bf_user

As the title suggests I'm hoping to get your input because I'm having a difficult time finding a urban/hybrid that I'm excited about (and can afford.) Thanks in advance for taking time to read and respond.

I rode bikes non-stop as a kid but just quit when I was about 15 and then didn't get back on until a few years ago. Now I'm in my 40's and there are a lot more options. I bought a heavily-used, entry-level road bike off Craigslist for about $75. I live in downtown Philadelphia and my riding is 100% street for fun. I ride with one or two friends, we'll ride 5 to 10 miles through city traffic to a restaurant, eat and repeat.

The craigslist bike works but I'm constantly breaking things and getting flats. I can't help myself, I'm attracted to anything that can be used as a jump. If there's a metal construction plate it's a reason to bunny-hop, not an obstacle to be avoided. The way I ride is incompatible with the bike I'm on and I need to find something that works better.

After months of indecision I spent $900 on a Raleigh Redux 3 and received it last week. I love the look of the bike, the geometry is spot on, the weight is good, it fits me well, and the ride is awesome! However, I have to return it to Raleigh because there are problems that they aren't willing to resolve.
(If people are interested I'll start a different thread to explain and to review the Redux 3.)

So now I'm looking for a bike with similar geometry, strong build, light weight, and mid-grade components but not made by Raleigh/Diamondback. Bikes that have caught my attention are the BMC - Alpenchallenge AC01 Four and the Canyon Urban 4.0. Unfortunately, the Canyon isn't available and there isn't a BMC dealer close by with one in stock to check out. I'd prefer to buy from a local bike shop if possible but it's not easy to find bikes like these around here.

What do you suggest I look at that are similar to the Redux 3. You know, flat bars, similar riding position, tough frame, no-suspension, 1x drivetrain, 27.5/650b wheels, and a steering tube angle that is fairly aggressive (like 73*) compared to MTB. I alos like the Cannondale Bad Boy 2 but can't imagine the single sided fork will hold up to my crappy riding.

This being my first post I hope I'm dropping it in the correct sub-forum; if not, please feel free to move it. Thanks.

raqball

Most LBS's wont stock the BMC flatbar. When I purchased my Alpenchallenge AC01 it was a special order from BMC USA. Took about 5 days to arrive at the LBS. This does present a problem as you can't ride it before deciding.

I absolutely love my Alpenchallenge and prefer it over the fit of my Sirrus.

The Canyon bikes look pretty sweet but as you say they are not for sale in the US, yet. Canyon is supposedly starting up US operations and sales later this year but what bike that will entail is hard to say.

canklecat

I'm curious to hear what shortcomings there were in the Redux 3. It looks like something I'd be interested in. My all around bike is an old early 1990s Univega rigid fork/frame mountain bike. Suits me pretty well for everything I encounter, but at nearly 30 lbs it's a bit heavy for bunny hopping (not that I'd do that often anyway -- I mostly avoid obstacles).

The BMC Alpenchallenge looks interesting except for that slammed stem. That's even lower than my road bike's bar.

Regarding the Cannondale's Lefty fork, it should hold up as long as the fork is built to the same specs as the Slate. Ted King won the Dirty Kanza gravel race on a Slate with Lefty fork in 2016.

aricc24

Hey welcome to the boards. I cant speak to any of the bikes you have mentioned in the OP, but I have recently purchased a trek 7.2FX which is definitely in your price range. I too live in Philly and have for several years. Ive biked there both with my new trek as well as my old Big box hybrid with 2 inch tires.

i will say the 2 inchers helped a bit with the nasty streets but if you plan your rides a little bit and know the streets you can avoid it. I will also say the Schykill river trail is much more fun on a zippier hybrid, specially when it is empty.

I looked at the trek 7.2 FX, the Escape 2, and the Cannondale Quick line. I was almost about to buy the Quick 7 but the Trek went on sale to a price I couldnt say no to and Im happy with my purchase. I think 35mm tires that come stock with both the Quick and FX are a good compromise in width

with your budget you can likely move up a little in models, get carbon fork, etc.

raqball

The stem is not slammed, they just look that way in their marketing photos.

Here is my 2017

JonathanGennick 

I'm also curious about the problems w/the Redux. On paper, it looks like a great bike.

bf_user

All great replies; thanks everyone for taking the time to give me feedback!

Reading about your bikes is great because even with the magic of the Googles I still don't find everything that's out there in this category. For perspective, I only learned of the existence of Cyclocross about a month ago. This is all new to me.

Thanks for the picture of the BMC, that's one dead sexy bike.

