Raleigh USA Bicycle Company C200

Price Paid:  $350.00 at Internet

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Raleigh C200

Bike Setup:
Stock except for seat

Summary:
First off the previous reviewer of this bike did a darn good job, my whole exper-
ience is very very similiar. I will not
ride 26 inch smooth tire bikes on my commute after several months of 700
hydrids/flatbar road bikes, I truly feel
there is a noticeable difference. I also
feel very strongly about the disc brakes,
I ride thru a lot of rain here in the NW.
I'm not as sold on alumminum frames but
I have no complaints with this one. Try
this bike (I believe its now the Passage
5.0) I think you'll like it a lot.

Strengths:
Mine is a leftover bought cheap over the
winter so the value to price paid is the
best I've ever experienced. The whole bike
is striking in appearance, draws lots of compliments and is very easy to ride, very
comfortable. If these last two things matter you won't be disappointed. Raleigh
did its homework, good job!

Weaknesses:
Hard to shift as previous reviewer
mentioned, not unbearable though. Brakes
are noisy but stop very well, I'll take
stopping power over noise any day.

Similar Products Used:
KHS, Jamis

Price Paid:  $460.00 at Bay Area Bikes in Oa

Model Year:
2005

Favorite Ride:
Santa Cruz or Any California Coastal Trail with a beach to rest during a long ride.

Bike Setup:
Raleigh C200 stock

Summary:
This review is for a 2005 Raleigh C200.
Extremely pleased with this bicycle. I have been bicycling for over 30 years and my last bicycle was a 10-speed Peugeot racer, which I had for over 16 years. I am now over 50 so my racing days are over. However, I still like a fast bicycle with some more comfort. Something likes a BMW, which is classified as both a luxury (comfort) car and a sporty (fast) car. This means skinny racing tires and fat 26-inch mountain tires are out. A good hybrid with 700 by 35 tires was my choice. My old 10 speed Peugeot had no shocks at all and was really designed for racing. Mountain bicycles with fat tires are too soft and too slow for me since I ride on pavement. Braking is important to me because all my close calls or near accidents involves insufficient braking. When I found out that this bike had Hayes HMX-2 disc brakes, it became a good candidate. The upgraded detailers and the adjustable front shocks in the front fork and the adjustable shock in the seat post sold me since this bicycle was less than $500. You can get a better bicycle with better components (such as Avid disc brakes) but you have to pay a lot more money.

Strengths:
Excellent braking power, rear derailleur is flawless and the adjustable shocks allows me to tune to my choice of comfort versus better handling. Light weight and feels solid. My next tires will probably be 700 by 28 for a bit more speed since the adjustable shocks works well. The finger shifters also work well.

Weaknesses:
Disc brakes are noiser while braking but not too annoying. Still worth the extra braking power. Front derailleur (Shimano FD-202) does not work as well as the rear derailleur (Shimano Alivio RD-M20). I noticed the front derailleur does not like to downshift under hard pedal pressure while climbing a hill. I now have to ease the pedal pressure while downshifting the front derailleur. Rear derailleur works well under all conditions. Pedals are cheap relative to the other components and needs replacement. Finger shifters looks fragile and will probably not survive a fall. Despite these weaknesses, this is still an excellent bicycle

Similar Products Used:
My first hybrid bicycle. Previous bikes were two Peugeots and KHS racing type bicycles. People who care more about comfort than speed should consider the Raleigh SC200DX with fatter tires. Ten years from now when I am over 60 and I need to replace my C200, I will probably get the SC200DX.