Raleigh Superbe

The 2016 Raleigh Superbe.  Courtesy: Raleigh USA

The 2016 Raleigh Superbe is a 7-speed that comes with fenders, a chainguard, and a rear rack and has an MSRP of $450.

Last we checked, the Raleigh brand was owned by a Dutch conglomerate after being sold and resold several times.  So it's not the same company that was founded in Nottingham, England in 1887 and once dominated the bicycle industry in terms of quality and performance.  The old Raleighs, like our friend old Binnie, have held up to the test of time.  If you're feeling nostalgic, you should check out this promotional film made at the Nottingham factory.

Nevertheless, the Raleigh brand rides on, and the names of the most famous old Raleigh models are being recycled: first, with the Clubman model and now Superbe.

According to the late, great Sheldon Brown, the Raleigh Superbe model "was always the super-deluxe version of [Raleigh's] top-of-the-line bike."  Sheldon Brown's Superbe looked like this:

Sheldon Brown's 1954 Raleigh Superbe. Courtesy: sheldonbrown.com

The 2016 Superbe is a poor imitation of the real thing.  That sounds harsh, but compare the 2016 model with Sheldon's 1954 model:

The 1954 model came with a dynohub light system.  The 2016 model does not include lights.

The 1954 model had an internal gear hub, protecting those gears from rainy English weather.  The 2016 model comes with a plastic derailer.

The 1954 model had a full chaincase, shielding the chain from moisture and the rider's pants from the drivetrain.  The 2016 model has a chainguard.

The 1954 model came standard with a leather Brooks B-66 sprung saddle. The 2016 model has a synthetic sprung saddle.

The 1954 model came with a pump and pump holder.  The 2016 model comes with neither.

There was a time when a bicycle came standard with a pump, along with a pump peg or holder.

And it still should. pic.twitter.com/ltn2HphtDr

— Bikes4TheRestOfUs (@Bikes4RestOfUs) January 4, 2016

The 2016 Superbe is a useful, functional bike.  It's just not superb, like the Superbe of yore.

2016 Specs:

Frame Material	Steel
Bike Wheel Size	700c
Frame	Raleigh Classic Steel, Twin Tube Low Step-thru
Fork	Steel 1" Threaded w/ Brake Bosses
Cranks	Forged Alloy, 170mm w/ 42t Heron Chain Ring
Bottom Bracket	Cartridge Steel w/ Oversize Bearings, Chromoly Spindle
Rear Derailleur	Shimano Tourney 7spd
Shifter	Shimano 7spd Revo Shifter
Brake Levers	Promax Alloy
Brakes	Promax Alloy V Brake, Silver
Cogset	Shimano Tourney 7spd 14-28
Rims	Weinmann 700c Alloy 36h
Tires	Kenda 700x35 Skin Side Wall
Pedals	VP Classic Steel Cage
Handlebar	Alloy Silver 640 Width 60mm Sweep
Stem	Silver Anodized 1" Quill
Seatpost	Alloy Micro Adjust 25.4x300mm
Seat	Raleigh Comfort Saddle w/ Springs
Headset	Silver, 1" Threaded
Chain	KMC
Front Hub	36h Nutted
Rear Hub	36h Nutted,
Spokes	14g Zinc Plated Steel
Grips	Velo Black Cork
Extras	Rack w/ bungee cords, Metal Fenders, Silver Kick Stand

Scott Sub EVO 20

The 2016 Scott Sub Evo 20. Photo courtesy of Scott Sports.

The Scott Sub Evo 20 is currently on sale at Big Wheel Bikes for $800 (the MSRP is $1,000).

The first thing we need to do is add this to Edwin's list of bikes that come with lights. The front headlight is a Busch and Muller Eyc, which is powered by Shimano Deore dynamo hub.  The rear light is also from B and M.

Scott calls this a 30-speed.  It comes with a cassette with a range from an 11-tooth cog up to a mountain-tackling 34-tooth large cog.  The Sub Evo has an aluminum frame and fork and is equipped with Shimano disc brakes.  Overall, my impression is that this bike can handle a mix of terrain and climates.

The Sub Evo comes with fenders and a Racktime rearcarrier.  Racktime is a complete system which works with "snap it" accessories, as depicted in this youtube video.

Overall, this looks like a well-designed and thought-out bike.  There's a review of the Sub Evo 30 bike on youtube (a similar, but not the same, model).

