Jason Beerman’s Raleigh Team Frame
Built and maintained by Chris Li, Sales Manager, Buyer, Mechanic, and all-around great guy at The Bikeway Source, the Boston-area’s best bike shop, located in Bedford, MA
April 30, 2008
Forget everything you think you know or remember about Raleigh bicycles. Remember the Super U Raleigh that Laurent Fignon rode in the 1989 Tour de France? Neither do I. Nevertheless, you can bet Le Professeur would do a double take if he caught a glance of the sleek machines that Raleigh USA is producing in 2008. The Team frameset is Raleigh USA’s crown jewel in a wide-ranging line of bikes for all occasions and for all types of riders.
The Kenda/Raleigh Cycling Team has been riding the bikes of its eponymous co-title sponsor since the 2006 season and the 2008 incarnation of the Team frame is identical to the design of the 2007 version, which proved to be so popular that it was virtually impossible to find in stock at Raleigh dealers last year. The frame’s appeal lies in its stiffness to weight ratio, a by-product of Raleigh’s unique Direct Connect Technology; the 57cm frame weighs just 960 grams!
The team frame is, in fact, the same frame (in a different color scheme) as the highly-regarded 2008 Raleigh Prestige, available at your nearby Raleigh dealer.
Kenda and Raleigh combine to make the bike go vroom
The frame is anything but fragile, as the Kenda/Raleigh boys can attest. Sean O’Rourke has been rumored to get his wattage into the 43-squared range, and the frame propels forward as if it were on a sturdy rail. The team trains and races through the New England winter and early spring on terrain that even the Canyonero would shy away from, and the frame always provides a solid ride.
The bottom bracket packs more carbon than a suburban cul-de-sac full of SUVs
The geometry on Beerman’s 55cm model is squared off with a 55cm top tube and a 73-degree seat angle, providing a very stable ride. Beerman, who stands 6′1″ (184cm) tall, likes the relatively small frame size due to his desire to get as low as possible on the front end, which can be achieved with the 150mm head tube.
Looking down from the drops, you are rewarded by the sight of the Easton EC90 Superlite fork. It is one of the lightest forks on the market thanks to its full carbon composition from steerer tube to dropouts, but it can survive the worst New England frost heaves as well as rusted out Thule rack dropout clamps coupled with crosswinds on the Mass Pike. All in all, it’s a bantamweight champion.
The ultimate utensil
Beerman’s bike is fitted with a full SRAM Force groupset, down to the calipers.
Beerman rides Force 175mm cranks with Speedplay Zeros and runs a standard 53-39 in the front, although the 39 is clean as a whistle.
In the back, he clicks up and down the tight cluster 11-26 cassette since it’s suited perfectly for a wide range of terrain.
The Force DoubleTap shifters sit atop the Easton EC70 handlebars which protrude at the end of a 120mm Easton EC90 stem. The uniformly Easton cockpit is all carbon, and beautiful to stare at whilst suffering in a race.
Functional art
The Easton theme continues to the Easton EC90 seatpost which provides a comfortable perch for the fi’zi:k Arione saddle.
More Easton? Sure - look down at the wheels. Brand new for 2008, the EC70 SL wheels feature reasonably deep-dish carbon rims in a versatile and convenient clincher package. The secret is that this is a hybrid aluminum/carbon rim and it melds the best of both worlds. Look carefully and you can see the carbon weave in the 38mm rim. While they’re pretty to look at, they’re devastating on the road and they’re worth what seems to be 30 watts in a headwind.
The EC70 SL wheels also feature Easton’s C3 hubs, which offer sealed cartridge bearings and are a dream to service.
The best part about the wheels is that they can be ridden with any one of Kenda’s road clincher tires. Beerman’s bike features the light and grippy C2Cs which, like all Kenda tires, feature Iron Cloak technology for flat protection. Kenda tires are highly dependable and Kenda/Raleigh uses the full line of road tires - C2Cs, Konstrictors, Kriteriums, and Kalientes - while training and racing in all kinds of weather and road conditions. As a bonus, the tires have a cool checkerboard motif and they look fast. And that’s worth at least 5 watts.
Visit your local Kenda dealer to pick up these durable, light, and competitively-priced tires. Kenda/Raleigh rolls on Kenda tires for a cumulative 100,000km per year in harsh New England conditions, on chewed up roads, and in the fastest road races and crits in the region, and Kenda tires and tubes get the job done.
King me!
Kenda/Raleigh has tackled the early season New England classics with aplomb, having already scored four podiums among ten top-10s. The team is preparing for a full slate of summer races, including some NRC and UCI tilts, and the steeds are obviously ready to run.
Full Specification
Frame: Raleigh Team
Fork:Easton EC90 SL
Critical measurements
Rider’s height: 1.84m (6′1″); Weight:79kg (174lbs)
Seat tube length, c-c: 505mm
Seat tube length, c-t: 550mm
Saddle height, from BB (c-t): 780mm
Saddle nose tip to C of bars: 570mm
C of front hub to top of bars: 565mm
Bottom bracket: SRAM GXP
Cranks: SRAM Force GXP, 53/39T, 175mm
Chain: SRAM PC1090R
Front derailleur: SRAM Force
Rear derailleur: SRAM Force
Brakes: SRAM Force
Levers: SRAM Force DoubleTap
Rear sprockets: SRAM OG-1070, 11-26T
Front wheel: Easton EC70 SL clincher
Rear wheel: Easton EC70 SL clincher
Front tyre: Kenda C2C clincher, 23mm
Rear tyre: Kenda C2C clincher, 23mm
Bars: Easton EC70 Wing Road, 44cm (c-c)
Stem: Easton EC9 Road, 120mm
Headset: FSA integrated
Tape/grip: Easton
Pedals: Speedplay Zero Stainless Steel
Seat post: Easton EC90 Zero
Saddle: fi’zi:k Arione
Total bike weight: 7.7kg (17lbs)