Raleigh or Trek?

"me" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am about to buy a mtb. My first one. I haven't rode in
awhile...ten or fifteen years...I do have a norco street
bike but want something different. I consider myself a
newbie at best. So...I check out the Trek website and
their bikes, which have a very good rep, have shimano
parts. I check out the Canadian tire website and they have
a raleigh Tarantula ?? mtb for sale at 299 cdn. It also
has shimano parts so I assume that this is a quality bike
for the price...is my assumption correct? I have no prob
spending 500-600 bucks on a bike but if I can get a decent
bike for less...why not.

thanks for any advice.

jon

My advice is to find a local bike shop that you are
comfortable with. They will be able to show you different
brands in your price range, and most importantly they will
be able to get you a bike that fits you.

"me" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am about to buy a mtb. My first one. I haven't rode in
awhile...ten or fifteen years...I do have a norco street
bike but want something different. I consider myself a
newbie at best. So...I check out the Trek website and
their bikes, which have a very good rep, have shimano
parts. I check out the Canadian tire website and they have
a raleigh Tarantula ?? mtb for sale at 299 cdn. It also
has shimano parts so I assume that this is a quality bike
for the price...is my assumption correct? I have no prob
spending 500-600 bucks on a bike but if I can get a decent
bike for less...why not.

thanks for any advice.

jon

Your kidding right! Only thing Raleigh is the name. That
name has been bought to put on their bikes. Stay away from
anything Canadian Tire sells for bikes. If you have no
problem spending 500 or 600 on a bike then consider a Trek,
Giant or Norco. Please stay away from department store bikes
as it's been proven they are very unsafe and of poor
quality. Try and find a local bike shop and get fitted for a
bike. Your money will have been spent more wisely.

"me" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am about to buy a mtb. My first one. I haven't rode in
awhile...ten or fifteen years...I do have a norco street
bike but want something different. I consider myself a
newbie at best. So...I check out the Trek website and
their bikes, which have a very good rep, have shimano
parts. I check out the Canadian tire website and they have
a raleigh Tarantula ?? mtb for sale at 299 cdn. It also
has shimano parts so I assume that this is a quality bike
for the price...is my assumption correct? I have no prob
spending 500-600 bucks on a bike but if I can get a decent
bike for less...why not.

A big why not is that it might end up costing you in
the long run.

I checked out Canadian Tires web site and it says that they
recommend the bike be professionally assembled, so I'm
assuming it comes disassembled ... right there you're
looking at more money (or your time). Another factor is the
fit of the bike, most if not all department store bikes
come in an average frame size instead of having several to
choose from. Besides that, a good local bike shop will also
set the bike up for you and many have a additional service
checkup included in the price. A frame too big or small,
and not set up properly can cause you some problems
physically. That little bit of money saved isn't worth a
sore back and numb privates.

Go to a local bike shop. Go to a few. It's worth it to buy
from someone who knows what they're doing, and it's worth
starting a relationship with them. My friend has a bad hip,
and riding a bike always hurt but now that her kids are
starting to ride she wanted to be out there with them. I
took her to a LBS I trust and they worked with her to find
just the right bike, frame size, and saddle for her. It took
a couple of weeks but it was well worth it and it didn't
cost her anything more. That's the real value of a LBS. This
is what she got by the way:

tinyurl.com2nbxdOpen ↗

Very nice bike for the price and sharp looking too. I would
buy one. My best friend also bought this one recently and I
really lie the way it feels:

tinyurl.com3fshzOpen ↗

Oh, and Shimano usually makes pretty good stuff, but their
bottom of the barrel components are iffy. Higher than that
they're OKay. Also, department store bikes are often labeled
Shimano, but not everything will be Shimano. This is not
necessarily bad as other companies make good stuff too but
when you're talking dirt cheep bikes then you have to
wonder. A good entry level MTB (in my humble opinion) will
start around $325 USD.

