Originally Posted by
chipcom
Got the new bike this past weekend and used it for the commute this morning. My lights have not yet come in for it, so I just threw one of my PB Superflashes on the back of the rack trunk for now.
For the ride in I wore a pair of RailRiders Yukon pants, merino wool boxers, a poly golf shirt, thin smartwool socks, my regular work shoes and my sunglasses - no cycling-specific clothing, shoes, gloves, etc.
My commute is 4 miles of rolling terrain. I tried to take it easy and spin up the rollers in a much lower gear than I would on my other bikes, while pretty much coasting down. The Alfine IGH 8 speed has plenty of gear range for the terrain.
The last mile is mostly downhill, which is nice for a cool down. When I got into work, I had worked up a little sweat, but really no more than if I had walked a mile rather than rode 4.
Man, that is a pretty bike, and I don't think there's anything I would actually upgrade (obviously I'd add Dyno lights and a rack, but saddle, handlbars, grips, fenders, tires everything looks great). That makes for a heck of a value proposition when you don't have to swap parts to get it just how you want it.
Hey, did you happen to mention anyplace how much it set you back? Raleigh lists "$$$$$ = 700 - $1,100 general price range" and I don't have any Raleigh dealers close enough to go look around. However, there are some that may be worth looking into.