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You will notice from the heading,
Raleigh Carbon Frame Review that this is a
review for the frame and not the complete bike. The
reason for this is somewhat complicated. I bought a
complete 2007 Raleigh RM 8.0 as soon as the first
stock hit the shores of out fair land asI just
couldn’t wait any longer to get my hands on one of
these carbon bikes. I justified the purchase to myself
and my wife with an elaborate scheme that would end
with her (my wife) getting a new full suspension
Raleigh bike comprising all the parts of the RM 8.0
and me getting the carbon frame.
 I
then took all the parts off my RDS 9.0 and built them
onto the Carbon frame which left me with a full XTR
carbon hard tail, with a brand new Rock Shox Reba Race
fork and an elated wife.
I won’t beat around the bush any
more. I know you all what to know what the bike
weighs! It is 11.2 kg including pedals, bottle cages
and pump. This is 1.6 kg lighter than my RDS 9.0. I
weigh my bikes with all the stuff on that I ride with,
simply because that seems like the real weight of the
bike. I don’t take the pedals off when I ride, so why
weigh without them?
In the bike’s racing guise it will
weigh exactly 11 kg because I’ll race with Maxxis
Crossmark Foldable tyres instead of the tubeless
version, saving 100gr per wheel.
First Glance:
Carbon Fibre is the new buzz around
the MTB and Road scene. Many think it is a fad and all
will come back to aluminium in the end. I don’t agree.
With manufacturers laying up the carbon weave
themselves and designing the bikes from the weave up,
I think this technology will be around for a long
time. It looks really cool and the Raleigh is no
exception. I challenge any one to look at this carbon
beauty and tell me that the Raleigh product is
inferior to any other!
The frame is immaculate - I looked
it over with a fine tooth comb and found no flaws.
The RM 8.0 is the lowest in the range of 3 carbon hard
tails but the frames are all the same. This makes this
lower model exceptional value for money. For a mere
R13000 you get a superb frame and a top class spec.
Go to
www.raleigh.co.za to check out the exact spec.
The frame has a monocoque
construction. For those of you who have heard this
term and been too embarrassed to ask … well, all it
means is that the frame is made in two halves, think
mirror image, and then glued together. So if you look
carefully along the top tube you’ll notice a seam
where the two pieces have been joined.
The RM 8.0 is grey and blue in
colour and there are bits that showcase the carbon
weave just in case there was any doubt that it was a
carbon bike. As with most carbon bikes, the head tube
junction and BB are very oversized, adding strength
and giving the now almost characteristic carbon look.
This bike screams pro! The finish is matt and looks
very classy.
Just a quick note on Raleigh’s
attention to detail; I was very impressed with the way
they have branded the small bits and pieces. The
carbon spacer for the head set is branded with Raleigh
along with the cable outers, seat post clamp and foam
grips. I think this kind of detail really gives the
customer a sense of pride in a quality product.
The Ride:
Let me begin by saying that it’s
been a full 18 months since I have thrown a leg over a
hard tail. My memory of riding this type of machine
may be slightly blurred. I was expecting much bumping,
standing and general discomfort. So off I go on the
morning ride route. First bit of single track and I’m
pedalling comfortably in the big ring, and not really
feeling any of the Armageddon I was expecting. I hit
some moderate riffles and am still sitting very
nicely. Then a rock or two and I lift out of the
saddle briefly but sit back again immediately with no
real disruption to the pedalling.
The Carbon is definitely a smoother
ride than I remember my old hard tail being. It sails
over minor trail clutter and responds when you want
some speed.
It is not full suspension! It
offers a great way to ease trail vibrations. Over the
big stuff you will still need to stand out of the
saddle and look after backside affairs.
I have done some of the most
technical riding available to me in Pretoria and I
have not found the bike lacking. We rode at Groenkloof
nature reserve and took all the same fun routes that
we normally would. My riding partners are still on
their full suspension bikes and I think they were
actually trying to find the nasty stuff to make me
regret my purchase. But the bike just handled
everything that they could throw at it. The steering
is incredibly fast, possibly due to the steeper head
angle. On certain sections at the reserve, there are
some nasty holes that had to be avoided and since I’m
not too hot on bunny hopping after my appendix
operation, I had to avoid these at speed. Touch the
bars and the bike moves in the chosen direction!
One of the things that worried me
the most about the switch from the RDS 9.0 to the
hard tail was the fork. The hard tail is fitted with a
Rock Shox Reba race set to the 85mm setting. Naturally
the full susser had 100mm of front travel. I thought
that I’d definitely be bottoming the shock on the ugly
stuff, but this never happened! Even when we hit
Logwood the next day, and I zoomed through the sugar
bowl I never found the fork lacking in the travel
department.
And when it comes to climbing, the
reduced travel really counts in your favour. The bike
climbs with all the speed and grace of a mountain
goat. Obviously the solid rear end contributes to the
climbing prowess, but what really amazed me is that I
never had to use the granny ring at Logwood. On the
full susser I always had to gear down to granny to
make the steep little ups but on this bike I can just
power down and shoot over the top!
Conclusion:
We have only really just met, and I
am not sure how serious we will get. But at this stage
I have very strong feeling for her…. Uh! It.
Seriously though! I’m now at the
start of my Cape Epic training and have many, many
miles ahead. The real test will be when we get to the
8 and 9 hour rides. At this stage I think that it may
be a possibility to complete the Epic on this bike,
but time will tell. I’ll be looking at the new Raleigh
Marathons when the hit the stores in November, so
have plenty of time to make up my mind.
As a marathon racer, it’s a
definite option. At the very least I have had an
answer to the question on how the pros ride all these
races on a hard tail. Well they just choose awesome
quality bikes!
This review will be updated when
I’ve spent more time on the steed, but in the
meantime, if you want a fast, light rocket that won’t
beat you up, contact your nearest Raleigh dealer.
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