Good luck!
C.Q.C.

me said:

It also has shimano parts so I assume that this is a
quality bike for the price...is my assumption correct?

No! First off, there's more to a bike than components. How
about the frame and wheels. How about fit? How well was the
bike assembled.

Secondly, "Shimano parts" covers wide range. Their top of
the line components are very good, their bottom of the line
components aren't so good. Which do you think come on the
"Raleigh?"

You're not going to get simililar quality at half the price,
especially at the low end of the range.

Art Harris

Bikes of similar prices have similar features. A 600 hundred
dollar bike will likely come with a shimano deore group and
an aluminum frame with front shocks. Don't worry about
brand. All the brands will likely have a frame made in a
foreign country. At this price you can get a very good mtb.
If you go down in price you will get lower end components
that will not last as long. The 500 to 600 hundred dollar
range is where good mtbs start at. Usually, at this price
you'll find mtbs that can go anywhere and you can race with
eventually if that is a goal.

Like someone suggested, go to a local shop that treats you
well. A good job means that they will spend time measuring
you properly. They will explain features about the bike
patienly. They will have a group of cyclists that go riding
regularly and they will invite you to their rides. they will
tell you that they back their products, and they will assure
free checkups and service for the first few months. Look for
a shop that does have all these features if possible.

if a shop has a sale, a similar bike may cost 50 bucks less.
So, instead of getting a 600 dollar bike, you'll get a 550
dollar bike. The difference is not worth it. Remeber, at
this price you should look for a shimano deore group and an
aluminum frame with a front shock.

Dont' go for a mail order bike unless you are very good at
putting them together and repairing them yourself. if you've
had years of experience reparing bikes, and all the tools,
then you can go for a mail order bike. Otherwise, don't even
think about it. Good luck,

andres

me <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

I am about to buy a mtb. My first one. I haven't rode in
awhile...ten or fifteen years...I do have a norco street
bike but want something different. I consider myself a
newbie at best. So...I check out the Trek website and
their bikes, which have a very good rep, have shimano
parts. I check out the Canadian tire website and they have
a raleigh Tarantula ?? mtb for sale at 299 cdn. It also
has shimano parts so I assume that this is a quality bike
for the price...is my assumption correct? I have no prob
spending 500-600 bucks on a bike but if I can get a decent
bike for less...why not.

thanks for any advice.

jon

On Sun, 04 Apr 2004 20:49:51 -0300, me <[email hidden]>

may have said:

I am about to buy a mtb. My first one. I haven't rode in
awhile...ten or fifteen years...I do have a norco street
bike but want something different. I consider myself a
newbie at best. So...I check out the Trek website and their
bikes, which have a very good rep, have shimano parts. I
check out the Canadian tire website and they have a raleigh
Tarantula ?? mtb for sale at 299 cdn. It also has shimano
parts so I assume that this is a quality bike for the
price...is my assumption correct? I have no prob spending
500-600 bucks on a bike but if I can get a decent bike for
less...why not.

thanks for any advice.

Just my opinion...

Low-end Treks are made in a certain industrialized Pacific
Rim nation, and coincidentally enough, so are a lot of
other name-brand units in the under-$500 category...and
sometimes above. Raleigh has some bikes in this
classification, if I'm not mistaken. Most of such are
perfectly serviceable units, and often provide outstanding
value to the consumer. They do little to make jobs for
domestic industry, of course, but that's not always an
issue for everyone...and when you haven't got many choices,
it may not be one you can afford to address anyway. That
said, I think that if two bikes are otherwise pretty much
equivalent, I might go with the bike from the shop with the
better reputation for customer service and honesty rather
than being devoted to a brand. Until you get to the rather
esoteric land of the high-end bikes, it's probably best to
look at component quality first (Shimano has gear that
ranges from barely adequate to damned good, and it's *not*
all the same) and balance that against the supplier's
reputation. For a difference of $40 (or 15%) or less, I'd
definitely lean toward the local bike shop with the better
creds over a mass-market store or a mail-order outfit.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

Q. said:

... Oh, and Shimano usually makes pretty good stuff, but
their bottom of the barrel components are iffy. Higher
than that they're OKay. Also, department store bikes are
often labeled Shimano, but not everything will be Shimano.
This is not necessarily bad as other companies make good
stuff too...

