a raleigh m60 when i was in middle school, back in 98. the frame is kick ass and still holding up great, but ive upgraded all the components.

Thats funny I got an m60 cause my daughter won it, didn't want it and owed me some money so I took it. I never would have considered a Raleigh, I mean it just didn't have the cool factor. But it turned out to be a perfect fit I just rode it over 700 miles down the Pacific Coast and rode it down the 400 mile Oregon Coast summer of 2002. I have never had any problems.

I would now consider looking at a high end Raleigh.

no it doenst have a lockout far as i know, but im kinda heavy (bit over 200) and i dont have problems with any squishiness, and i have it set in hte middle.

only diff between raleigh and the brands like specialized is weight...raleighs are built a bit tougher, with thicker tube walls. I'm not a weight weenie, so its of no concern to me.

I got the Matterhorn last month...pretty much the low end of the CT Raleighs - I believe it is the M20 on the US side. So far....a damn good ATB for the money. This thing takes a beating from me - imagine supporting 235lbs of poorly maintained flab down logging roads or rough country roads. No it's not racing material, but for a low cost bike it's comfy and tough.

It's a little heavy but I figure that will help me when I move up to a better bike. The shifters and derailleur (RevShift and Shimano Tourney) seem to attract boos and hisses from the hardcore folks around here :o but if this is poor shifting then I can't wait to move up! :D

I'm currently using it for light offroad riding (logging roads, atv trails, etc.) and recreational day touring/road biking( 20-30km runs, so far). It'll do for now.

Your bike is exactly what the 2004 M20 is. AKA 2004 DB Outlook. Great starter bike, I still have mine, which I'm fixing up into a nice guest bike. I put about 4k miles on it, and it's still running strong.

I consider those bikes to be the epitome of why LBS bikes are better than walmart bikes. A few bucks more, and tons more durability. Oh, and I was 260 lbs when I bought mine....220 now :)