Raleigh
 

I bought a Trek 3700 mtb about a year ago and have been enjoying it on easy gravel and backwood trails. I'm not for all the crazy terrain and stuff. It got me thinking that I would enjoy road biking more than mtbiking so I was just wondering what you guys thought of Raleighs. My LBS sells a lot of Raleigh and is always very friendly when I step in. Yesterday I noticed they had a 2006 Grand Sport for 550 bucks, it's my size and getting the proper fit would be free. I didn't know if I should jump on it or not. What do you think?

I have a Raleigh Rush Hour Pro and I absolutely love it. I know nothing about the Grand Sport, so YMMV.

A good buddy of mine, who posts here every once in a while, has a Raleigh, and he's really happy with it.

I have a 2003 Raleigh Pro (steel) and I love it! A girl I ride with has a newer aluminum/carbon Raleigh and loves it. I don't know about their low-end bikes, but their high-end bikes are superb. One nice thing is that their name isn't as famous as others so they can't quite command the same prices for the same quality. Which is in your favor...

The Grand Sport is by no means a high-end bike, but it will be a decent intro road bike. IMO $550 is an okay but not great deal for a 2006. See if you can get a discount on other gear, like shoes, pedals, etc. if they wo'nt knock more off the price.

Be sure you get fitted. Procedures vary but they should do various body measurements to get you the right frame geometry. They might want to charge up front for the fitting, but should refund that if you buy a bike from them.

I just picked up a 2003 Grand Sport off of Craigslist a few weeks ago for $150. It is my backup bike and something for my guests or friends to ride (if they are tall enough). So far it is a nice ride, especially for the price.http://i52.photobucket.com/albums/g1...gslistFind.jpg

I have a Raleigh Mojave 2.0. While it is a mountain bike, at the $250 it cost brand new, it's been a great value. I've had it for about 1 year and I'm guesstimating I've ridden it about 2500 miles (if not that many then more), and it's been a really good ride. I'd say the only downside is it's a heavy thing, and I had to get a new stem because the stock one is just too low for me. I've done some other things to make it more suited for road use (slicks, rear-view mirror, going to get proper pedals sometime). Other than that, if you're looking for value I totally recommend it. I've heard the higher-end models in the Mojave series are also very good, but I haven't gotten to ride any yet.