Raleigh rod bike advice needed



J

Jim

Guest
Hello All,


Why do I not see any Raleigh road bikes out there. I see many
Cannondales, Treks, Specialized. I have an opportunity to get a really
good priceon a Raleigh but a bit skeptical because I don't see any on
the road. I am looking on the range of the Cannodale R5OO or R600 or
Trek 1500. Is there a reason they are not out there. Any advice on the
Raleigh brand would be greatly appreciated.
 
"Jim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Hello All,
>
>
> Why do I not see any Raleigh road bikes out there.


Raleigh was one of the first bikes I looked at when I was upgrading last
summer.
I put several hundred miles on a sport comfort Raleigh, which I like, so I
checked out the Raleigh's. They are OK, but the ride wasn't all that,and
that MADE IN TAIWAN sticker scared me off. All in all, I was a little
disappointed in the frame, which felt cheap.
For a couple hundred more, I got the Cannondale R600. I don't regret it at
all.

winnard
 
"Jim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Hello All,
>
>
> Why do I not see any Raleigh road bikes out there. I see many Cannondales,
> Treks, Specialized. I have an opportunity to get a really good priceon a
> Raleigh but a bit skeptical because I don't see any on the road. I am
> looking on the range of the Cannodale R5OO or R600 or Trek 1500. Is there
> a reason they are not out there. Any advice on the Raleigh brand would be
> greatly appreciated.


It largely comes down to local retailers willingness to carry them. There
may not be anything particularly wrong with a particular bike, but the
dealer is looking at ability to make a buck.


--
Derek Hodges
Toronto
 
"winnard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:zYjcd.21437$_g6.9168@okepread03...
>
> "Jim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >
> > Hello All,
> >
> >
> > Why do I not see any Raleigh road bikes out there.

>
> Raleigh was one of the first bikes I looked at when I was upgrading last
> summer.
> I put several hundred miles on a sport comfort Raleigh, which I like, so I
> checked out the Raleigh's. They are OK, but the ride wasn't all that,and
> that MADE IN TAIWAN sticker scared me off. All in all, I was a little
> disappointed in the frame, which felt cheap.
> For a couple hundred more, I got the Cannondale R600. I don't regret it

at
> all.
>
> winnard
>


well except for that extra hardware you're lugging around .. :)

Seriously.. I compared Raleigh, Trek, C'dale and Felts. and I wound up
getting the Raleigh SuperCourse for about $400 cheaper than any of the
others.. the frame and welds on that bike are top notch. But in the end, get
which ever bike feels the best for both your butt and your budget.

Jim Weeks
Austin, Tx
 
> It largely comes down to local retailers willingness to carry them. There
> may not be anything particularly wrong with a particular bike, but the
> dealer is looking at ability to make a buck.


There are a lot of things that determine what lines a dealer is willing to
carry. We trade off margin by carrying Trek, as do other shops carrying
what we call 1st-tier bike lines. We would make substantially greater
margin selling Raleigh. So why would we carry Trek instead of Raleigh?

#1: Better & more comprehensive product line. Look at the Trek catalog or
website, and you'll see they're huge. Bikes for everyone from the rock-star
pro racer to a your 4-year-old's first bike, and everything in-between.
Road, hybrid, mountain, comfort, tandem, downhill, triathlon, time trial,
whatever your poison, Trek probably has it.

#2: Stability. Many lines have good & bad years. Their consistency is all
over the map, as management & manufacturing changes rapidly, and there is
little change for long-term improvement because there's nothing long-term.
The differences when dealing with a company whose management has been intact
for over 20 years vs one that changes every 3-4 years is striking. We can
depend on Trek having a great line each & every year. That, in turn, allows
us to invest more of our own time & effort (and money) into stocking &
promoting the line.

#2b: The stability and overall quality means we don't have to carry four or
five brands and try to cherry-pick the most popular or profitable models.
Saves a lot of time, and the customer doesn't end up being offered product
of uniform (hopefully high!) quality... less chance of having something
pushed upon the customer because either the dealer can make 30% better
margin *or* the manufacturer is forcing the dealer to stock it because they
built too many.

#3: Service. There are *huge* differences between one company and the next
regarding both warranty handling as well as tech services in general (as in
calling up a product engineer and asking about such inane things as seatpost
slippage, noisy spokes, handling questions etc). These differences can
definitely affect the bottom line, as they allow you to more efficiently
take care of problems that might come up, and also add to the quality of
services that you, as a retailer, offer to your customers.

There are many more reasons, but those are the ones that most-quickly come
to mind. And all of them, directly or indirectly, add value to the product
the customer buys... and that added value is the reason that a dealer (like
us) might choose to go with a line that offers less (sometimes substantially
less) margin than another line.