Specs:

Frame

SUB Evo 6061 Tig welding

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Fork

Sub Evo Alu Rigid Forged

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Headset

VP-A41AC Semi integrated

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Rear Derailleur

Shimano RD-T610 SGS 10 Speed

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Front Derailleur

Shimano Deore FD-T610

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Shifters

Shimano SL-T610

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Brake Levers

Shimano BL-M355

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Brakes

Shimano BR-M355

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Crankset

Shimano FC-T611 Black 48x36x26 T

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BB-Set

Included with crankset

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Handlebar

JD-MTB 25AF

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H'stem

JD-ST57A

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Pedals

VP-615

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Seatpost

JD JD-SP68T.1.

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Seat

Syncros Urban Solution 2.5

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Hub (Front)

Shimano Deore DH-3D37 Dynamo 32h

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Hub (Rear)

Shimano FH-M615 CL 32h

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Chain

KMC X10

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Cassette

Shimano HG62 11-34 T

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Spokes

Pillar Steel 14G

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Rims

X12 Disc, 32h

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Tires

Continental City Ride II

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Lights

Front B&M EYC and Rear Integrated B&M Ilu Jr

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Rack & Fenders

Racktime Standit w/ spring clamp

Curana C-lite D45 with integrated Rear Light

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Approx weights in KG

15

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Approx weights in LBS

33.07

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Republic Bikes

Republic's Plato Dutch Step-through available through Urban Outfitters. Photo courtesy of Urban Outfitters

Republic Bikes' Plato Dutch diamond and step-through 3-speeds are advertised for $499 at Urban Outfitters.  The singlespeeds are $399. They can also be ordered directly from Republic.

Republic Bikes jumped on the fixie/singlespeed bandwagon in the late 2000's.  Republic fixies were quickly derided by bike snobs as cheap and heavy.  They were, after all, made from tensile steel (*gasp*).  There were also grounds to mock Republic fixies based on the partnership between Republic and Urban Outfitters.  In 2009, the world's funniest bike snob commented:

You can certainly continue to enjoy something after it's received the Urban Outfitters treatment, though you can no longer tell yourself that the fact that you enjoy it makes you special.

Bike Snob was talking about fixies and hipsters, but the same sentiment can now be applied to "Dutch bikes" and the city dwellers who love them.  Yes, we know these are not *real* Dutch bikes.  But will Dutch bikes ever hold the same allure after receiving the "Urban Outfitters treatment"?

The Republic Bikes/Urban Outfitter "treatment" includes a web page where you "build your own bike," by which they mean you get to choose a color scheme.  I'm not going to make fun of this.  Urban Outfitters sells fashion, and "Dutch" bikes have long been considered a fashion accessory.

Republic has built a fleet of these "Dutch" bicycles for Google employees to cruise from building to building at the Googleplex campus in Mountain View, California.  These are useful bikes, even if they are tanks designed as fashion accessories.

Specifications

Total assembled weight: 40 lbs (18.14 kgs)

Frame: Custom lugged design in hi-ten steel. Adjustable alloy seat tube clamp. Front and rear pipe carrier racks included.

Forks: Crown Lugged, hi-ten steel.

Gearing (1-speed): 36T chainwheel, 18T freewheel

Gearing (3-speed): Shimano Nexus 3-speed internal hub, 36T chainwheel, 18T freewheel

Grips: Custom stitched comfort grips.

Saddle: Custom two-tone button saddle with Republic logo plate.

Chaincase: Fully covered PVC chain protector

Skirt: Clip-on PVC skirt nets attach to rear fender.

Wheels: Alloy 26 x 1.5". Nutted axles to both front and rear.

Tires: 26 x 2.25" custom hue balloon tires

Rear hub (1-speed): Coaster brake hub with 18T freewheel.

Rear hub (3-speed): Shimano Nexus 3-speed Coaster brake hub with 18T freewheel.

Front hub: Shimano Nexus roller brake.
Chainset: Steel 1/2 x 1/8 x 36T with 165mm Alloy cranks

Handlebars: Alloy, 600mm wide semi-raised.

Pedals: 9/16 PVC with reflectors.

Brakes: Rear coaster brake, front Shimano roller brake.

Seat post: Alloy 28.6mm x 400mm.

Center kickstand included.

Front, rear and wheel reflectors included.