Which one of these bicycles is the best ?

Question

I want to buy a road bike but I don`t know which one is the best : Raleigh , Barracuda , Viking or Dawes ? According to my budget I can buy the models at price of about 200-250 pounds so in this range which brand is the best ?

Answer 1

I have a raleigh and it has been good but Dawes .depends what you need it for .

Answer 2

Raleigh.

I've never had a problem with them and my oldest Raleigh is from 1955 and although it's seen a lot of use, looks its age and is far from fashionable, it still works very, very well.

Answer 3

Raleigh

Answer 4

Forget Barracuda, nasty thing.  Viking are not much better.  This leaves you with Raleigh and Dawes.  Raleigh do a good range of cheap entry level machines.  It's what they do and are reasonable quality for the price.  Dawes are a good manufacturer and the quality is generally good.  I would also consider Claude Butler.

However, it really depends upon what you want to do with the bike.  As a general rule, do not buy a full susser at this price point.  It will fall appart at the first pot hole.  A person recently bought a budget bouncer into his local bike shop.  It was still in the box and he wanted it made up.  The shop could only get the rear suspension and brake working.  The mechanic considered it unsafe and would not feel comfortable with his child riding it.  

So go for a simple bike that does one or two things well, rather than trying to do everything badly.  Choose V brakes, rather than disc.  If you want suspension, only go for a hard tail, with simple forks like RST.  

You might also consider Trek, Specialized, Scott.  However, these might be a little more cash for an entry level machine.

I would go to my local bike shop, tell them the sort of riding that you want to do and then find out what type of bike they recommend.

P.S.  Go for branded components like Shimano or SRAM.

Luck

Answer 5

Old Steel Raleighs are superb