Tourister

I see on the Raleigh web site they are coming out with a new Superbee Roadster and a Roadster.. Finaly a replacement for my 76 Roadster ? :-)... The Superbee is interesting... Steel frame just like my old one which rides so nice... They forgot the lights on the new Superbee though... Judging from the price Raleigh is REALLY proud of this one :-)
Anyone seen one yet ?

cudak888 

Just saw these things on the Raleigh USA site.

Roadster:





Superbe Roadster:





What a joke. Pitiful - to call it the return of a classic is an insult. Nothing but another useless lot of modern hybrids under the guise of an old name. Those fenders have to be the flakiest things I've seen in a long time too.

Heck, even the Electra Amsterdam looks good in comparison.



-Kurt

P.S.: I can see use for the fork from the new roadsters though. Looks like a good steel replacement fork for touring machines that have centerpulls, with braze-on pannier mounts to boot, it looks like.

SirMike1983 

At first I was excited to see the announcement that they were re-issuing Raleigh Roadsters. I was pretty disappointed when I saw the bikes though- looks just like a re-branded modern comfort bicycle.

I do sort of like the handlebars on them though- remind of the Airflo bars of the old Hiawathas.

But you can still get an original Raleigh 3 speed for much less than the cost of a new roadster, so it's still best to go true vintage I think, rather than new.

rhm

There's also a new Clubman that'll have the Classic & Vintage crowd drooling, no doubt!

cudak888 

Yech. I've lost hope for lugged frames from any large manufacturer, but they could at least produce them as non-compact frames. At least they'd look halfway decent then.

Props to Raleigh for the large fender clearance on the Clubman though.

-Kurt

StephenH

If you want a new Raleigh Roadster, Pashley's got a pretty close match, forget what they call it. Even comes in a double-bar version. Doesn't use rod brakes, but looks pretty similar otherwise.

SirMike1983 

If you ask me Pashley makes the best roadster type bicycles today. The problem is the price is up there. At some point it becomes more cost effective to buy an actual old Raleigh DL-1 than a new Pashley. Hey if you've got the cash though and must have a "new" roadster, I think Pashley is the way to go. Their recent "Guv'nor" model looks pretty nice too. [ https://www.pashley.co.uk/products/guvnor-3-speed.html ]



That said, I'd love to add a new Pashley to my collection.

YoKev

The Clubman looks good, but it's probably still around $1000, no?

NormanF

What was Raleigh thinking? A sports type bicycle can only be outfitted with an internal hub. Or else its not a classic utility bicycle. As for Pashley, they're faithful to tradition in both design and construction. The company has survived because they offer unique bicycles. The Guvnor is a classic path racer, a sort of slimmed down high end roadster. When they brought it back, they were thinking of building only a few showroom models but then they saw a market for it. A period bicycle has an undeniable appeal and the roadster slack frame geometry is unlike anything that exists on modern bicycles.

cudak888 

"How to sell to the masses"

Niche market.

Marketing to a country that has a better understanding of the bicycle - as opposed to fad-based American thinking.

-Kurt

USAZorro

I think it will be a ginormous belly flop.

cuda2k

I doubt they'll outsell some other lines, but for an aging non-cyclist who grew up in the age when Roadsters were new who wants a bike to kick around the neighborhood on or ride with the grandkids, they might be inclinded to pick this one over a trek hybrid.

cudak888 

The silver Roadsters might have a slight chance of selling to the trendy-types. Silver + leather look will appeal to the folk who order their car much in the same fashion, and the design itself has a cocky sports-wannabe look to it. I highly doubt that the Superbe Roadster will sell.

Overstylized hybrids.

-Kurt

mkeller234

I almost had a heart attack when I read the title of this thread, I almost shot myself when I saw what they look like. Where the hell are the lugs?? (at least fake lugs even)

I don't like the mens frames, IMO they got cute with them in the wrong places. I do like the womens frame though, like a classic mixte. I hate the look of the fenders / chain guard on the Superbe. I'm also not a fan of the crank set or stem on the Superbe, I do like the handle bars though.

OLDYELLR

I wonder whether people today even understand what a "roadster" even is. (I'm talking bikes here not cars. Most people don't even know that a car roadster is an open 2-seater sports car without roll-up windows. With roll-up windows, it becomes a convertible.)

Anyway, in my youth, a roadster was a utility bike one rode in the "sit-up-and-beg" position. These were general purpose bikes used by who weren't cyclists (in the sporting sense) but occasional riders or commuters. In the late seventies to early eighties these bikes were replaced by the ubiquitous mountain bike. These knobby-tired things were ridden by people who drove SUVs , which are the automotive equivalent of the mountain bike. You know, huge ground clearance so you can change your own oil without a jack, but you still went to Jiffylube because you had no clue how to do it.

Back to the roadster. I still think of this as one of those rod-braked contraptions they still ride in the Third world, like this:



Granted, the rod brakes were superseded by cable brakes a long time ago, but these monstrosities still come to mind for me when I hear "roadster" pertaining to bikes.

mackerel

shameful.
absolutely shameful.

cb400bill

I think Schwinn did a better retro roadster job with the Coffee and Cream bikes than Raleigh has done with these bikes.

NormanF

The roadster is still the principal means of transportation for most people in the Thirld World. Its simple, rugged and dependable and can handle everything dished out by rough dirt roads and unpaved footpaths. And of course it can carry a lot of stuff on a heavy duty rack in the back. It may be the UK's most successful import to the rest of the world.

Grand Bois

I never thought I'd say this, but I like the Schwinns much more than the Raleighs.

The Clubman with a slanted top tube is an abomination, IMHO.

Rabid Koala

Those bikes make me feel like I do when I see something named Schwinn in Wal Mart, Target or Costco.

Make and sell the thing if you want, but don't defile a good name by putting it on something like THAT.

frameteam2003

Even I do better than the new Raleighs

Sixty Fiver

I'll be keeping my old Roadster thankyouverymuch.



And yes... Schwinn has made a better retro styled bike than Raleigh.

Chris_in_Miami

I have to admit that I don't hate the Raleighs, but stylistically they're not in the same league as the classic roadsters and don't do anything for the roadsters' reputation.

I can't stand the sight of most hybrid/comfort bikes, but anything with a bit of retro styling has got to be better than this:

Chris_in_Miami

Playing devil's advocate a bit more, I like the seat stay arrangement on the step through frames, and it might eliminate the bent seat tube that's commonly seen on old Sports frames (fat lady syndrome...)

On the other hand, I wonder if any of the new ones will last long enough for that to happen.

cudak888 

I'll say one thing for that particular Townie - it is the first that I've seen that has a paint scheme that suits it as opposed to some retro ripoff. In this particular (disgusting) form, I can tolerate it, only because it is not attempting to masquerade as something it will never be.

-Kurt