Any and all other suggestions are welcome and I'm still interested in hearing form folks that own the Cannondale Bad Boy 1 or 2. I was worried about the Lefty fork but after reading stuff here and elsewhere on the web I'm pretty comfortable with the idea.

bf_user

The Redux 3 is a nice bike and, as I said earlier I really like the geometry and ride. I especially like the big bike feel but with the 73* head tube angle and 650b wheels it feels quite agile. I intend to do a micro review but it'll have to wait a week or so since I'm traveling for business and won't have a ton of free time.

But to address the question of why I'm looking for something different I'll tell you that it comes down to one primary issue; Raleigh's lack of good customer service. Or, at least my personal experience with Raleigh that left me feeling dissatisfied.

My current bike cost something like $150 all-in so buying a bike for $900 was a difficult decision to make. It's not a trivial amount of money (for me). I tried to buy the bike from a local shop but ended up ordering from Amazon. The bike arrived last week and I assembled it immediately. During shipping from China to the US or from Amazon to me one of the wheel protectors had come off and become wedged sideways. Pressure on the box bent the front brake disc so it would rub the pads even with the caliper proper aligned. I spent a little extra time, marked the area that was bent and then fixed it with some careful nudging. The rear hydraulic brake felt perfect but the front had an air bubble and needed to be bled. That took a while because I don't have the brand specific syringes and fittings. But I was able to make due with tools I had in the shop.

Finally, as I was wrapping up the assembly I noticed that that the seat and seatpost provided were not the parts intended for the Redux 3, they were the parts that go with the entry level variant, the Redux 1. I shot an email to Raleigh support noting that the wrong seat and post were provided and asked how they suggest we get it straightened out. The reply I received two days later was short and to the point. They stated that they are out of stock on the better components so they shipped the lower end units. If I'm not happy with the lower quality seat and post I can ship the bike back to Amazon for a refund.

A little surprised at the reply I went to the Amazon page and double checked the images and specs. Then I went back to Raleigh's website and checked the specs. Both places still have the bike listed as coming with the lighter post and nicer saddle. I replied to Raleigh stating that I'd prefer not to return an otherwise great bike if another reasonable option could be found. I suggested a coupon that I could use at one of their retail stores. I suggested an alternate uprated saddle and seatpost from their other lines of bikes. And I said I was open to other suggestions that they might find reasonable. To which I got back essentially the same email as before.
The second email arrived while I was on my first ride with the bike and I didn't see it until later that evening.

While riding I noted that there was a constant squeak from the front hub. Probably just a bearing seal needing some dry-wax / teflon lube dropped on it. Then, a bit later as I shifted gears while hitting a pot-hole in the road the chain popped off the chainring and stuck between the ring and the outer guard. By this point I was annoyed and my riding buddy (on his cheap $150 bike) was also curious why I was having trouble with my 'expensive' bike. After putting in a few more miles the rear pads had seated nicely and were working well. However, the front pads were stuttering on the disc making an annoying, loud squeak at every stop. It was bad enough that I started using my front brakes to announce my presence when approaching drivers that might not see me. It really is as loud as a horn. We laughed about it but I was annoyed.

When I got home and read Raleigh's reply and coupled that with the disc, the chain, and the bearing I just gave up and decided to return the bike. When I get home from my trip I'll pack it up and have UPS cart it back to the Amazon warehouse. It's a shame really and overall I'm disappointed as I really like the bike and have found nothing in the price range that seems to excite me.

PayutenyoAgimas

better buy what is available in your LBS

JonathanGennick 

Thanks for sharing, and your experience is interesting because it relates to some thoughts I had recently while building a Raleigh Rowdy 20-inch bike that I recently bought as a gift. I remember thinking during the build that the bike as boxed was "bike-shop ready" and not "consumer ready". There were details to the build that would challenge or elude a non-enthusiast. For example, the hanger was misaligned slightly on the Rowdy. Bike shops insulate customers from the sort of shipping and other issues that you describe.

I'm super happy with that Rowdy though, and am looking seriously at some additional purchases. The sister-brand Diamondback has some great-looking mountain bikes on offer.

Maybe ask Raleigh again about that seat and post. See whether they'll come around.

MRT2

The Raleigh Rowdy was my son's first geared bike. Called around to all the LBS to see what they had. Pretty basic and heavy but I bought it for about $150 less than comparable bikes from Trek and Specialized. It came stock with some heavy tires which I switched out before taking deliver of the bike. Hopefully, Raleigh now ships with a lighter tire than they did 10 years ago. If memory serves, it had a single chainring and a 6 or 7 speed grip shift. IMO pretty smart choice going with the grip shift, and the single chainring for a 6 year old getting used to the concept of shifting gears.

