zeroderby

I am considering buying a Raleigh Sojourn for my 20km round trip commute. I currently ride a 97 Trek that I bought last summer for $80. I added fenders and v-brakes. I was wondering if the sojourn would be overkill or a fun upgrade to my Trek. I have been commuting full time since last summer. I really like it and don't plan on stopping so I thought an upgrade would be fun. I also rode through the winter, I live in Edmonton where it gets fairly cold, would this bike handle the cold ok? Would the geometry help me be faster? Would this be a significant upgrade? Would this be a good commuter? Any other thoughts?

Thanks for any input.

My Trek


The Raleigh Sojourn

Sirrus Rider

I don't think you could lose by buying the Sojourn. It would have two advantages that I can think of over your mountain bike: hand positions and gearing. The semi-mustached handlebar gives you more hand positions over a mountain bike flat bar which lends itself to more comfort over longer distances. The Sojourn in all likelihood has higher gearing than your mountain bike and will feel and probably be faster.

I think the only thing I would like better for commuting is a Harris Cyclery/Bianchi SanJose8 just so that I could change gears while waiting at a light.

One thing I would do is I would retain the mountain bike for a foul/cold weather bike.

emptgrave

Reward yourself for your work and $aving$ !!

mrbubbles

I have almost the same bike. Everything stock except the saddle, tires, and RD which I upgraded to SRAM 9.0SL(not in picture).

zeroderby

I bought mine at a police auction, well I think it was a police auction, last summer. It has been really good overall. I still have the seat, it just isn't very comfortable.

zeroderby

Are you saying you don't think it would work well in the cold weather, or that it would be a shame to beat it up?

Do you have a Sojourn?

mosquito

You will have a lot more fun riding your dream bike.

mike

Hey, man, the great thing about bicycles is that you can have more than one. I see you are from England. Smashing!

Here in the States, we fill our garages full of bicycles until our wives start screaming. Then we sell them off and make enough money to do it all over again.

Enjoy the excesses of bicycling.

Torrilin

Is there stuff you don't like about your Trek? If it is hard to imagine that another bike could be better, then sticking with your current bike is the way to go.

If you *do* see problems with your Trek, then it might make sense to get a second bike. Might not, depends on the problems.

zeroderby

I am Canadian, although I do say Mum instead of Mom. If you could pan to the right of my bike in that picture you would see my full suspension mountain bike.

e0richt

that sojourn looks like a sweet bike and with the road handlebars, you will be a bit more efficient in your commuting... I also like the bar end shifters, they are practically indestructible.

ginsoakedboy

Love that Sojourn. The Brooks pre-aged saddle with the pebbled finish and laces at the skirt and the Brooks leather bar tape are some nice little extras that would run about $200 if you were buying them separately. Love the bar-end shifters, decent quality rack, fenders, and componentry. This seems like a lot of bike for the price.

pgoat

go for it! Nice Raleigh. The larger wheels should make for a smoother commute.

yeah, keep the mtb for lousy weather so you don't don't lose sleep over mud and crud.

harleyfrog

The Sojourn is on my short list of bikes I'm considering when I get the money (hopefully sometime next year). The other is the Specialized Tricross Sport Triple. I say, if you have the chance, give the Sojourn a test ride, wait about a week, and test ride it again to see how you like it.

And +1 for keeping your current bike as a foul weather commuter.

making

I looked at one last weekend at the LBS, it is a sweet bike. Buy it. I would have if I wasnt sure I would have had to listen to it for years (I am married).

dynaryder

Barcons,Tiagra/Deore,BB5's for $1100? That's a fair bit of dosh just for a fancy saddle and bartape. My Safari will do everything that can,just as well,for a whole lot less.

zeroderby

I already have the approval from the CFO, so it won't cause any marital disharmony. For some reason she seems to get a kick out of my bike riding.

zeroderby

What's a safari? I would like to check it out.

making

Wanna trade.....her?

harleyfrog

Not to mention Tubus Cargo rack, WTB Mountain Road Drop bars, and SKS fenders on top of all that.

capolover

i hate the geometry on treks.


my two cents.

zowie

Plus Reynolds 520 tubing, SKS fenders, decent rack. IMO, it's attractively priced. [edit: Harleyfrog beat me to it.]

For my riding purposes (not the OP's), what would give me pause on this bike would be the wheels and the total weight.

Unless I splurge and go custom, the Casseroll is at the top of my list. However, I'm not buying anything without testing the Sojourn. The OP might also want to look at the Novara Randonee (and search prior threads about getting them at steep discounts).

Sirrus Rider

It would be a shame to beat it up when you have a bike that was designed for "Wet work"

harleyfrog

zowie, I agree with you on the wheels, but then again, if it were me, I'd build a second set of wheels with the front built around a dynohub. Weight? Meh. Once it's loaded down, it's not going to make that much of a difference. I'd rather have a sturdy built bike then a road racer.

dynaryder

https://www.rei.com/product/730480?vcat=REI_SEARCH

It's teh awsomes. All weather commuting,grocery hauling,polo,taxi intimidating. Mine's been abused and it's stone axe reliable.