Urban Velo - Bicycle Culture on the Skids

Raleigh Rush Hour Flatbar

It’s been months since I first rolled out on the Raleigh’s Rush Hour Flatbar, yet people’s reaction to the bike is still the same… Last week another random driver leaned out of the window of his car to say, “Nice bike!” My friends have the same reaction, even those who’ve seen it several times can’t get over the Raleigh’s good looks. And my own first impressions stand—it’s a pretty bike that rides really nicely.

The frame is TIG welded from Reynolds 520 butted chromoly steel tubing. Although it sounds exotic, Reynolds 520 is not one of the proprietary tubesets manufactured on Shaftmore Lane in Birmingham, England. It’s 4130 chromoly steel manufactured in Taiwan to the Reynolds standard.

The straight blade fork is lugged chromoly steel, and looks every bit as sharp as the rest of the bike. Like the frame, it’s drilled for a brake and comfortably holds a 28c tire (but probably not much more). The frame and fork really take a back seat to the matching chromoly integrated handlebar and stem. The single-bolt stem is about 105 mm with a negative rise that ends up pointing just a hair above 90°. The handlebar is 500 mm wide and comes straight as an arrow—no sweep, no rise. I really didn’t want to remove the très chic one-piece handlebar/stem combo, but begrudgingly that’s exactly what I did. Every time I went for a ride I found myself wishing for a few degrees of sweep, and after a few miles my wrists were noticeably uncomfortable.

Although it might seem unthinkable, I took off the stock Brooks Swift saddle, too. It’s undoubtedly one of the selling points of the bike, I just don’t seem to break in saddles as fast as other people. And I don’t like to wear padded bike shorts on every ride, so I switched to a basic padded saddle.

Although I’ve made some changes, it’s not to say that I disagree with Raleigh’s parts spec, or that other riders should follow my example. Much to Raleigh’s credit, the parts that I left unchanged are nothing short of impressive. The Sugino crankset and Weinmann wheelset have been bombproof so far, and the Vittoria tires have yet to flat on me (knock on wood).

The 2011 model is available for $850 with a new paint job and a few minor parts changes as compared to the 2010 model reviewed here.

Check out www.raleighusa.com


	Raleigh Rush Hour Flatbar It’s been months since I first rolled out on the Raleigh’s Rush Hour Flatbar, yet people’s reaction to the bike is still the same… Last week another random driver leaned out of the window of his car to say, “Nice bike!” My friends have the same reaction, even those who’ve seen it several times can’t get over the Raleigh’s good looks. And my own first impressions stand—it’s a pretty bike that rides really nicely. The frame is TIG welded from Reynolds 520 butted chromoly steel tubing. Although it sounds exotic, Reynolds 520 is not one of the proprietary tubesets manufactured on Shaftmore Lane in Birmingham, England. It’s 4130 chromoly steel manufactured in Taiwan to the Reynolds standard. The straight blade fork is lugged chromoly steel, and looks every bit as sharp as the rest of the bike. Like the frame, it’s drilled for a brake and comfortably holds a 28c tire (but probably not much more). The frame and fork really take a back seat to the matching chromoly integrated handlebar and stem. The single-bolt stem is about 105 mm with a negative rise that ends up pointing just a hair above 90°. The handlebar is 500 mm wide and comes straight as an arrow—no sweep, no rise. I really didn’t want to remove the très chic one-piece handlebar/stem combo, but begrudgingly that’s exactly what I did. Every time I went for a ride I found myself wishing for a few degrees of sweep, and after a few miles my wrists were noticeably uncomfortable. Although it might seem unthinkable, I took off the stock Brooks Swift saddle, too. It’s undoubtedly one of the selling points of the bike, I just don’t seem to break in saddles as fast as other people. And I don’t like to wear padded bike shorts on every ride, so I switched to a basic padded saddle. Although I’ve made some changes, it’s not to say that I disagree with Raleigh’s parts spec, or that other riders should follow my example. Much to Raleigh’s credit, the parts that I left unchanged are nothing short of impressive. The Sugino crankset and Weinmann wheelset have been bombproof so far, and the Vittoria tires have yet to flat on me (knock on wood). The 2011 model is available for $850 with a new paint job and a few minor parts changes as compared to the 2010 model reviewed here. Check out www.raleighusa.com	Mission Workshop

Mission Workshop