Raleigh Bicycle Gear Review

The Raleigh about to ride in the rain on the Leelanau Trail from Suttons Bay Michigan.

In this Gear Review Blog I share three reasons I love, and why you might consider the enjoyment of, a Raleigh Hybrid Bicycle Model! There she is in the picture above. Attached to the back of our Nissan Rogue like she has been for the past several years while we have been nomads, my Raleigh Bicycle.

Raleigh bikes are an old iconic biking brand out of England, I found a super cool article on Cycling Weekly about all of their different models that you can check out HERE!

We loaded up my Raleigh and took her to Grand Island, on Lake Superior in Michigan’s UP!

When I was looking for a new bicycle I never thought I would land on Raleigh.

I had a Trek Mountain Bike for a dozen years and it worked great. However I am friends and a supporter of Bikes for All People. I knew I wanted to purchase my new bicycle from them after my Trek was stolen off a bike rack (locked up at a yoga studio of all places lol!)

As it turns out B4AP doesn’t carry Trek, but they told me they had a similar type bike that was even cheaper and about as durable as Trek…that was my introduction to Raleigh!

Fast forward five years later and my Raleigh has been through it all and around the country and Jill G has one as well. While I adore Trek still, my Raleigh Hybrid is much better for the combination of hitting longer bike paths with city cycling options as well!

Our Raleigh Bicycles parked at our campsite in Indiana Dunes National Park!

Three Reasons I love my Raleigh Hybrid Bicycle:

1. Super lightweight.
I can pick it up and carry it up and downstairs with ease. This is nice if you live in a city. It’s also nice when you are putting it on a bike rack on the back of a car or even just wheeling it around the corner to find a rack.

2. Price.
My Raleigh was $279.00. So far I have spent about $200.00 in upkeep and maintenance on new tires and tune ups. New tires are due to my constant riding and I got a rusted chain after it sat out in the SoCal Winter Rain too long because there wasn’t any room for it in our tiny apartment in Malibu!
Overall it’s been super dependable and I am hard on it.

3. Durable.
This sweet friend of mine has ridden the hills of Seattle, on the back of our Nissan Rogue across the country three times, rode to Yellow Springs from Columbus and back, and navigated rougher trails in areas like Grand Island, Ketchikan Alaska, and Michigan’s UP. It’s also done tons of road riding in Central Ohio, Malibu, Grand Junction, and Bend with ease.

Great for picking up other people’s litter!

Three Things to Consider before purchasing your next bicycle:

1. Use.
What’s your percentage of use? Road, trail, city, etc. I would recommend really dolling out some percentages to determine if a road, hybrid, or mountain bike is best for you. I trolled around the city on a mountain bike for years and it was a bit much at times!

2. Talk to your local bike shop.
Bike shops to me have some of the kindest and honest business people running and working at them that is possible in a country built on capitalism. Tell them your budget, tell them your needs, and they’ll support you no matter the model!

3. Test Ride!
Put your butt in the saddle once or twice before you buy and make sure it feels comfortable.

You can learn more about Raleigh’s Bikes by heading HERE!

Thanks for reading and make sure you check out more of our bicycling adventures with our Raleigh in Alaska HERE.

Because Adventure Feeds the Soul,
Mike R