JonathanGennick 

I actually spent a TON of time researching that purchase. I specifically wanted a bike without a suspension fork. Because who wants to saddle a kid with a brick, right? I also wanted a bike that could work on trails, but that was somewhat optimized for pavement. Weight is ok on the current-year model. No need to lighten the bike. Kid flies on it, and the tires are working out for now on our local singletrack. Good color scheme. Rigid fork. Threadless stem. (I also did not want a quill stem). Value for the money was right where I needed it to be. Agree w/you on the single chain ring. Keeps things simple for kids (and for adults too). Grip shifters are not my favorite, but the quality on them is way better than what I see from the typical, discount-store bike.

MRT2

I am glad to see they dropped the suspension fork, as it wasn't really suitable for single track and just added weight. My kid's Rowdy had a suspension fork. Was not wild about that, but in those days, it was hard to find a kid's bike without them. It turned out fine. The point was to get the kid riding as I knew he would out grow it in a couple of years. And he did. Once kids are big enough for 26" wheels, options open up quite a bit.

JonathanGennick 

I believe Raleigh made some sweeping changes to their kids line a few years back. I like their Rowdy a lot. Then at 24" they have a Redux model for older kids, and that one, oh man, I wish I had a friend with an older kid to buy one for . The Rowdy 24 is also rigid, but the Redux 24 is what I'd throw my money at.

What's interesting about kids bikes is that much of the innovation these days is coming from smaller brands like Priority, Belter, and Pello, and I'm sure I've missed a few. There are a few decent options from the bigger players, but it's the smaller brands that are out in front.

MRT2

I have no problem paying more for quality. But kids outgrow good bikes long before they wear them out. My son jumped over the 24" wheel size. They say you shouldn't buy a bike for a kid to grow into but we somehow managed to get him to make the jump from the rowdy to a small Trek 800 hardtail, no suspension. He rode that from about 5' to about 5'6".

long legged

Not sure if I am on the right forum. I am getting back into riding at the ripe old age of 68. My old bike was a Takara 27" frame, that I bought in 1980, and sold a few years ago after years of no longer riding. I am 6'5", 36" inseam, 205 lbs., with a history of back issues and a squirrelly knee. Budget-wise I would like to stay well under $1000, plan to ride mostly on uncrowded city streets and paved greenways. I am looking at a Giant Roam 2 XL at just under $600. Other suggestions? Thoughts?

MRT2

I have a friend about your height, and though he has looked around, has not been able to find a large enough stock frame for his height (at a price he is willing to pay). He tried a Domane in a 62 cm and hated it. Tried Giant Contend in 62 cm and hated that.

Bottom line. If you were comfortable with a 27" frame, you might have a hard time with a lot of the stock frames these days. You just might need to go custom as 27" translates to 68.5 cm. And most off the shelf bikes these days are 62 to at most 64 cm.

But before you order a custom frame, I would suggest is the Soma Smoothie ES. You can get that frame in a 66 cm, which is at least in the ballpark or your old 27" frame. Not as convenient as walking into your local bike shop and riding off in something, as you would have to purchase a frame and build it up from there, but still cheaper than full custom. Alternately, you might want to try the Surly Long Haul Trucker or similar Surly frames in 64 cm. I hear they run big, so you might be able to make that work.

bf_user

Sept. of last year I started this thread and bought a Raleigh Redux 3 and said I'd review it once I had some saddle time. If you read the posts above you'd think that I didn't review the bike because I returned it but, that's not the way the story ended. Without getting into the details, my brother passed away and left me with a road bike and some advice, "if you like riding the bike who cares if Raleigh customer service sucks; fix the seat and keep enjoying the bike." So, I did exactly that. I was able to stop the brake squeal with a different brand/compound pad, I upgraded to a larger front disk, swapped the seat, and tracked down the intermittent squeak to a rubber bearing seal. The last thing I did was cut down the width of the handlebars so that I can move through city traffic easier. After knocking those items off the list the bike has been great and is a joy to ride and I'm very happy that I kept it. I also bought a Cannondale Bad Boy 1 with the carbon drive and multi-speed hub.

The two bikes are similar but the Raleigh puts a bigger smile on my face. It's just a fun bike! The steering geometry is responsive (vs relaxed) but not twitchy. The tires have low rolling resistance, good grip, and are quiet. The frame and forks have just enough flex to make the ride over rough city streets an afterthought. All things considered, I am very happy with the Raleigh. If I did it again I'd buy one size smaller frame just because I've come to realize that I like riding slightly undersized bikes.

If anyone has specific questions about the Redux 3 I'll do my best to answer.

One BikeForums user sent me a PM asking for my thoughts on the Redux vs the Sirrus Sport. I tried to reply but the forum prevents new users from sending private messages. I haven't ridden the Sirrus Sport so I can't make a direct comparison but I can say that I find the Redux to be laid back IF that's the type of mood I'm in. The bike seems to be a good multi-purpose bike.