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 Before
I even received the new Marathon Team I was excited at
the prospect of the all new XTR components, the Rock
Shox Reba World Cup fork, the improved Fox RP23 rear
shock and the improved aesthetics. The
2006 RDS9
looked good with the kink in the down tube but the new
matt red and black colour scheme of the Marathon Team
more than made up for the plain straight down tube. Our
first look in the
Marathon Preview gave us a glimpse of what we
found.
The Marathon team is quite different
from the previous RDS model bikes hence the name
change to Marathon for the 2007 range of the Raleigh
rear suspension frame bikes. This range of bikes has
been designed to suit long and multi day cross country
rides. The evolution of this series has made a big
jump for 2007 with some serious refinements to the
simple single pivot design. Most of the changes have
been to increase strength while reducing weight. A
quick weigh in of the new bike shows that it is at
least ˝ kg lighter than the RDS 9 that it replaces.
The geometry of the new frames has also
been changed with the bikes generally being made more
compact. The top tubes, wheel base and chain stays
have all been shortened. So I used to ride a medium in
the RDS9 and am now riding a large in the Marathon
series. For example my medium (19.5) RDS9 has the same
top tube length as the large (20) Marathon. The BB
height has also been reduced, this has the effect of
lowering the centre of gravity and improving stability
– better cornering and better climbing.
New XTR
 The
all new XTR group set ads to the looks of this bike
and is instantly noticeable by other riders who are
quick to comment of these great looking components,
especially the new XTR rear derailleur. The new XTR
works as good as it looks if not better. The front
gear changes are a lot smoother now and the up
shifting is much lighter. The new trigger shifters
make shifting so easy that it seems difficult to image
that they could ever make it better. With 2 way
downshifting using either your fore finger or thumb it
makes it quick and easy to change down no matter how
you are holding the bars. The new disc brakes have a
much softer and lighter feel, the smaller levers make
it easy to brake with just one finger no matter how
steep the downhill.
The XTR cranks look a lot better and
will no doubt wear a lot less than the previous grey
XTR cranks. However the assembly and disassembly seems
to have been unnecessarily complicated especially when
compared to the previous really simple cranks. The
addition of a traditional crank bolt which seems like
it can work itself loose does create a bit of a worry.
Why this had to be changed from the reliable and
simple fastening method used previously is a mystery.
 Improved suspension
The feel of the bike with the
redesigned single pivot and the new RP23 shock make
the rear suspension significantly more reactive and
hence smoother. The Fox shock has been custom tuned to
match the specific suspension design of the Marathon
Team. The adjustment range of the RP 23 makes it
completely tuneable to fit the riding conditions. It
is possible to really choose the optimum propedal
setting to allow for the best traction and pedalling
characteristics for climbing and then switch it all
off for the descent with the flick of a lever. The
shock now has three propedal settings that can be
chosen depending on the type of riding or trail that
is expected. This really has to be done while
stationary unless you are really proficient at riding
one handed while fiddling with something between your
legs. Then whilst on the fly the propedal can be
turned on or off by flicking the lever. I found the
propedal 2 setting the best for a reasonable technical
up and down trail. It provided sufficient suspension
movement for traction without noticeable pedal bob
when climbing. Then on descents with the propedal off,
all the travel was available to suck up all the
bumps.
The rest
The best thing about this bike and
something that is common to most of the Raleigh bikes
is the fact that the spec levels are very high and
pitched at the right level. There is nothing on this
bike that needs to be upgraded or changed except for
the understandable personal items like the grips, seat
and pedals (it doesn’t come with pedals). Otherwise
the Reba fork is top of the range, the Carbon riser
bar is perfect, Ritchey WCS components throughout and
the DT Swiss 1540 wheel set is some of the best that
you can get. The wheel set comes with a tubeless
conversion kit that is easy to install and works well.
The ride
Compared to my previous RDS9 I have
found this bike a lot more refined and it kind of
makes my RDS 9 feel a bit clunky now. It is a case of
the sum of all the parts makes it a lot better. The
geometry improvements, slight weight drop, smother
shifting and lighter braking all translate into a
better ride. The lower centre of gravity makes the
bike feel a lot more surefooted and this definitely
translates into a much more controlled ride especially
in the corners. There is less drift going out of
corners and it seems to go exactly where you point the
front wheel despite your weight not always being in
the right place. The huge tuning ability of the RP23
makes this bike capable of being custom tuned for any
trail or race route. It is going to be perfect for the
Cape Epic. Tune it harder for the flatter stages and
softer for the really technical days. Having ridden
this bike interchangeably with my old RDS I can say
with 100% confidence that the Marathon Team is much
smoother and actually a lot more fun to ride. The
suspension is significantly more active but with the
Fox RP23 propedal technology it completely behaves
itself when the power is put on.
The Range
The rest of the Raleigh Marathon range
all has the same frame as the team edition bike.
However the equipment levels vary and there has been a
departure from the pure Shimano specs from before. If
you are a SRAM fan then the Marathon 8 will be the
one, its is really well speced and is a top quality
race machine. The best bargain in the range has to be
the Marathon 6. For around R14 000 rand you get a
LX/XT spec bike that is good to go out of the box but
can be selectively upgraded to provide a great bike.
The Raleigh backup service and quality
commitment to these bikes means that you can be
guaranteed of brilliant after sales service. Take a
look at their new website and blog by MD Brandon Els
for proof of that commitment and desire to understand
and interact with their customers better.
www.raleigh.co.za
Read the
Raleigh Marathon
Preview
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