Have you already read a dozen hybrid bicycle reviews and still can’t find one you like? The Raleigh Bikes Harlan City Bike might be worth your time—if you’re looking for a good, low-cost men’s hybrid bike with minimal gears.
To make sure it’s the right one for you, we highly recommend reading this article.
Table of Contents
Features and Specifications
Any minimalist would surely approve of the clean, sharp, and timeless design of the Raleigh Bikes Harlan City Bike. The glossy black finish doesn’t only look cool—or boring, depending on your taste—but it’s also easy to clean and maintain.
So, what else does this men’s hybrid bike has to offer?
Steel Frame and Fork
The frame and curved-blade fork are made from steel, which absorbs bumps in the road well and lasts for many years. The curved blades of the fork offer additional control and comfort while riding.
The Harlan has the following frame sizes:
- Medium (52 centimeters): for riders who are 5’3” to 5’7” tall
- Large (56 centimeters): for riders who are 5’6” to 5’10” tall
- Extra Large (60 centimeters): for riders who are 5’11” to 6’3” tall
Handlebar Sweep with Brown Cork Grips
The Raleigh Bikes Harlan City Bike offers a classic spring saddle. The backsweep bars allow you to put your hand in a natural position and ride in a comfortable upright position. Meanwhile, the cork grips have good shock absorption and fit the hands comfortably.
Note: The best handlebar angle comes down to your personal preference and riding style.
3-Speed Internal Gears
When you’re riding mostly on flat, smooth roads, a cruiser-style bicycle with few gears is often all you need. The Raleigh Bikes Harlan City Bike is a 3-speed bike with an internal hub, which shifts from gear to gear with the the Sturmey Archer 3-speed thumb shifters.
Schwalbe Century Road Tires
The Harlan has smooth and fast Century tires from Schwalbe. They feature the Schwalbe Level 3 K-Guard protection belt, which is reinforced by the DuPont™ KEVLAR® Fiber. This fiber helps increase the puncture resistance, strength, and traction of the tires.
The rims are from Weinmann. They could probably accommodate tires as wide as 1.75 to 2 inches.
Technical Details
- Bottom bracket: Eccentric Bottom Bracket (EBB)
- Brakes: Tektro mechanical disc with Promax brake levers
- Chainrings: 42 teeth
- Crankset: Raleigh, steel
- Handlebars: Raleigh steel with brown cork grips
- Pedals: Platform
- Rear cogs: Sturmey-Archer, 19 teeth
- Seatpost: Aluminum
- Spokes: 14-guage stainless steel
- Stem: Aluminum quill
- Tire valves: Presta
The Raleigh Harlan hybrid bike doesn’t come with fenders, water bottle cage, kickstand, and rear rack. However, it does have mounting screws for the rear rack and water bottle cage. The bike also comes with 15-millimeter pedal wrench and 4 / 5 / 6 mm hex key wrench.
The Good
Components are Good Quality
The components of the Raleigh Bikes Harlan City Bike are not impressive, but they’re good enough for the price. The tires roll smoothly and are fast. Once adjusted, the brakes and 3-speed internal hub work perfectly. The steel frame is stiff and stable to support a heavy rider.
Offers Great Rides
Bicycles with fewer gears, like this bike and the 5-speed Raleigh Bikes Haskell City Bike, are perfect for people living in a location with mostly flat paved roads. In most cases, you’re only going to use around one to two gears for tackling even or slightly inclined roads.
A hybrid bike with multiple gears is important if you want to go really fast on a highway or to climb up steep hills. But in a city or town with mostly flat, smooth roads, the lesser gears, the better.
Perfect for Tall Riders
The Raleigh Harlan hybrid bike runs big, so you might want to choose the next smallest size. For instance, if you’re 5 feet and 10 inches tall and have an inseam of 31 inches, the Medium should fit you easily.
Suggestion: Contact the customer support department of Raleigh Bikes to make sure you’re getting the correct bike size for your height and body type.
Get around your city with style, ease, and efficiency with the help of the Raleigh Bikes Harlan City Bike.
The Bad
No Assembly Instructions
Unlike the Raleigh Bikes Cadent 3 Urban Fitness Bike, which has an assembly video you can watch, the Harlan doesn’t come with assembly instructions. This isn’t such a big problem if you have previous experience with bike assembly and maintenance. If you don’t, it might take you longer to put this together, around an hour or so.
Adjustments and Repairs Needed
This is probably the biggest downside of the Raleigh Bikes Harlan City Bike. For starters, the chain is too tight. The 3-speed thumb shifters are also not properly adjusted, which should’ve been done for the price. Others say the gears wouldn’t shift at all, so they had to take the bike to a local bike repair shop.
Makes Cycling Uphill Harder
This is a common pitfall for most 3-speed bicycles, not just the Harlan. Due to fewer gears, it would have a harder time with steep hills than a bicycle with multiple gears, like the Raleigh Bikes Cadent 1 Fitness Hybrid Bike, which has a 21-speed gear mechanism.
Who Is It For?
As its name suggests, the Raleigh Bikes Harlan City Bike is a great way of commuting in a city or town with flat paved roads. The steel bike frame, spring saddle, and cork grips make the bike comfortable for short or long rides on city streets, urban bike paths, or around your neighborhood.
Conclusion
Is the Raleigh Bikes Harlan City Bike for you?
It all boils down to your riding style and the kinds of terrains you’re going to ride on. If three speeds are all you need, and if you live in an area with mainly flat roads, it could be a great option for you.
It has a few issues with its shifters, chain, and internal gear hub. But once fixed or adjusted, the bike offers pretty great rides.
Conquer the concrete jungle with the Raleigh Bikes Harlan City Bike. Get more details here.