2012 Raleigh XXIX Singlespeed Belt Drive 29er – Unboxed, Weighed & First Impressions

$1200 for a rigid, ss, generic steel frame with bargain bin parts on it? wow.

i spent under $1000 for my 29er race rig and it has front suspension and gears plus it weighs 21.19 lbs

@Salad Toss
nice! was that through a LBS at MSRP?
I’ve seen the 2011 model in stores for ~850. Not bad for a belt.

I’m sad that they didn’t put the center track belt drive on these though. The tech is better and the chainrings look way cooler.

Also suprised they did not put the center track system.
Make sure your belt is properly tentioned and handled properly before and after installation.
Chainline (beltline) is also extremely critical, take the time to set it up properly, I wonder how the split shell frame will maintain the proper tention

What does this mean? eh? “suspension corrected rigid fork and geometry.” …???? A rigid fork that corrects forthe lack of suspension?

I have the 2009 and the 2011. The 2009 (chain drive) is a much better design. the two models look very similar but there are a few differences. When raleigh added the belt the geometry changed a bit. The belt drive requires that the rider uses a larger chain ring because the belt can only turn so sharp. Because of this they had to extend the chainstays to compensate for the larger chain ring. I prefer a shorter rear end for two reasons (1) less flex (2) easier to manual. Also on the seatstays they added that split to allow the belt to slip though; this is a weak point in the frame an causes a lot of flex. So the combination of the longer stays and the split makes the rear end very flexy and makes the belt shift when riding. I believe this is why they added that guard on the cog for 2012. As far as the price, the belt system is relatively new so it is going to be expensive. i think the bike was a fair price but i would have liked to have seen the newest belt drive (center locking). The belt also has to be run under extreme tension otherwise it will slip. If you slip the belt you compromise the carbon and IT WILL BREAK (I broke on in a race). At the cost of all this tension you will go through freehub bodies about every 6 months unless you upgrade the wheels to a high end set up. The belt is a cool idea and is fun for your average rider but for strong single speed riders that want performance no matter what, you just cant beet a chain. It weighs a bit more and won’t last as long, but chains are cheap, tried and proven, and you can get them at any lbs.

As far as the weight goes, its all in the fork and tires. change those two things right off the bat and you will drop 3 lbs easy. Put a carbon rigid fork on there and some lite xc tires and you are good to go.

Go single speed and WHO DAT!!!

@what???: yeah, that’s pretty much what it means. It’s built taller than otherwise necessary so that if you do choose to put a suspension fork on it won’t adversely affect the handling. It’s been a common practice to do this since, well, since single speeds became mainstream (late 90’s).

For less money you can get the Cannondale SS. I only bring this up because that fork scares me to death! The rigid FATTY fork on the CDale is a much better product overall. The brakes are the downfall of the CDale but I’d have money in my pocket to upgrade those!

I say kudos to Raleigh for making some damn fun bikes these last three years or so. I’m a dealer of their brand and have to give them props on putting out bikes that people feel like they have a connection with before they even swing a leg over. It’s great to see a company with a mixture of quality product that’s not so cut and dry. Keep up the good work Raleigh!