Has anyone purchased or ridden an Raleigh XXIX? I am having a very hard time to ride or even physically see a 29er at my LBS. Besides Halter(jdog) who carries Haro Mary, which is my bike of choice, I would love to be able to compare to something else in person before making my mind up. Does Raleigh make a good bike? I havent heard anything from them in years...
Raleigh XXIX
- Thread starter BLH2
- Start date
ArmyOfNone
Well-Known Member
if you go 29er...you will not be dissapointed. I cant wait to get my own :drooling:
Do any of the guys at your local shop ride??
How about their buyer or owner?
I actully came late to the 29" party myself. One of the guys who works at our shop has had a Karate Monkey since Surly came out with it. He is a sort of weird bird so the 29" thing ran right along with his persona.
If anyone who was at the bike show in vegas missed the 29" thing they must have been blindfolded.
Nearly every bike company has a 29er this year. Some companies just made one because of customer demands, while some companies had bike designers who were very tall..
The guy who designed the Mary (or at least had a lot to do with it) is like 6'-5" so the 29er thing was a no branier.
When I first saw the 29er thing I thought it would always be a fringe thing. Now (as I finally build one for myself) I am pretty sure that it is here to stay.
No one thought that suspension or clipless pedals whold catch on either..
j
I saw the Raleigh XXIX while I was out on business at Rock Island, IL. Great looking bike with nice disc brake set up. It seemed very well built with nice welds & has the eccentric bottom bracket. Come of think of it, I believe I also saw one at Route 15 Cycle in Lake Hopatcong (Jefferson) late in the summer. You may want to give them a ring to see if they still have it.
I borrowed a friend's Surly Karate Monkey to try the whole 29er thing and I loved it. Since that time, Santa brought me a Monocog 29er and, to be honest, I don't feel that big of a difference between the two. Basically, they are built like tanks and can roll over anything. If you want to try something fun, ride a 29er for a few miles & then jump on a lightweight FS bike. It's scary how twitchy my Trance felt after I did that. 🙂
I ride a large frame bike -- PM me if you ride a large frame and want to try my Monocog.
If you don't mind the drive to Queens, Peak Mtn Bike Shop has a 20" Kona Unit 2-9 on a significant sale in the shop.
http://www.peakmtnbike.com/
Some shops get-it, but it's still a niche product for most, as they don't sell as fast as 26ers (the market always lags behind the press hype, in the bike world). Sids Bikes in Manhattan had a carbon fiber Orbea 29er built up in the shop last fall- serious bling.
It's funny, you used to see more 29ers in stores, since Fisher dealers were pressured to stock them. Then when they didn't sell, and the shops had to blow them out just to clear the stock out, they weren't re-stocked. That was a couple years ago, and it seems the market is just now catching up...
http://www.peakmtnbike.com/
Some shops get-it, but it's still a niche product for most, as they don't sell as fast as 26ers (the market always lags behind the press hype, in the bike world). Sids Bikes in Manhattan had a carbon fiber Orbea 29er built up in the shop last fall- serious bling.
It's funny, you used to see more 29ers in stores, since Fisher dealers were pressured to stock them. Then when they didn't sell, and the shops had to blow them out just to clear the stock out, they weren't re-stocked. That was a couple years ago, and it seems the market is just now catching up...
J-Dro
Well-Known Member
Cruising around eBay today, I casually put in a bid that I thought had zero chance of winning, but what the hell. Just a way to pass time while I'm bored.
Well, much to my surprise, I won this almost new 07 Raleigh XXIX singlespeed for $462
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150079852282
I've succumbed to the dark side I guess. What do you think? Good deal? Ripoff? Or something in between?
Probably going to add suspension in the front with a lockout eventually.
Well, much to my surprise, I won this almost new 07 Raleigh XXIX singlespeed for $462
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150079852282
I've succumbed to the dark side I guess. What do you think? Good deal? Ripoff? Or something in between?
Probably going to add suspension in the front with a lockout eventually.
Ride away like you stole it!!!!!!!!!
Great deal. They go for about $750 new.
Good for you😀 Bad for the seller :wedgie:
S
Stan LeCupp
Guest
Nice buy Jeff!. I almost bid on that very same bike myself .
J-Dro
Well-Known Member
Alex, how funny would that be if we got into a bidding war against each other?
I think it will make a nice 2nd bike next to the 5-Spot.😀
I think it will make your 5-Spot into a nice 2nd bike.😀
That is a killer price. While I am far from a fan of Raleigh I will submit that this is the very best I can imagine that anyone could do for the asking.
You better keep a can of pledge handy to clean the dust off your Turner.
Let's just hope they don't send you a box of rocks or a birdfeeder..
J_
S
Stan LeCupp
Guest
I think that bike was listed before with a higher starting bid so I didn't bite. I checked out a new one at route 15 bikes.Even at $750 the bike seemed like a great deal.
I'd like to get a SS for some of the KVSP/deerpark type rides. I'll probably get something similar in spring.😀
J-Dro
Well-Known Member
Yeah lets hope theres no surprises when the box arrives.
J, I see your new C-dale is getting quite a bit of attention on the other 29er board. Damn, that sure is purty and the pics don't even do it justice.
One of the head guys at Cannondale wrote me to say that it was "pretty".
I am not sure if that was a compliment if your are talking about a Mt bike.
Now you can come on our all SS adventures. I think you will see 6 mile in a new light too.
There are a few simple upgrades that you might consider that will make that bike even better.
j
J-Dro
Well-Known Member
Yeah I'm sure, any bike this cheap is going to have a few crap parts. New pedals for sure. I've heard the grips are junk. What kind of grips did you install on the Mary demo? Those felt great, almost like they had gel in them. Do you stock them?
A new wheelset would be nice when I get some cash.