By the way, I don't mean to pick on Raleigh here. While we don't carry the
line, they're a legit company and I've known the local rep for a number of
years. They're not 1st tier, but there's not too much room at the top these
days.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Derek Hodges" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Jim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> Hello All,
>>
>>
>> Why do I not see any Raleigh road bikes out there. I see many
>> Cannondales, Treks, Specialized. I have an opportunity to get a really
>> good priceon a Raleigh but a bit skeptical because I don't see any on the
>> road. I am looking on the range of the Cannodale R5OO or R600 or Trek
>> 1500. Is there a reason they are not out there. Any advice on the Raleigh
>> brand would be greatly appreciated.

>
> It largely comes down to local retailers willingness to carry them. There
> may not be anything particularly wrong with a particular bike, but the
> dealer is looking at ability to make a buck.
>
>
> --
> Derek Hodges
> Toronto
>
 
Rod bike -- a new drivetrain invention?

Bill "serves as wind chime, too" S.
 
"Jim Weeks" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "winnard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:zYjcd.21437$_g6.9168@okepread03...
> >
> > "Jim" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> > >
> > > Hello All,
> > >
> > >
> > > Why do I not see any Raleigh road bikes out there.

> >
> > Raleigh was one of the first bikes I looked at when I was upgrading

last
> > summer.
> > I put several hundred miles on a sport comfort Raleigh, which I like, so

I
> > checked out the Raleigh's. They are OK, but the ride wasn't all

that,and
> > that MADE IN TAIWAN sticker scared me off. All in all, I was a little
> > disappointed in the frame, which felt cheap.
> > For a couple hundred more, I got the Cannondale R600. I don't regret it

> at
> > all.
> >
> > winnard
> >

>
> well except for that extra hardware you're lugging around .. :)
>
> Seriously.. I compared Raleigh, Trek, C'dale and Felts. and I wound up
> getting the Raleigh SuperCourse for about $400 cheaper than any of the
> others.. the frame and welds on that bike are top notch. But in the end,

get
> which ever bike feels the best for both your butt and your budget.
>


That is a nice bike, the price is right on all of them, I just didn't like
the ride for some reason. I probably would've gotten used to it. Heck I'd
ride a tricycle right now if I could!


winnard
 
On Sun, 17 Oct 2004 15:07:16 +0000, B i l l S o r n s o n wrote:

> Rod bike -- a new drivetrain invention?


I interpreted it as meaning rod brakes. There must still be a few
Nottingham-built Raleighs about with them.


Ha ha ha. A quick Google on "raleigh bicycle" throws up Sheldon Brown's
page. Saying in the largest possible font "Do not write or phone me to
ask the age or value of an old Raleigh. All of the information I have on
that is on this Web page." He definitely conveys the impression that
questions from dumpster-divers have overcome his patience....



Mike
 
Jim wrote:

>
> Hello All,
>
>
> Why do I not see any Raleigh road bikes out there. I see many
> Cannondales, Treks, Specialized. I have an opportunity to get a really
> good priceon a Raleigh but a bit skeptical because I don't see any on
> the road. I am looking on the range of the Cannodale R5OO or R600 or
> Trek 1500. Is there a reason they are not out there. Any advice on the
> Raleigh brand would be greatly appreciated.

Are you buying a bike to fit in with a specific social
crowd? It shouldn't matter if there are others nearby if
it's suitable to your riding, fits well and is within your
means.

Raleigh USA, with a tenuous relationship to a 120+ year old
brand name, has made major changes to their road lineup in
each of the last few years. Some models were hits, others
misses. Some have been priced severely under market, others
not such a bargain.

But that 's a general discussion and you will buy a specific
bike. If your dealer gives good advice and the bike fits
and rides well, you've found your new machine.

--
Andrew Muzi, who's sold a few thousand Raleighs over the
years and rides one himself.
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971
 
> On Sun, 17 Oct 2004 15:07:16 +0000, B i l l S o r n s o n wrote:
>>Rod bike -- a new drivetrain invention?


Mike Causer wrote:
> I interpreted it as meaning rod brakes. There must still be a few
> Nottingham-built Raleighs about with them.
> Ha ha ha. A quick Google on "raleigh bicycle" throws up Sheldon Brown's
> page. Saying in the largest possible font "Do not write or phone me to
> ask the age or value of an old Raleigh. All of the information I have on
> that is on this Web page." He definitely conveys the impression that
> questions from dumpster-divers have overcome his patience....



You'd be surprised how many people daily write "I bought a
___ at a yard sale. What can you tell me about it?"

Well, what would be an example of an answer?

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971