Last June I bought a Raleigh Oakland, a low cost steel frame hybrid bike. The Oakland is not light, weighing in at 15.5 kg, but it’s a rugged, stable and comfortable machine to ride. It has 700c x 28 wheels, 18 speed shimano gears, mudguards, chain guard, and rear carrier. It has a upright riding position, and a comfortable saddle. The wide gear range makes it a good bike for hilly country.
In three months I’ve done over 3000 km on it, including a 500 km tour in the West of Ireland. I have ridden it at speeds of up to 53 kph over rough Irish back roads. I have carried up to 15kg of cargo on it. In all cases it handeled well.
On the first day of my tour with 15 kg of gear (and me at 70 kg) aboard, three back spokes broke. A new wheel cost 35 euro and after shedding 5 kg of gear I completed the tour with no further problem. Next year I will try touring again with 15kg of cargo.
The bike has not been serviced other than the wheel change, the front deralier cable was tightened, the back brake blocks replaced, and a drop of lub on the chain and after 3000 km it is still running well. It is now due a full service.
This bike is amazing value for money being available online for as little as 230 euro.
So how do you sell a bike this cheap, by compromising on the chainwheels, which are poor. I have been very careful while changing gear and after 3000 km the chainwheels still have lots of service left in them. When they wear out I will replace them with quality components.
After 3000 km I love this bike. You could spend a lot more on a hybrid bike but I doubt you will beat the Oakland on value for money. There is a great Russian saying, the perfect is the enemy of the good enough, this to me sums up the Oakland.
Oakland Reviewed Part 2
Oakland Reviewed Part 3
Oakland Reviewed Part 4
Oakland Reviewed Part 5
Oakland Reviewed Part 6
Got mine from Clarkes of Cavan, ask for Stephen or Martin
Specs
Frame Size: 19 inch and 22 inch
Wheel size: 700c x 28
Gender: Unisex Adult
Material: Chromoly Steel
Gearset: Shimano 18speed with Revoshifters
Brakeset: Powerful alloy V Brakes
Wheelset: Alloy rims running on 700c x 28c trekking tyres
Controls: Alloy adjustable stem with riser style handlebar
Finishing kit: Comfort spring type saddle
Frame: Raleigh steel trekking frame
Forks: Rigid steel unicrown
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| My Oakland on the Great Western Greenway, Co Mayo August 2011 |
Hello there,
ReplyDeleteI came across your blog while searching for info about the Raleigh Oakland. Looks to be a great bike - thanks for all the info. I was a member of a cycling club as a teenager, covering approx. 5,000 miles aged 12-14. A near miss in Wicklow brought my cycling career to an abrupt end, but now, fifteen odd years later, I'm looking to get back on the saddle. As you've mentioned, with the rising cost of motoring (and the lowering cost of me - according to my boss(!)) - I'm hoping to cut out the short car journies to the shops/gym/pub etc.
The Oakland seems to be the bicycle equivalent of my Volvo - hopefully I'll be able to pick one up!
Great reading your blog and look forward to the next updates!
J Fan
I've now put just over 7000 km on my Oakland and she is running well. For those local trips it's my transport of choice. My local town is 2 miles away and I never bring the car any more. It's always the Oakland.
ReplyDeleteIt is a cheap bike and will not stand up to serious abuse, change gear with care, keep it well maintained and never leave it out in the rain, and if your Oakland is anything like mine you will come to love it. A great machine for the money.
The only fault I have not mentioned in the three reviews is that both wheels were slightly out of true. But the front wheel has done over 7000 km in this condition. I have a truing stand on order from Chain Reaction Cycles and intend to true the front wheel when it arrives.
If you buy in your local bike shop, check the wheels before you buy and get the bike shop to true them before you pay over the cash.
On a final note, after 7000 km I can feel a slight shudder in the steering when I break hard, which suggests that the headset needs some attention.
I bought mine three years ago as a cheap runabout.It has a heavy lackluster performance and I soon had to replace the rear wheel,but you get what you pay for.Since then it has been pretty reliable and I have ridden many miles on it. One thing I would suggest is replacing the luggage rack as mine weighed an incredible 1.3KG.
ReplyDeleteArden as you say you get what you pay for, this is not a high end sporty machine. Like you I had to replace the rear wheel. But right now I'm getting close to having done 14000 km on my Oakland and it's still running very well, with most of the original components still working fine.
ReplyDelete1.3 kg is a serious weight for a luggage rack alright.