pennpaul

I'm getting back into cycling after a long hiatus and I am really excited about what I'm seeing with gravel bikes. It really fits into how I've always ridden but only with an old road bike or MTB.

Anyway, I've owned a Raleigh bike in one form or another for 30 years now and I am leaning towards the Willard. What's a big departure for me, is that a lot of these bikes come with only a single front chainring. I think I will want to have a double chainring because that's what I'm used to, and my body will probably really appreciate a smaller front ring for hills.

So has anyone specifically added another chainring to a 2017 Raleigh Willard? Does the Willard have a routing path for the extra front derailler cable? Is there even a front shifter on the bars or is it just a brake lever? I have a bike with Ultegra shifters. Could I move the front shifter and front derailler to the Willard?

Thanks,
Paul

Maverick 13330

The 1X or 38/42(lowest) gearing is already enough to handle climbs of gravel grinding. I dont see any reason for you to add anymore chainring for the willard.
If you're problem that a 38t would slow you down, just putting a bigger ring is the better mods that you can do. You dont need to do something in your cockpit. You'll just ruin your bike.

Spoonrobot 

No, it's not set-up to easily go back to 2x. No. It's just a brake lever. Maybe, what kind of mount is the front derailleur? Course you also need to figure out how to route the housing/cable and potential chainline issues.

I think you probably either want to fully embrace 1x or find a bike that's stocked as 2x. Worthwhile to go test-ride a 1x bike, there's a bunch out there now.

mstateglfr 

https://www.raleighusa.com/willard-6834

Just get this one- the Willard 1. $693 total shipped to you- Sora 2x9 drivetrain, TRP Spyre dual brakes and anti-shock bits in the cockpit.


With that said- the Willard 2 has an overall easier climbing ratio as its a 38t ring with a 42 cassette cog. Thats compared to the 2 ring Willard 1 that is a 34t ring with a 32t cassette cog.


As mentioned though- either you are all in for 1x or you should probably look elsewhere for 2x.

syncro87

Just get the Willard One. The One is 2x9, the Two is 1x11. Same brakes, frame, tires, wheels, etc, if I'm not mistaken. The bike you want already exists.

pennpaul

Thanks for the replies. I've decided to go another direction. After some compare/contrast, I'm seriously looking at one of the Diamondback Haanjos. I really like the specs on the EXP Carbon but I think those barend shifters would bother me after having used STI shifters for road and trigger shifters for MTB for so long. So it's either the EXP or the Trail now, but I really want to like the EXP.

First world problems.

Thanks,
Paul

danmyersmn

Either way you go. Diamondback or Raleigh you can order from the corporate site for a significant discount. I don't recall the code but searching the forum here should turn it up.

pennpaul

Thank you, yes, I am glad I found out about those codes here. Otherwise I wouldn't even be entertaining getting either of these bikes. The Raleigh discount is a lot better. One code is CYCLE4PERK and the other is CYCLE4TAW

syncro87

FYI, on the Raleigh site you can often stack a 5% off code on top of your partner program deal. I left something in my cart overnight and Raleigh sent me a reminder with the additional code to sweeten the deal. Ended up getting somewhere around 45% off list in the end. The code was save5 or something like that if I remember correctly.

pennpaul

Brilliant! Thank you! I suspected this was the case, but could not find an additional code until now.

BTW, it's apparent to me that Diamondback and Raleigh are pretty much the same company and use the same website. The SAVE5 code works on the DB site, too. Woohoo! (I also tried SAVE6, SAVE7, etc which did not work).

OK, I pulled the trigger on the Haanjo Trail. Not as inexpensive as the Willard but I like the component set better on the Trail.

I also have an account on EBATES which has a link to the Diamondback website. I'll get an additional 2% cash back check from EBATES plus whatever cashback from paying with my Costco card.