I'm actually writing this review for my wife, who owns and rides the bike. I do all maintenance on it, so I'm familiar with that part of it. She doesn't ride a lot and prefers flat riding without hills, so has been pretty easy on the bike. She likes the way it rides and handles and has had no problems with the shifting. I made one cable adjustment after it was purchased and it has stayed put ever since. I attribute part of the easy shifting to the Amsoil Heavy Duty Metal Protector chain lube that I use on it. The brakes are also good and have needed only one adjustment. The metal parts have held up well and no rust has formed. The bike is always kept inside and has never been ridden in the rain. It does get subjected to the wet chat that is on the Katy Trail after a rain, but we always wash it off after riding in those conditions. Her bike has the rigid fork and suspension seatpost. We did change the original seat, the one on it was very uncomfortable for her. All in all, it's been a good ride for her and one I would recommend. It's also a great value for the money, as are most Raleigh bikes.
Strengths: Light aluminum frame, decent 27" wheels, suspension, can put some good miles on in comfort. Rider ergos fairly adjustable. Pops a wheelie in first three gears.
Weaknesses: Gear selection difficult at best, brakes spongy and tend to rub, kickstand bent easily, Twitchy steering I store the bike inside religiously, keep it clean, and the bars and other steel are allready rusty. I had a Huffy that worked & held up better.
Bottom Line:
I bought what seemed like an ideal bike, but familiarity breeds contempt. I went to my favorite LBS, having spent some time on hybrids and decided they fit my riding style well. The C40 seemed great, Aluminum frame, Shimano 21 speed, sprung forks and seat post.
The bad part, the rotary gear shifters have detents that don't agree with the deraileurs, so getting all 3 sprockets to engage on the front requires cable adjustments WHILE RIDING! Adjust it to engage low and it won't go to three, & vice versa, and it tends to grind against the chain. The steering geometry is all wrong too. The brakes are spongy, require too much effort, and being crosspull alway rub on one side of the rim. This bike Won't go straight, the contact patch is almost directly under the headset, so move the bar a millimeter and you swerve a foot. Seems to me like they used frame geometry from a raked fork bike with nearly straight telescopics. Personally I think they could have made a much better bike for the money.
Similar Products Used: Bianchi Classica road bike, a few day rental hybrids, some cheap mountain bikes.
Bike Setup: Hybrid, upright riding position, flat bars, narrow high pressure tires (low rolling resistance) Good for someone who likes mountain bike riding positiion without the bulk.
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