Raleigh Bikes Rush Hour Fixed Gear City Bike

I ordered this bike 5 months ago and these are my thoughts on it so far:Price: Can't complaint about it, it was so cheap ($156) that I decided to give it a shot.Paint: Amazing paint job, I can see multiple layers beneath the glossy orange finish, which is gorgeous.Handlebars: A little to low for me, but I fixed it with two spacers.Grips: Rubber grips, I will upgrade them soon.Seat: Slightly cushioned but I would recommend upgrading it if you plan on riding for more than 1 hour. The cushion is secured to the plastic part with four stainless steel rivets.Wheels/rims: A pair of Kenda wheels, but the paint rubs off the rims as you brake.Frame: Well put together. Love the quality of the weldings.Pedals: Made out of cast aluminum, would recommend upgrading them.Brake: Front and back brakes included.Overall weight: 24.5 poundsThings to do as soon as you get it:Upgrade pedals, saddle and handlebars grip.Get a helmet.Have fun.What's included?BikePlastic chain coverThree stickersHardware (15 mm wrench and Allen wrenches)User guide

I purchased this bike for $200. At that price, I can recommend it. At the sticker price of $400, I cannot. This simply isnt a $400 bike, especially when compared to a Mercier Kilo TT Pro or other similarly situated bikes in the ~$400 range. My riding is primarily flat, city/suburban.Frame: Hi-ten steel and made in China. Arguably the lowest quality acceptable in a frame. It's somewhat heavy and not as durable as chromoly. That said, the welds are fine and the ride is smooth. For most riders this frame will do just fine, especially if you're just getting into single speed riding. The geometry is pretty aggressive, so if you're looking for an easy rider, this isn't it.Wheels/Hubs/Tires: Ok quality wheels. One pothole put the rear out of commission so I replaced it with a $100 Alexrim, which is much better. Aside from that, the wheels were more or less true and better than the "extreme deep dish" wheels you see on other cheap single speeds. The hubs are sealed Formula hubs, which are good and will last a very long time. The tires are standard Kenda fare and will suffice for a vast majority of riders.Crankset/BB/Cog: Crankset is a 130 BCD Lasko and is very meh. It's quiet and can handle what I throw at it but it's no Sugino/SRAM/Etc. The front chainring is 42 teeth. If you live around a bunch of hills that's fine but I was spinning it out going even moderate speeds. I immediately upgraded to a cheap Origin8 46 tooth for $20. The cassette (16t) and cog are cheap, in house versions that work fine. The chain is a KMC Z410, which is what I put on all my single speeds.Brakes: Tektro brakes front and back. They stop well and are easily tinkered with. I think these are the brakes you'll find on most BikesDirect bikes from 200-400 dollars and I like them just fine.Handlebars: Here's where Raleigh clearly didn't test the bike. The stock bars are drop track bars with a 31.8 diameter at the clamp, which is fine. The bars feel sturdy and offer a few different riding positions. The problem lies with the fact that the aforementioend brakes simply do not go with the bar. Even at extremely tight settings, the end of the brake handle would hit the inside of the beginning of the drop in the bars. If you have larger hands, like me, then you'll have issues. I picked up a Bontrager MTB flat bar for $15 and it solved the above issue. The brakes and clearance are now just fine and the riding position is more comfortable.Seatpost/Seat: Seatpost is fine for most riders, no issues. The saddle is stiff but gets better with more riding. The seat clamp is very easy to use to shift seat positions or change the seat entirely.Pedals: They're aluminum and they work, that's about it. I put some cheap footstraps on them without issue and it makes riding hard much easier.Etc: A nice little feature that you won't find on most single speeds in this price range is the chain tension adjuster on either side of the dropouts. These make adjusting alignment, changing chains, etc. much more simple. Kudos to Raleigh for this little touch.Ultimately, the components are a bit better than what you'd get in a $200 bike but certainly don't justify the sticker price. If you're looking to get into single speeds or just need a new bike without breaking the bank, I would recommend this for around $200. Parts are easily swapped, the bike is easily worked on, and you won't feel like an idiot if you screw something up provided you purchased this for cheap. However, if you're seriously considering this for $400 then slap yourself and go look at the Mercier Kilo TT Pro, Windsor Clockwork, Aventon Mataro, etc.

I got this for $150 as it must have been on sale. If I had paid more than $250, I would have been unsatisfied. One of the front fork dropouts must have been whacked during shipment, so I had to use a rubber mallet to get the front axle home. Chainstays seem to be off center so rear tire is off to the right side. Also had a bad rear tube that wouldn't hold air. Once together and set up as fixed gear, bike was mostly smooth. Front wheel has an assembly seam which creates a ridge on the braking surface,which is a little annoying, but they work. Brake system construction quality is mid to low end. Make sure to tighten chainring bolts, rear cog lockring, and your pedals correctly. One nice plus is that the frame has chain tensioners. This is not the normal quality to expect from Raleigh, probably just a re-branded frame from a mega-factory in China.Update after a month and 100+ miles: Replaced tires with Gatorskins due to where I'm riding. Ended up gearing up to a 46t chainring, so also had to put on a new chain. One of the chainring bolts was broken. Noticed it was better to put the chainring on the inside of the spider to obtain a straight chainline. As another reviewer stated the brake pads are terrible. Overall, I'm into the bike for $300 total and I'm riding it a lot so I'll raise the review to 4 stars with the caveat I only paid $150 initially.

I purchased this bike recently and really enjoy it! It wasn't perfect for me, but definitely worth the cost. Here are some of my thoughts:Frame- Great quality, solid construction. Loved to paint quality/asthetic. The Raleigh seal on the front is my favorite.Wheels - Sturdy, light. good quality for the price. The black coating rubs off if you use the brakes included.Brakes - Not the most responsive. would recommend upgrade if you like brakes.Handlebars - Solid! great grips. sits aggressively low.Seat - Replaced immediately. looks cool, but wasn't the most comfortable. purchased a specialized saddleGears/chain/crank- Wonderful! smooth, strong connectionOverall, I LOVE this bike. I made some purchases and upgraded based on my preferences, but this is a good buy for the price especially when you compare it to some of the other brands cashing in on the fixed gear craze.