Raleigh Tamland

Walt Brown wrote:Alan, Have you had a chance to ride the Tamland? If so, how did it compare to the Willard? I've yet to find a Raleigh shop in Mass that has either bike in stock.

Hi Walt,

I haven't had a chance to ride it yet; the weather here has been total sh_t, and I've been out of the state a bit. I'm not 100% sure I'll ride the Tamland; the Willard 2 is spec'd the same as the Tamland 1, and geometry is identical, so I'm not feeling a strong need to ride it now.

I just got a new Tamland One last week and hope to get it out this weekend for its maiden voyage. I got the One version to get the black frame and the shop I bought it from let me modify the drivetrain a bit. I went with a 50/34 105 crankset, 11-32 cassette, medium cage rear derailleur and then went with the RS-685 cable/hydraulic shifters and brakes. I also swapped out the wheels for a set of Grails and some 38mm Specialized Trigger Pros. I've just gotten some of the initial adjustments done, but am really looking forward to a longer ride to see how it feels. It feels great riding around in front of the house.

After spending much of the Winter obsessively searching and evaluating, I picked up my Raleigh Tamland 1 last month. This bike hit all my markers: components (Shimano 105 11 speed), disc brakes, 40 mm tire clearance, and steel frame. As an old guy, the tipping point was probably the fact that my first real racing machine in the late 1960's was a Raleigh Professional, and being a Swede the Tamland 1 hits the criteria of "lagom" - the word that in some ways defines the Swedish cultural mentality. Think Volvo instead of Mercedes or Kia. I was also able to get one from my favorite local bike shop: Twin Ports Cyclery who ordered me a 2015 model for $1,500.

I've named it Gruscykel which, of course, is Swedish for gravel bike. As an experienced rider there was some tweaking on the parts. Weight is not a major factor for me, so I added a Selle Anatomica leather saddle, made next door in Wisconsin and a Thomson zero-offset seatpost. I love leather saddles! I also found the handlebars not to my liking, so added a set of Salsa Cowbells. Although I'm almost 5' 10" I have long legs and a short torso, so the 54 cm fit better than the 56. I still had to swap the offset seatpost for the zero to bring my saddle into the right position for me. I've gone through this process with every bike I've ever owned and the Tamland was no exception.

So the season (for me) has just begun up here in far Northern Minnesota so I've only put 100 (outdoors instead of turbo training) miles on the bike. I have to say that after riding aluminum for many years, the subtle compliance of good Reynolds 621 steel is really wonderful. The bike just feels alive. Also, the handling is far more like a road bike than a mountain bike. I was expecting more a touring bike feel, but the front end is nicely lively yet on gravel tracks like a train. I suppose those Clement MSO tires are part of it and on pavement make a pleasant sound.

I've already signed up for my first gravel race. This fall, I'm planning to ride the Mickelson Trail in the Black Hills. I'm 66 y/o and haven't raced for probably 30 years. I had quadruple bypass a little over 2 years ago and returning to serious riding was the key to a wonderful recovery. Cycling is the idea form of exercise for anyone coming back from a heart problem since you can calibrate your effort very precisely and, wearing a heart monitor both track your fitness gains and spot any anomalies. After surgery, I started the Cycling Club International on Strava for others like me. We now have 27 members from all over the world.

See you on the road (gravel!)

G. Olson

The Tamland 1 comes with a 50/34 crank which is perfect. It's 11 speed, so the cassette is 11-28 and I picked up an 11-32 just to give me a bit more range.

We have a great gravel race up here (Duluth, MN) in October called the Heck of the North. This year I believe they plan on offering a "Half-a-Heck" or what I call the Darn of the North. The Heck is over 100 miles, so the Half might be just right for me. They ride some of the snowmobile trails which can be pretty tough and if you've ever been up in this neck of the woods you know our hills are endless and steep!

