I wish I had known that when I put my Alyeska up for sale. I would have given you a call. :D


But seriously, they're not *bad* bikes, they're just not *great* bikes, especially at any price above $200. ;)

I cannot fathom the idea of loaded, long distance touring on an aluminum frame. I can feel my chattering teeth just thinking about it. There were some Cannondale tourers on the high end that were beautifully spec'd and, were I shopping for a touring bike, I'd consider buying both the steel frame and the Cannondale and have them make a baby, as it were.

Danny

If I were 6' Plus I'd hunt around for a vintage Cannondale (Oh maybe from '88 to late '90s) T-series

Something else we agree on. :)

You just had to trample all over that warm fuzzy thing we had for a second, didn't you?:notamused:

Danny

:lol:

:beer:

Eclectic? It's downright weird! Here's some more:
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...p/IMG_9672.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...p/IMG_9673.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...p/IMG_9674.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...p/IMG_9685.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...p/IMG_9675.jpg
Slightly older incaranation follows
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...p/BadgerBB.jpg
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...earshifter.jpg

:beer:

Sweet build on that bike, too. Very sweet. :)

The combination of everything looks good - that is all that should be important. :)

-Kurt

Thanks Kurt. That's what I was going for exactly. I'm still taking a drubbing on another forum for being in love with the shape of the current Shimano 105 triple crankset ("Get that cheap POS off that bike!" was the quote I believe). What can I say other than, I really mean it. I think this crank is stunning. Bonus on the $40 bucks I saved from the Chorus.

Danny

Danny boyo;
I think you've confused your Miyatas with your Bridgestones.
Top

Thanks folks,
I never thought that I would have so much advice so quickly. I'm convinced I will bide my time and look for a far better value. Thank-you again. You have saved me many hundreds of dollars and aggravation.
I'm so glad I joined this forum.

I'm sure I did! It's the Miyata team pro I'm thinking of. Fuji Team pro is right there with it in newfound value. Actually the Fuji Team rose from an average of $200 to around 900 recently. RB1's are at around a grand and 81-86 Allez's are skyrocketing too.

Danny

Here's your bike! This is an old school English tourer in the classic mold and exactly the kind of bike that all the custom builders try to equal or better:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=424316

I'd love to hear what everyone thinks this one is worth! I'll keep my mouth shut until we get to at least the third valuation.

Danny

With the drivetrain to die for, no less!

-Kurt

Nice brakes;)

Danny

I have no idea. Totally out of the league I even bother looking at.

I can give estimations of the Trek 850 (vintage Mt. Bike w/touring featrures, ~$150), Univega Gran Turismo (~$175-$300), Gitane Gran Tour (~$200), Lotus Odyssey (~$400), Novara Randonee (vintage, ~ $400-$500), Trek 520 (vintage, ~$400- $500), Specialized Expedition (~$500-$750), Trek 720 (~$750-$1,000), Miyata 1000 (~$1,000). I may be closer on the lower end of the scale than the higher end, because i don't play at that end.

I just picked up an 85' Alyeska that i'm pretty happy with. I'll post some pics soon but i had a couple early questions for other Raleigh Alyeska owners.

@chuckk On your Cannondale that you have setup for touring, what brand name of racks are those? I'm looking for something similar and i like the look of those.

Also, for those that have added fenders, what kind of fenders have worked well for you? I would rather not swap out my wheels to 700s and just keep the original 27s but i realize it's a pretty tight fit within the front fork.

More to come but i'm happy to join the Alyeska club.

I have a 25" Alyeska which was my first actual touring type bicycle. I got it by trading a full case guarded sport from the 50s in decent shape. I feel like I got a good deal. I like the brakes a lot and the ride is firm - not a lot of BB flex. Mine has some random 27" front wheel and I thought about swapping to 700c, but never did. I do feel that the bicycle could hold up to significant long distant touring - it's comfortable enough and also stiff enough. The longest I did on mine was ten days of 30~ mile rides in rural Vermont with my father, but I slept in an inn because we are softcore.

I am not really surprised that they sometimes sell for $400. I would honestly say a common sized one in good shape could sell for more around here in spring pretty easily. "Touring" seems to make bicycles more valuable when you put it in the ad. I don't think any Alyeska is worth $800 unless it has parts that add 500+ to the value. Custom touring wheels, fenders, racks, bags, pedals etc. $150 is much lower than I feel it is worth in my market (Boston) and I would say I would be happy paying ~$300 for one ready to ride that fit well.

Hope that helps somewhat.

Sorry for posting twice, but I didn't see your question drisee.

I have gray SKS plastic fenders on my 27" wheeled Alyeska. I didn't load the front at all so the is no front rack. The fenders had to be mounted all the way up against the fork but I never had any problems with them after that. No interference with the brakes that I recall. I think I did bend the little slotted tab that you bolt the fender to the fork with because it was long enough to hit the bottom cup of the head tube and I didn't like that. The tires are marathons and they are either 32 or 35mm I believe. I can check tomorrow if you like.

I saw feedback as to problems with the brakes but I have never had any personally. But I guess I can only vouch for the ones on my particular bike then huh! Sorry I can't give any other brake input.

Just thought I'd ask if you're sure a 25" frame is the right size for you... I'm about 6'0 and I ride 25" frames. Of course I have no idea what kind of fit you like in a bike, and I apologized if you've already thought about this- but at 6'6", I'd have guessed you'd be looking for a 27" or ~68cm frame(?) Specialized, Miyata, Raleigh, and Fuji all made frames in this size, and the larger size might be a better fit for you.

(zombie thread)

Originally started over 2 1/2 years ago, but back with a new vitality. Touring bikes comprise a relatively small percentage of bikes produced, and are currently very much in demand. Plus, you don't hear much about the Alyeska. BTW, was that a "Huffy" Raleigh (Cycle Company of America) back then?

OK so the thread is like 2 1/2 years old but did the OP make a move yet? might still be carefully considering the purchase...