A single-speed bike can be just as quick and efficient as bicycles with multiple gears. If you’re considering getting a single-speed bike for your commutes, you might want to add the Raleigh Bikes Wilder City Bike to your “best hybrid bicycle for the money” list.
Read on to learn more about the basic features, advantages, and disadvantages of the Raleigh Wilder.
Table of Contents
Features and Specifications
With its pumpkin orange finish and timeless profile, the Raleigh Bikes Wilder City Bike will surely grab the attention of many people. It’s designed to be your go-to commuter bike for short to medium rides to the grocery store or work, and leisurely trips through and past your favorite sights and spots in the city.
Raleigh Classic Steel Frame
Steel frame bikes usually offer a more forgiving and enjoyable ride than aluminum frame bikes, like the Raleigh Bikes Cadent 2 Fitness Hybrid Bike. As a frame material, steel provides excellent shock absorption to soften bumpy roads and could last for years to come. The Raleigh Bikes Wilder City Bike does just that.
The Raleigh Wilder comes in three frame sizes:
- 52 centimeters (cm): for riders who are 5’3”-5’7” tall
- 56 centimeters (cm): for riders who are 5’6”-5’10” tall
- 60 centimeters (cm): for riders who are 5’11”-6’3” tall
Cogset 17t with Single Speed Spacer Kit
The Raleigh Bikes Alysa 1 Women’s Fitness Hybrid Bike and other geared bikes make pedaling up hills easier. But that doesn’t mean you can’t use a single-speed bike, like the Wilder, for riding up hills (as long as they’re not too steep).
The Raleigh Bikes Wilder City Bike is equipped with a 17-tooth cogset and 42-tooth chainring (Raleigh Heron). With these in place, you won’t ever feel you’re under geared or spin out of control, whether you’re riding on a flat terrain or riding up non-crazy hills. And, to make sure you get adequate stopping power, Raleigh fitted this bike with Tektro mechanical disc brakes.
Schwalbe Century Tires with K-Guard Protection
These Schwalbe Century tires are composed of natural rubber and reinforced with DuPont Kevlar® fibers to keep the tires more resistant to punctures. And, they roll smoothly on flat terrains.
The tires are fitted to 32-hole double wall rims, which make the wheels stronger. This comes in handy when you’re hitting potholes.
Technical Details
- Bike weight: Between 25-30 pounds
- Handlebar: Satin steel finish classic sweep
- Grips: Brown cork
- Headset: 1-inch threaded
- Cranks: Custom steel Raleigh Heron, 42-tooth chainring
- Bottom bracket: Sealed cartridge
- Chain: KMC 1/8th
- Brakes: Tektro Cable Acuated Mechanic Disc
- Brake Levers: Promax
- Pedals: Classic alloy with alloy cage
- Front Hub: Alloy bolt-on disc
- Rear Hub: Bolt-on cassette hub
- Spokes: Stainless with brass
- Stem: 1-inch quill
- Seatpost: Alloy
- Seat: Plush spring saddle
The Good
Smooth and Enjoyable Rides
The Raleigh Bikes Wilder City Bike rides smoothly and fast on city streets, bike paths, and slightly bumpy roads. Since it only has one gear, you don’t have to worry about being in the right gear, so you can just focus on enjoying the scenery and emptying your mind of worries. You’ll also spend considerably less money on bike maintenance or repairs.
Quick and Easy Assembly
You probably need to tweak or replace a few parts. But overall, this hybrid bike is easy to put together. Depending on your experience, it might take 30 minutes to 2 hours to put this together.
If you’re really clueless about bike assembly, there are videos you could watch on the YouTube channel of Raleigh.
Quality Made at a Decent Price
For the low price, the Raleigh Bikes Wilder City Bike performs well. It can get up to a decent speed and has good stopping power. The backsweep handlebar is wide and allows the rider to sit in an upright riding position. The steel frame, which is surprisingly not heavy, is solid. It’s also not difficult to pedal from a stop, thanks to its 42-tooth chainring.
Forget about gear shifting and just enjoy the ride with the Raleigh Bikes Wilder City Bike.
The Bad
Chainring Needs Loosening
The chainring is too tight and may dig into the chainstay. Like the Raleigh Bikes Harlan City Bike, the Wilder has an eccentric bottom bracket (EBB), a device used for adjusting the bike chain tension. It would take a bike mechanic or someone with experience to remove the specific EBB model on this bike from the frame.
Single Gear Ratio
The single-speed has its advantages, but they also have its disadvantages. Having more gear options offers an easy way to ride up hills and on rough terrains. You can ride faster (if compared to an identical single-speed bicycle) and cover a relatively larger distance.
Larger Frame Size than Recommended
For instance, if you’re 5 feet and 10 inches tall, the smallest size (52 centimeters) might still be too big for you. Not everyone had the same issue, though. To make sure you don’t get the wrong frame size and waste your money, you may want to contact Raleigh’s customer service department.
Who Is It For?
The Raleigh Bikes Wilder City Bike is best for people who:
- Are looking for a commuter or leisure bicycle that won’t need thorough maintenance, finding the right gear combinations as per the terrain, or shifting during the ride
- Mostly ride on relatively smooth and even roads
- Take short to medium distance trips
- Prefer to travel at speeds ranging from 20 to 35 kilometers per hour
- Don’t mind having a bike that weighs up to 30 pounds
Conclusion
You could still add or replace a few parts to make the Raleigh Bikes Wilder City Bike fit your needs. For instance, you could replace the spring saddle with a WTB road saddle for riding on dirt road. If you want to bring your baby along, the bike’s quill stem can easily accommodate a child bike seat.
Overall, this is an efficient, low maintenance, good quality, and comfortable single-speed bike. If you keep an eye on it, you could buy this at a much lower price.
Cruise along at your own pace and enjoy the ride with the Raleigh Bikes Wilder City Bike.