Trying out the Raleigh One Way
by Richard Masoner
Meet A.K. He manages the Sprint Cellular store on University Avenue in Palo Alto, just down the street from the Palo Alto Apple Store.
In spite of the hundreds of people lined up all around the block on Thursday and Friday, A.K. didn’t have much business toward the end of last week. While he was checking out the action at the Apple Store, he saw me with the Raleigh One Way.
“That’s a really sharp bike,” said A.K. His current bike is a mountain-bike style machine that was purchased from a mass market retailer, but he’s thinking about upgrading to something a little better for his commute and recreational use. A.K. noticed the lack of any gearing and was skeptical of how useful a bike without gears might be, but after he took the bike for a test ride down University Avenue he was hooked.
“This bike feels really great,” he told me. “It’s so comfortable and light. This is so quiet, too. It feels so fast. Where can I get one?”
In the United States, you can find a Raleigh dealer with the online dealer locator at RaleighUSA.com.
I think the One Way is a good bike for those, like A.K., who want to upgrade their commuter bike to something built for the purpose. I suggested other bikes for A.K. to try also, pointing out several good bike shops nearby with a good variety of bikes suitable for commuting around Palo Alto.
Unfortunately, here in Canada we’re very limited in regards to both Raleigh and Schwinn bikes as they’re carried by Canadian Tire, a mass retailer. I’d like to see both brand’s road bikes, but all we get are low-end mountain type bikes. Raleigh especially seems to have some sweet rides, and the Schwinn Madison SS looks like a great bargain for an introductory bike.