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Thanks @Aroogah. We've got transport.
Claira's car has been packed full of Btwin's with flat tires and step through Raleigh's with suicide levers for weeks now. All donated by locals in a terrible state then restored and serviced by Claira for health and social workers who need to be mobile in the community. Hoping to find her something a bit fancier to help karma along.
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Having said that. This is pretty fancy, although far too small...
https://bit.ly/30IuyMg...so open to suggestions.
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This one is very nice.
21" is just over 55cm
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I’ve always liked it, but you don’t see many about.
Not sure you’ll find a second hand one anytime soon. -
What underwhelmed you?
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Build and paint quality are decent, but not amazing considering it is quite an expensive frame. You've got lots of clearance at the front, but at the rear it's limited by the very low position of the brake bridge. I remember a lot of fiddling with the rear wheel (it has horizontal dropouts, which are a pain here) and the mudguards. So you end up very long chainstays but 30mm tyres... the disc version with sliders would solve a lot of these niggles IMO.
The handling can be a little twitchy at the front, although will probably be spot on with a rack and a little weight. Mixte geo is a bit funny, with the saddle literally all the way down and sweptback bars you can fit a very small rider, but with a decent saddle extension and drops a much taller rider would need the same frame.tl:dr buy a first gen cheap or better still get a disc version.
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I never got round to buying one, but really wanted one. In the end I would recommend the charge hob 3spd to my female friends, adaptable (mudguard and rack mounts) and I always assumed you could get a decent sized tire on them 28-32s but haven’t tried on the missus’.
Also able to find fairly cheap.Like this example
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174336937775 -
Oh nice. I didn't know Charge made one too.
@Lolo, thanks for the extensive review. They are super expensive for what they are I think. I was hoping they had a lot of versatility, like a Surly or something.
I'm coming round to the idea of putting the cash towards a powder coat and a new headset for a Raleigh instead.
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@Lolo Just saw this on eBay...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174414966946It's too small for Claira, but I noticed the description said it would fit 650 or 700 wheels. Could it be that to get the frame clearance for a fatter tire, longer reach brakes and a 650 wheel was required?
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Sorry I did not see your previous post. That Muddy Fox looks like a great base, Paselas, Berthoud, some Nitto handlebars maybe and it'll look amazing.
Also #savethetriple.
Aroogah
cornelius_blackfoot
Lolo
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About
Soma Buena Vista for London's Famous London's Claira
Posted by
@Psy
Claira hasn't been sailng through the pandemic with a cosy furlough. But she's managed to donate a lot of her time and money to trying to make London a better place to cycle for those that most need it.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCySQixlkn1/?igshid=1misvzk2dn0ws
She's taken a shine to a donated Raleigh mixte she built up for a social worker. So much so, she found a different bike for the social worker to keep the Raleigh for an extra week.
I think a key worker deserves the Raleigh, and she deserves something a bit better. Soma make (or made) a mixte, the Buena Vista.
I don't have the cash to buy a new one right now (is they do still make it). Has anyone got (or got a lead on) a used one? She's a 55cm.