Raleigh Clubman

"I can't find reviews for this bike anywhere! The Clubman looked so good I had to ride it. I fell in love with the classic Raleigh style. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was smooth, responsive, and quick. Forget anything you heard about steel being sluggish. It took off like NASA strapped rockets to it, and was smooth as silk climbing a moderate hill. People, if you have ridden this, write a review! To sum it up, it looks as good as it rides. This was Christmas on two wheels."

"Excellent bike. It is very responsive and the chromally frame is very comfortable yet not too flexible. Light enough to turn some good times yet durable enough for touring. Love the Brooks saddle. As good as some of the Italian bikes I owned in the '70's."

"I chose the Clubman (over the Casseroll and Surlys) as a do-it-all bike for commuting, grocery hauling, and light touring. I love the smooth steel ride, comfortable geometry, confident handling with a load, and easy climbing thanks to the compact crankset. The integrated shifters are much more convenient than the bar end shifters on competing bikes. It is lightweight and responsive for its class, though heavier and somewhat more deliberate than a racing bike and lacking a true touring bike's front rack eyelets. There are some compromises here, but they're the right ones for me. The classic styling is a nice bonus.



One area in need of improvement:

I think horizontal dropouts are fine except when combined with quick release skewers, as they are here - the cam must be tightened more than usual to prevent dislodging the rear wheel under torque."

"When I moved to the East coast I wanted a road bike that could pretty much do what ever I asked of it. Commuting, buying groceries, light touring, riding, and training. I spent a lot of time searching for a frame strong enough to be loaded down with panniers and still be quick and responsive without them. This bike has yet to let me down in the two years I have owned it. Not as zippy as an aluminum or carbon frame, but also the steel dampens a lot of impact from bumps in the road making for a smooth ride. The bike rides as good as it looks, and I get compliments on this bike every time I take it out. It's really a gem of a bike."

"Smooth ride, fast, pretty light at around 24 lbs, comes with a Brooks swift chrome :), nice aesthetics, comfortable geometry for riding greater distances. My only complaint and it's not really a complaint but a matter of preference is I do not like the clips and pedals that came with it. Other than that it such a joy to ride."

"Don't get this if you want a serious touring bike like the Surly Long Haul Trucker or the Novara Randonee.



Do get this if you want a road bike that can double as a light touring and commuter bike.



There's realy not much wrong with this bike. It's fast, responsive. The Tiagra gearing shifts more smoothly than my slightly lower end Specialized Allez. The geometry is comfortable over a long ride. My topeak explorer rack mounted easily and I regularly carry 20 or 30 pounds in rear panniers. I ride (unloaded) through very steep hills in the Watchung Mountains in New Jersey and the lower gears handle the inclines well.



Cons?



It's a bit light for a touring bike and a bit heavy for a road bike. The handlebars make it a bit difficult to mount lights and handlebar bags. The tape is nice but the plugs for the handlebars fall off and get lost easily. If you want to ride heavily loaded on steep hills the lower gears (the bike is a double) might not be enough for you."