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Well,
it seems there is a lot of demand for this, so here it
is…
 I
have just completed the
Cape
Epic
on my
Raleigh
, and for those of you out there who are still saying
‘But it’s a
Raleigh
…’ with that rather sour look on your face, take
note: this is
South Africa
’s best kept MTB Secret!!!
Also
Note: this bike was raced to victory in the Mixed
Category of the Epic. I am dying to track Nic White
down to hear what he thinks of it!
Let’s
start with the spec.
I
have the standard spec as seen on the website. The
bike came with a Woodman carbon fiber seat post this
is not stated on the website, they have it listed as a
Ritchey WCS seat post.
I am
not going through the spec, go to the site and check
it out!
What
I changed from standard spec.
- I
bought a Thompson Elite seat post just before the
epic, only because I don’t think an 86 kg rider
should be riding carbon fiber.
- Wheels
– I did not take the Mavic CrossMax SL wheels as
I was advised that they are not suitable for
riders over 80kgs. I have Mavic 717 Disc Rims on
XTR hubs with good ‘ol Stans taking care of
punctures (Not one for the whole
Cape
Epic!)
- I
put on Nokon gear cables, this is a worthwhile
investment, as I had a trouble free epic with
these cables and they are still 100% now!
General Handling.
I have set up the bike’s rear shock rather
conservatively, what I mean is, that I have only
dialed in a small amount of sag, which ultimately
means that I am not using all the travel on the rear.
But, having come from a hard tail, it still feels
awesome to me. There is no bob from the rear shock.
The bike is fitted with a Fox RP3 Shock and this
really works well. For those of you that don’t know,
the RP3 has 3 settings;
- Full
Pro-Pedal, this eliminates all pedal induced bob.
I use this setting most of the time as the shock
still smoothes out bumps and the pedaling is
efficient
- Medium
Pro-Pedal, this makes the shock a little more
active but still eliminates most pedal induced
bob. I started using this setting at the epic,
especially on the really rocky climbs. I found it
easier to climb if the shock was a bit more
active!
- Plush,
this setting switches off the Pro-Pedal. I use
this only for technical downhills.
I
like the fact that I am in control of the suspension,
I get no surprises from it! I know some bikes think
they can do this for you, but it is not very brainy!!
The
bike handles like a dream. The fork is so plush that
you sometimes wonder if you are actually off road.
Also it tracks perfectly. I have had no wash outs or
the like!
The
shifting from the XTR shifters is perfect. Sometimes,
a little too perfect. Coming from XT dual control, I
often found myself double shifting, but I am used to
it now. The only slight hitches that I have had in the
shifting department, is when the suspension is very
active, the down shift is sometimes not smooth, but
this only lasts about a second, then everything is
back to normal.
The
XTR chain rings appear to last longer than my XT ones
used to, I am on my second Chain, without a chaining change, so that is already better than XT.
This
bike is super fast! I think that this has a lot to do
with the fact that the wheel set is actually incredibly
light. But acceleration is rapid and I find myself
riding the big chain ring a lot more than before.
What
I really like about this bike is that the suspension
is so simple! There is only one pivot point, and thus
far I have had no problems. It is still as stiff and
stiction free as the day I got the bike. I believe
that the secret is in the shock, this enables this
rather simple suspension design to shine! I was always
reluctant to move from a hard tail, as I was scared of
maintaining today’s complicated suspensions with all
the bushings and bearings, this bike eliminates that
worry for me, and that is great!
If
you are looking at a suspension bike to buy, check out
the
Raleigh
, and speak to Fritz Pienaar Cycles, their service is
top notch, as I have said before. I think in time
people will be saying, ‘It is a
Raleigh
!!’ with envy and pride in their eyes!
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