Raleigh Criterium

£500 › Can the UK household name still hold its own?

Raleigh is at a price disadvantage compared to the other bikes here as it’s the only brand selling into normal shops rather than its own high street or online outlets. The unavoidable extra margin has been offset in the best way it can, by concentrating on providing the best frame possible, rather than going toe to toe on kit cost.

The good news starts up front, with the larger bottom bearings of the tapered head-tube and fork adding steering and tracking stiffness. The cola bottle-shaped head-tube is broadest at the top just where it meets the diamond-shaped top-tube, continuing that steering stiffness into the mainframe. The triangular to diamond cross section down-tube is stout and the base of the seat-tube is oversized for pedalling stiffness.