ModeratedUser

Hello all,

OK first of all I searched and looked at the first 6 pages of 40 pages for "Raleigh" in the title and found nothing in the Cyclocross forum in those first 6 pages. So anyone wants to chastise me can do so privately please.

So what's the feedback on Raleigh bikes? I thought these guys were dead and buried back in the what.... 80s? I just saw a Raleigh's bike on ebay that didn't look too bad. Item # 221101696280 and no I'm not the seller. I'm on the left side and he's(assumed) on the right.

Thanks for reading this and I welcome any and all responses regarding Raleigh CX bikes.

theextremist04

Looks like a decent bike to me.

fietsbob

You might have differences with the product managers component picks ,
but the Raleigh frames are as good as any other.. at the same price level.

Breathegood

I absolutely LOVE my Twin Six. It is the most comfortable and confidence inspiring bike I've ever been on. I've been riding it as though it was a mountain bike all summer. I think the geometrey is very similar to the RX. I've looked at the Furley, Roper, and RX in person and all are attractive bicycles, IMO. The bike you are looking at is not exactly a lightweight, but it is pretty much bulletproof and well equiped for recreation, novice racing, and commuting. The price is fair too. My Raleigh road bike is also a very nice bicycle. The reason I decided to go with the Twin Six for a CX build was because I've been so impressed with my road bike. I would happily put another Raleigh in my stable.

jibjab1978

I have that exact bike. I like the bike a lot with a few caveats. The frame and fork are great. I just have issues with the brakes and want to switch over to more robust brakes like the TRP CX9 or the Shorty Ultimates. I did also switch out the wheels for a better, custom set of wheels. For the price, you can't beat the bike. I think I paid about $1000 for mine and I bought it used in not as good as shape as the one you are looking at. It's a really fun bike to ride and it handles pretty well. If you have specific questions about the bike, let me know.

cs1

I just bought my wife a 2012 RX model. So far she loves it. It isn't going to see much off road use. It's surprisingly light even with the cheap wheels and Sora. I agree with above post that the frame and fork are a nice building block. I'm an old schooler so the only thing I don't care for is the BB30 BB. They are dumping it for 2013 though.

rhammons

I recently bought this exact same bike. I got an excellent new close-out price on it, and was lucky to find it in my size (50cm frame, I'm 5'7 with a 29" in-seam). I've not raced it yet, but have done a lot of cx practice on some light-weight technical trails, grass, and gravel and it's been a blast! I also took it on two decent length charity rides; the 344 mile acs pan ohio hope ride, and the pedal to the point MS 150 - it was more comfortable than my previous commuter and compared to what I'm used to, feather light. I was afraid the brakes would be rubbish, but they really aren't that bad once they're broken in.

CliftonGK1

Many of my teammates ride Raleigh bikes, whether it's one of their CX models or XC MTBs. We ride with/against the Hodala! crew, which is (AFAIK) Raleigh exclusive.
Raleigh has been rebuilding their brand with things like the Midsummer Night's CX; where the top prize is a 1 year racing contract with their pro team. (This year was the 2nd year for it.) Plus, at any of the Raleigh sponsored events (at least here in Seattle area) they have a stash of demo bikes you can sign out and race for free. Not just ride around the grounds; you can race it.
I haven't seen any complaints with the Raliegh equipment outside of one thing, and I think that might be an adjustment issue... A couple people I know have popped the belt off during a race while riding the SSCX belt-drive carbon frame. None were on particularly muddy courses, so I was really surprised to see it happen; but sure enough it was off, and they couldn't walk it back on. No idea how it happened.

Breathegood

That's interesting. I wonder if it was the pre-centertrack belt. On my bike with the centertrack belt drive, the belt would have to have some serious slack before I could pop it off. Granted, I'm running an IGH, so I doubt I put quite the torque load on the belt that a SS might. I supose you could torque flex a frame enough to allow the belt to pop off, but I suspect at that point the belt comming of would be the least of your problems. I'm guessing it would take a serious bump or chunk of debris to make the belt come off.

ModeratedUser

Hello jib,

One of the things I first felt I'd like to do is take the rather weak graphics off it. I still do after looking at it for awhile. The components they put on it is not bad for the price point, I just think it would look cleaner with the graphics removed. How strong are they on there? Does it look like something that could be easily removed?

ModeratedUser

Hello rhammons,

I've seen the price of around $1300. I haven't really looked that hard for prices yet. I'm still in my shopping mode. What was the price you got yours for, if you don't mind me asking?

rhammons

$1100 was the close-out rate I got from the LBS. Also, re: the paint/graphic question - it looks like its on there pretty good. It's got quite a baked on layer of clear coat over it I believe.

jibjab1978

I would think that the graphics would be pretty hard to remove. That being said, I am no graphics removing expert. They are much more robust than the graphics on my Lynskey bike.

vincavinz

I'm pretty sure Raleigh's graphics are under the clear-coat. The biggest upgrade I would see on this bike (or almost any Raleigh) is the wheels.

jibjab1978

The wheelset upgrade I did to the bike is Velocity Fusion rims laced to XTR hubs, 28 spoke 3 cross in the front and 32 spoke 3 cross in the back.

ModeratedUser

Well looks like the bike sold for $935 plus 60 shipping. The seller has got to be pretty happy. He must of gotten just about all his money back.

I'll have to keep an eye out for Raleighs. There not going to win any bling contests, but they do look like they've been put together with some thought. I like the direction they took and where they landed.

Thanks for everyone's help and I wish you the best.

cs1

Raleigh has some very nice models coming for 2013. I saw an RX 1.0 and 2.0 last week.

https://www.cxmagazine.com/2013-ralei...lineu-unveiled