What I got for my money

I had looked at the Raleigh Team Sprint before during my November pondering about whether to buy cash or buy on the cycle to work scheme the respective budgets being Under £500 or around £1000.
I had ruled it out and decided that the best I could do under £500 was a Decathalon B'Twin Triban 5
 with its nice carbon forks and carbon rear seat stays.

This bike got good reviews and at the time seemed to me the one to go for. On the other hand I really liked/wanted a Moda Rubato a beautifully finished bike built around a very light set of wheels the whole thing weighing in at only 8.59kg

In reality it was one of the few £1000 bikes that came in well under the magic 10kg mark.
So when initially looking at the Raleigh what had impressed me was the styling, quality of finish and price which at that time it was retailing at around £300 and still is in most shops.
The rrp is a hopeful £400 but only the big names seem to stick to the rrp. Raleigh obviously was once a big name and is trying to make a come back under new ownership with a race team and some expensive bikes in thier line up however what put me off the Team Sprint was the 12kg weight and the white wheels which even in the shop had big black rubber marks where the brakes make contact with the test bikes wheels.One of the few mentions I could find of the bike on line expressed concern about the braking ability of the bike in the wet with the contact area for the brakes painted.Any way here is the spec and the sales blurb courtesy of Evans Cycles

The Raleigh Team Sprint 2011 Road Bike brings back a great Raleigh name, the ideal introduction to riding with STI gears. With it's stunning look you will be the envy of your friends. This Bike runs on 28mm tyres and with mountings to allow fitting of carrier and mudguards this makes it suitable for anything from commuting to light touring.

Frame:

AL6061 Aluminium Race Style

Fork:

Steel Unicrown Racing Fork

Front Derailleur:

Shimano 2300

Rear Derailleur:

Shimano 2300

Number of Gears:

16

Shifters:

Shimano 2300

Chainset:

Miranda

Chainrings:

50/34 tooth

Cassette:

12/25 tooth

Pedals:

Toe Straps

Front Brake:

Alloy Calliper

Rear Brake:

Alloy Calliper

Brake Levers:

Alloy

Handlebars:

Alloy Drop Bar

Stem:

Alloy Ahead Stem

Rims:

Deep Section Alloy Rims

Front Hub:

Quick Release Front Hub

Rear Hub:

Quick Release

Front Tyre:

28mm

Rear Tyre:

28mm

Saddle:

Raleigh Road Saddle

Weight:

Approx. 12kg

I wasn't looking to be "The envy of my friends" but the basic Shimano group set and mostly no name components are standard at this price point it  takes you to spend £500 or so to get into Shimano Sora and even then its not the full group set. The 28mm tyres showed some thoughts towards comfort and the ability to fit mudguards might be a benefit in the future should I take to road cycling and it becomes my daily commuter.I knew if I liked the bike and used it regularly I would be changing the components as a matter of course in the years to come as wear, tear and the ravages of the British roads took its toll.

My current daily commuter the Muddy Fox  is like Triggers brush off only fools and horses,  the only parts that remain of the original bike are the frame, stem, handle bars and cranks with most of the other parts having been replaced 3 times. 

There is however no getting away form the12kg weight of the Raleigh although I did smile to myself when I dismantled it to put it in the car, the frame its self is quite light with alot of the weight  being in the wheels. This shows good potential for future upgrade as I had found out while looking at the Moda Rubato you can get some very light wheels.All I need now is for Chain Reaction to flood again so they can have another mega sale.

Now it was time for my first ride on Miranda.......... That's the name I've given the bike, after one of the nicest brand named components on the bike, the Miranda Crank Set not the clumsy but very funny cyclist and comedienne Miranda hart.