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Raleigh Cadent Review

The Raleigh Bike Company is one of the oldest bicycle manufacturers in the world. Although ownership of Raleigh has changed a few times over the years, the quality of their bikes remains consistent.

The Raleigh Cadent is an excellent, light weight, high performance Road/Mountain Hybrid. REI calls this bike (and other hybrids) "Flat-Bar Road Bikes". Although this bike could fall under the road bike category, the upright handlebars, rider position and slightly wider tires qualify this bike as a hybrid.Raleigh Cadent I8 Hybrid

I had the opportunity to review a number of Raleigh Bikes on a recent trip to a local bike shop (it can be hard to find Raleigh bikes in some locations) and I was very impressed with their performance hybrids (i.e. the Cadent) and also with their comfort hybrids.

The biggest disadvantage with Raleigh bikes is that they are generally priced a little higher than other quality hybrid bikes in this category although you may be able to get a great buy online or if you can find a Raleigh bike on sale.

For more serious riders, this bike can handle touring and long distance rides, comfortably but with much less effort than a heavier comfort bike, and can handle paved, crushed stone, grass, or fairly rugged dirt bike trails.

Note: The 2012 Raleigh Cadent is no longer available online (new) or difficult to find online or in retail stores. The Raleigh Cadent I8 was previously selling for $559.93 (new) at REI.

A few outstanding features of Raleigh bikes, including the Raleigh Cadent, are their style (design), their high quality components and, in my opinion, their very high quality and comfortable seats.

The Raleigh Cadent has all Shimano derailleur (n/a on the I8 and I11), a stylish aluminum frame, carbon fork (on the the FT2, FT3 and I11), a very comfortable seat/saddle, 700x32c tires, and excellent components.

Raleigh Cadent Model Comparisons:

The 2012 Raleigh Cadent Bikes have 6 price/component levels. The FT0-FT3 have the traditional front and rear derailleurs (with additional gears for the higher level models) and the I8 and I11 have the Shimano Nexus internally geared rear hub.

The prices go up as the level goes up so the Raleigh Cadent FT0 and I8 are the least expensive and the Raleigh Cadent FT3 and I11 are the most expensive.

The differences for the Cadent are primarily with crankset and gear ratios, shifters, pedals, colors and weight. Although you will get better components with the more expensive models, even the least expensive model has top of the line components.

At the time of this review, the only Raleigh Cadent models for sale online are the internally geared models (the I8 and I11). See the REI link above to compare these models.

The internally geared models have less gears (since there is no front derailleur) but have a much cleaner look and are lower maintenance.

About-Bicycles Review:

Raleigh bikes, in general, are excellent quality but they can be a little more expensive than other comparable brands. I love the components, design and even the quality seats.

I like that Raleigh has come out with the internally geared model hybrids for 2012. The durable and low maintenance rear hub/wheel is a nice feature and the I11 goes one step further and also offers the hydraulic disc brakes.

I would recommend the Raleigh Cadent as a light weight, high quality and stylish bike. If you are willing to pay a little more you will definitely get your moneys worth.

Customer Review:

There were no customer reviews of the 2012 Raleigh Cadent at the time of this review. One customer review of the Raleigh Cadent FT2 (which was 4 of 5 stars, at REI) that I believe describes the Raleigh Cadent models includes:

"the grips are so comfortable, the seat is surprisingly comfy for being a bandaid on a stick, the gears are the most solid I've ever had, each wheel and seat have quick release levers, brakes are strong... "

"... the trigger shifters are nice, but the plastic that their housing is made of feels cheap ..."

"Get a computer on it and look at how fast it will go, the gears just keep on coming and they are really strong and fast. I appreciate that it is light and fast, yet still comfortable. Solid bike."


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