Retro is always in Some years ago, I went to a bike conference and brought my only bike, a hardtail with a rigid fork, for the organized afternoon ride. Granted, this was when the full-suspension craze was exploding and everybody was blasting down trails on dualies. Well, except me. One of the cyclists looked my bike up and down and said, “Going retro, eh?” Since then I caught the addictive wave and stored my “retro” ride at the back of the shed. It won’t surprise you then that I just now tried out a singlespeed. The Raleigh XXIX caught me up to with the singlespeed trend and put me smack dab in the 29er craze. Now I’m asking why I didn’t try this combo earlier. The XXIX, a rigid fork singlespeed hopped up on 29-inch wheels, is in its second edition for Raleigh. The company made a few changes to last year’s bike, adding a longer seatpost to fit
the sloping top tube frame, reducing the graphics to a more subtle look and painting it a more appealing blue from the previously unpopular burnt orange. The bike’s frame and fork are both 4130 chromoly steel with butted tubing for the frame. The drivetrain consists of a 33x20 gearing with external bearing Truvativ GXP bottom bracket. For the big wheels, the XXIX has WTB Speed Disc wheels wrapped in the very grippy WTB Stout 2.3 tires. The bike comes spec’d with Avid BB mechanical disc brakes, an easyto-adjust and proven brake. Raleigh chose an eccentric bottom bracket (EBB) for adjusting the singlespeed chain tension, allowing a quick release on the rear wheel. I like the EBB because it lets you adjust chain tension at the bottom bracket rather than at the rear wheel and avoids the annoying rear disc brake adjustment every time you tension the chain. Although most of the bikes I ride size up as “mediums,” I tested a small XXIX, which fits my 5-foot-7 height and 30-inch inseam well. The XXIX sizes tend to run larger than standard sizes so double-check the geometry. The 2008 bike comes with a 400 mm seatpost for longer legged riders. At the back, Raleigh chose a replaceable dropout if you 98
decide to go with gears. But I don’t recommend it. Singlespeeding is a total blast, that is, after you’ve gotten over your gear addiction and ride it enough to stop sucking wind so much. I found the 33x20 gearing a good start for me on technical, mildly hilly trails. On roads, where the bike is a great commuter, I’d definitely go with a bigger gear. Off-road, with the rigid frame and fork, it took some time to reacquaint myself with “original style” bike riding: looking for smooth lines, absorbing shock with body motion, finessing my way up and down rocks, rather than blasting mindlessly down a trail. The give of the steel frame helped, as did the 29er wheels, which really do smooth out small bumps and even rock step-ups. That was a nice surprise. In this way, the rigid fork and 29er wheels make a good pair. And Raleigh keeps it that way by building the frame without a suspension-corrected fork. That is, if you did swap out the rigid fork for a plush variety, the sag would change the geometry somewhat. It seems Raleigh was indeed looking for a truly retro singlespeed in the XXIX. The geared variety does account for suspension, since it comes standard with an 80 mm Rock Shox Reba front shock. I got attached to this bike because it made my old trails new again. The 29-inch wheels really swept around corners and took the edge off the technical terrain. In going uphill, the big wheels take a little more oomph to keep rolling, and they can be tricky at low speeds on tight corners, too, since the larger wheel has a larger gyroscopic effect and needs to keep moving. But I countered those effects with more speed and the bike responded well. Once I put in some miles on it, the rigid ride was as natural as when I was a kid jumping curbs. The only change I’d make is adding a little squishier grips for comfort. The XXIX is a great package, and at the price, it’s a good introduction to singlespeeding for those, like me, who take too long to make up their minds. Luckily for me and my obstinate ways, retro is always in style. –C. Spaeth