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Raleigh bikes?

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Phazer

Chimp
Jun 2, 2004
12
0
South Africa
Hows Raleigh bikes? There are tons of them in the shops here. I am a complete n00b at this. Been going over the forums and was wondering what would be the best frame for me. I am planning on doing cross country, bike trials with a couple of very small jumps, and a little on the road. Nothing competitive, just for fun, will probarly do the odd local race or two.
I see some bikes have a coil spring, in the middle of the fram close to the saddle, some have "shock" at the front wheel, some have a extra bar int he frame, etc. What' the best for my purposes?
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
It depends on what you're looking at. I'm not very familiar with Raleighs, as there seem to be very few of them in the States, they're an English brand, correct? Or did they get bought by something like Pacific Cycle? I'm not sure. If you could tell us the model of Raleigh you're looking at, we could give more specifics. A lot of times its not the company that makes the bike/frame, its what components are hanging off the bike that makes it good/bad.

Also, what used Trek are you looking at?
 
MikeD

MikeD

Leader and Demogogue of the Ridemonkey Satinists
Oct 26, 2001
11,698
1,749
chez moi
Pretty much every bike frame in the lower pricepoints is the same. They all come out of the same factories and are welded by the same people. The geometry on them all is also pretty similar...but not identical. So fit and componentry are really the important things. Brand names like KHS, Raleigh, and Jamis generally get you better kit for your buck than big names like Trek (or other Trek makes like Fisher and Klein.)

Really, though, at lower price points, most things are equal...so if it fits you (hopefully you have someone available to tell you, honestly, whether it does or not), and you like the color, go for it and ride it until the wheels fall off.

BTW, a friend at work just bough a Raleigh 800 or something; seems like a nice bike from his description of the componentry.

MD
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Looking at it...I doubt that bike will last 5 minutes on a trail. That looks like more of a comfort/commuter bike. In fact, nearly every "ATB" on that site looks that way. I'd steer clear of anything Raleigh, apparantly they sell different stuff in the US. Whats this Quest you're looking at?
 
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Phazer

Chimp
Jun 2, 2004
12
0
South Africa
xbluethunderx said:
Looking at it...I doubt that bike will last 5 minutes on a trail. That looks like more of a comfort/commuter bike. In fact, nearly every "ATB" on that site looks that way. I'd steer clear of anything Raleigh, apparantly they sell different stuff in the US. Whats this Quest you're looking at?
Click to expand...
Here's the Quest MTB website...funny thing I only see accesories and stuff on the site, no actual bikes.
http://www.questbikes.co.uk/
 
G-Cracker

G-Cracker

Monkey
May 2, 2002
528
0
Tucson, beatch!
Hey Phazer...

I agree that the Raleigh you posted wouldn't be the best bike for what you said you wanted. That bike is for comfort on the roads and very smooth, gravel paths. Anything more than that and you're going to destroy your bike.

Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with Raleigh outside of the US, but it looks like the Chinook would be a better fit for what you want to do with it.

I owned an older (1996) Raleigh USA M7000, which was stolen last month. I beat that thing to death and it kept going. Aside from it being pretty heavy, it was a fine bike. Like others have said, find a bike that fits you, make sure to test-ride it, and have fun.
 
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