There are even a few on this newsgroup that have some good
things to say about the bicycle components made by some
company named Campagnolo. 😉

--
Tom Sherman - Quad Cities (Illinois Side)

Tom Sherman said:

Q. said:

... Oh, and Shimano usually makes pretty good stuff, but
their bottom of the barrel components are iffy. Higher
than that they're OKay. Also, department store bikes are
often labeled Shimano, but not everything will be
Shimano. This is not necessarily bad as other companies
make good stuff too...

There are even a few on this newsgroup that have some good
things to say about the bicycle components made by some
company named Campagnolo. 😉

Yes, one of my college roommates had a department store bike
with components from that company - their 'Record' line. It
was a Sears Free Spirit bike and seemed to work fine as long
as you didn't need any low gears.

On Tue, 06 Apr 2004 03:30:27 GMT, Peter <[email hidden]> may have

Quoted message said:

Tom Sherman said:

There are even a few on this newsgroup that have some
good things to say about the bicycle components made by
some company named Campagnolo. 😉

Even some who may not have the foggiest notion how it's
pronounced. (With good reason, on both counts.)

Quoted message said:

Yes, one of my college roommates had a department store
bike with components from that company - their 'Record'
line. It was a Sears Free Spirit bike and seemed to work
fine as long as you didn't need any low gears.

Frequently found in Goodwill stores nationwide throughout
the USA today, and usually working every bit as well as they
did when new. Which is to say, if carefully adjusted,
adequate for a day or two.

--
My email address is antispammed; pull WEEDS if replying via e-mail.
Typoes are not a bug, they're a feature.
Words processed in a facility that contains nuts.

-snip-

Quoted message said:

On Tue, 06 Apr 2004 03:30:27 GMT, Peter

may have said:

Yes, one of my college roommates had a department store
bike with components from that company - their 'Record'
line. It was a Sears Free Spirit bike and seemed to work
fine as long as you didn't need any low gears.

Werehatrack said:

Frequently found in Goodwill stores nationwide throughout
the USA today, and usually working every bit as well as
they did when new. Which is to say, if carefully adjusted,
adequate for a day or two.

Record? Maybe not.

Sears' Ted Williams 1972 model was a lugged frame of three
tubes Reynolds, made by Steyr in Austria. It featured the
Campagnolo Valentino Extra gear system with Altenberger
DualPivot brakes. It was competitive in terms of equipment
and weight in its price range but suffered from 'department
store assembly".

The HiTen frame with Simplex was a better value, IMHO.
--
Andrew Muzi www.yellowjersey.org Open every day since 1
April, 1971

I would like a top of the line huffy or murray from the mid
80s. the ones with the serotta frames.

Andres

A Muzi <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

-snip-

Quoted message said:

On Tue, 06 Apr 2004 03:30:27 GMT, Peter

may have said:

Yes, one of my college roommates had a department store
bike with components from that company - their 'Record'
line. It was a Sears Free Spirit bike and seemed to work
fine as long as you didn't need any low gears.

Werehatrack said:

Frequently found in Goodwill stores nationwide
throughout the USA today, and usually working every bit
as well as they did when new. Which is to say, if
carefully adjusted, adequate for a day or two.

Record? Maybe not.

Sears' Ted Williams 1972 model was a lugged frame of three
tubes Reynolds, made by Steyr in Austria. It featured the
Campagnolo Valentino Extra gear system with Altenberger
DualPivot brakes. It was competitive in terms of equipment
and weight in its price range but suffered from
'department store assembly".

The HiTen frame with Simplex was a better value, IMHO.