BUYER'S GUIDE GLAMOUR

BICYCLING - April 2008

{CLICK IMAGES/ARTICLES TO ENLARGE/READ}

MOJAVE 5.0 made the Mtn. Recreational slot and was deemed "MORE HARDTAIL FOR YOUR MONEY" - click on the image to read the rest.

RUSH HOUR grabs a spot in the Alternative Track category - "...this bike feel[s] at home cutting through packs of riders on a track....But...equally suited to weaving through downtown gridlock..."

{click review to read}

Our Sojourn landed in the Road Touring category and is "READY FOR ANYTHING"

{click review to read}

"In every instance, the Competition showed the same smooth, true manners as super-premium test bikes I have ridden." -A.C. (Bicycling test editor)

VIDEO-VIDEO-VIDEO
CLICK HERE TO WATCH VIDEO!

ROAD BIKE ACTION-May/June 2008

{click review to read}

Our Raleigh Prestige ridden, reviewed, photographed, and written about...click the images to read about why Road Bike Action thinks "The Raleigh Prestige is fast."

{click review to read}

VeloNews - Buyer's Guide April 2008

{click review to read}

The Raleigh Grand Prix hit VeloNews' "ENTRY LEVEL" slot and I must say it looks pretty sharp sitting there in 3/4 view!

MOUNTAIN BIKE - April 2008

{click review to read}

Mojave 8.0 graces the Mountain Bike Buyer's guide - "Efficient climber; able descender"

ROAD Magazine - Special Edition Tour of California 2008

{images carey}

Time: 5am
Bikes: Team Frame, Prestige, & Competition
Location: Hurricane Ridge Olympic National Park

{CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE}

{one of the coolest pictures taken thus far}

{Brian track standing with the moon}

{Kyle & Paul taken a break in the sun}

{Brian taken a break and entertaining us - I think my stomach developed a nice little six pack due to hysterical laughing fits that were instigated by Brian}

{I brought my bike to play on, but it ended up just getting photographed}

Enjoy!

A VISUAL PLAY WITH CARBON

GEAR OF THE YEAR, BikeTown, COASTING, & EDITORS CHOICE

1} Outside Magazine's Buyer’s Guide is out and our Supercourse got the "KILLER VALUE" stamp. "A race-ready bargain. Raleigh reclaims some of its Tour de France-winning heritage with its new line of full carbon, race-specific frames."








2} Raleigh, along with Shimano and Trek, is participating in Bicycling's BikeTown project. Our target city is Minneapolis, MN, where 50 of our Coasting bikes will be presented to 50 individuals. "Five years ago, BikeTown began with an editorial experiment. What would happen if we gave some people a new bike? Would they ride it? Would it make a difference in their lives?"

3} The folks at Alternative Medicine Magazine have been rolling around on our Coasting bike for the last month. They found it to be so efficient and fun that they included it in there list of how to be "more green this spring." We should also see a letter in the next issue of Alternative from the editor paying homage to our Coasting bike.







4} Bicycling's Editor's Choice Award's issue is out and the Competition looks pretty sharp in juxtaposition to the "thumbs up" icon.

THUMBS UP!

Whew! It has been a pretty busy couple of weeks. First the Raleigh crew was part of the Brad Lewis Memorial Criterium the weekend of April 7th and 8th, and then we were right off to the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey, California, on the 11th for five days of wind, cold, rain, and bicycle racing!

The Sea Otter Classic has become more than just a bicycle race; it is a real gathering of bicycle racers and enthusiasts along with the bicycle industry and press. Bicycling magazine, in addition to being a major sponsor of the Sea Otter Classic, uses the event to host its Editor’s Choice Awards and VIP Barbeque. Raleigh has been honored to have bicycles nominated in several categories each of the last three years, but we have always gone home with out a “blue square” – that’s industry slang for the Editor’s Choice Award (see the photo to understand why). This year the 2007 Raleigh Competition was nominated in the Recreational Road Bike category, and WE WON! It is a great honor and thrill to have the technical staff from Bicycling recognize the Competition as a category leader, and from everyone here at Raleigh to all the hard-working members of the Bicycling team – thanks!

The 2007 Raleigh Competition features the totally redesigned Raleigh A.C.E. (Advanced Carbon Engineering) Evolution frame with our proprietary Direct Connect Carbon Technology, combined with our race-proven geometry. Direct Connect Carbon Technology is an assembly process that eliminates the need for lugs, overlapping joints, or expensive fixed molds. By using precisely mitered multi-shaped tubes, joined directly to each other, our design and engineering team is able to add material only where it is most needed, minimizing voids and creating a very light (57cm frame weighs less than 1 kilo), exceptionally strong frame. The Raleigh A.C.E. Evolution frame is also available on the 2007 Raleigh Supercourse and Prestige model bicycles, and as a Team frame and fork.

While every member of the Raleigh team deserves credit for this award, special congratulations should go to Kyle Casteel for a great frame design and product spec, Dorik Downing for the beautiful color and graphics, and finally Toby Webster and Carey Schleicher-Haselhorst for their great work with Bicycling.

For a little more on this year’s Sea Otter event and our adventures down in “sunny” California – take a look at our sister blog www.diamondbackbicycles.blogspot.com.

technology

DIRECT CONNECT TECHNOLOGY
By using the most advance technologies available in carbon design, our product development group and engineers have created a frame that is feather light. Weighing in at 1 kilo (960g for a 57cm) – our 2007 road frame wears a unique stiffness:weight ratio making this frame the lightest and most durable frame Raleigh as ever made.


SO WHAT IS THE PROCESS?
{1} Each tube starts as sheets of High Modulus carbon fiber that are laid-up for specific tube shape and function requirements. Creating our Advanced Carbon Engineering Evolution Tube sets. {2} After a carefully controlled cooling process the tubes are miter cut to very specific lengths for assembly into a frame. {3} Each tube is bonded to another tube while being held in place in a frame jig ensuring exact alignment. {4} The joints are then over-wrapped with a series of high Modulus carbon fiber strips to reinforce the joint. Then the entire frame (still mounted in the frame jig to ensure exact alignment) compresses each joint using proprietary methodology and tooling. Then is re-heated so the resin of the wrapping strips bonds with the tubes creating a very strong and sculpted joint.

THE ADVANTAGES
We are able to produce a frame that eliminates the use of lugs and overlapping joints, which reduces weight significantly. Another advantage to constructing frames with the Direct Connect Technology is the ability to individually give each tube their own specific carbon lay-up (known as our A.C.E. Evolution {scroll down to see this story}). Lastly, this technology gives us flexibility in engineering geometry that is race-ready.

2007 BICYCLES UTILIZING THE DIRECT CONNECT/A.C.E. EVOLUTION FRAME:
Team Frame/set
Prestige
Competition
Supercourse
Cadent Carbon


A.C.E (Advanced Carbon Engineering) EVOLUTION
A.C.E Evolution is the designation used to describe our High Modulus Carbon that is used to create the carbon tubes used in the Direct Connect Carbon frames. It is made up of Uni-Directional carbon layers that are specifically laid up to create a unique profile for each carbon tube.

The Evolution of A.C.E reduces the weight of carbon without sacrificing the strength or stiffness. We have eliminated the cosmetic/aesthetic weave finish to further shave grams and designed the tubing to compliment our Direct Connect process. The result – a frame that is so intelligent it will respond without hesitation to your every move.

Enjoy the Ride!