Has anyone changed the fork on their Tamland?\n\nA guy in our local club is selling an almost new Whisky 7, for $150.\n\nIt has a 45mm rake, compared to the 50mm of the Tamland.\n\nYou guys think this is a good idea? \n\nI have a 56cm Tamland and wanted to cut some weight. Already have sights on a set of Grails. The carbon fork has now become an option.\n\nThanks!

I'd be wary of reducing my fork rake on a gravel bike, but that's an amazing deal (assuming the steerer isn't cut too short for your setup).

There's plenty of steerer left, and it's in great shape.\n\nI was thinking the 45mm rake would be OK, as some people have had success with changing their Vayas to the same Whisky fork. The Vaya, like the Tamland, has a 50mm rake fork as stock.

Might as well try it and if you don't like it swap it back and resell

What is the largest tire size anyone has used on their Tamland? Recall GT saying he had 1.8" installed but may not have had good mud clearance. Looking to go as big as possible to ride more single track.

My Willard (same geometry and clearance ratings as Tamland) is running Surly Knard 41mm on wide 25mm (inside) rims with plenty of room for mud. I wouldn't go more than a couple of millimeters wider than that though, if mud is a consideration.

So I finally picked up my 2016 Tamland 1 tonight at my LBS. He is a full fledged Raleigh dealer and sells lots of bikes. If you haven't seen my posts before here is how my purchase went down. I saw a thread over at Bike Forums " Buying from Raleigh Corp. The bike sold last year for $1799 my Raleigh Dealer called and he was going to sell me the bike for $1300. I went there for fitting. He didn't have a Tamland in stock but had another Raleigh that he said was the same frame geometry. I am 6 ft. with long arms 34/35" sleeve length and the 56 cm fit me. I bought the bike from Raleigh for $799 + $48 tax and no shipping. I thought there was a small scratch on the ring or tube where the seat post slides in but can live with that for $500.

My 56 cm bike weighs 25.15 lb with a set of Shimano PD-M959 mountain bike pedals on it.

Here are some of my questions even though everyone is different and has personal tastes.

1. What tire pressure doe most people run. Do you run less in the front than rear. I guess it depends more if you are riding roads or gravel. Is there a happy medium? 
2. Do most people take the reflectors off the spokes on the wheels or leave them on for more visibility or safety. I was wondering whether that gives you more chances for sticks and the like to get stuck in between the wheels.
3. The same goes for the front or rear deflector is that something to again get in the way?
4. What is the advantage of the 11x32 over the 11x28. I guess it help you climb better. I will say I am a pretty good road climb but I have zilch mt. bike experience/single track or technical riding like rock gardens in my experience. What would or how would the 11x32 help me.

When I went out for a test ride tonight there was a clicking noise in the front end. He put 2 shims under the rotor and then used what looked like a tuning fork with a slit in to straighten the rotor out some.

Cost for set up
$75 Assembly
$20 Super Flash rear light
2 disk spacers $3 lol on this
$10 on the computer set up. This was pretty intense as I bought a Sigma BC 23.16 STS which isn't even sold  in the States yet so it came from a Sports shop in the Netherlands in 5 days and still only cost the same as my older Rox 8.1 which is now a discontinued model
$5 seat installation I took my race bike over which fits me like a glove and was a custom fit and he took measurements off that and set my bike up like that. Time will tell if a gravel grinder is a same set up.

Total with tax $119.78

OK with that with the savings I had on the bike and would rather pay a little bit upfront and have a safe riding bike than do something half ass at my end. It took him around 15 minutes to just set up the computer,

I only rode about 100 yards tonight and know that I don't like the seat. It's way too hard. I will be putting on a Brooks Imperial seat with a cut out on it.

I am off tomorrow and plan on taking the bike out on a shake down ride in the mts here locally. I have already signed up for  my 1st gravel ride around 3 weeks away in the Farmer's Daughter in Chatham NY. Wish me luck


Any help or suggestions will always be appreciated.
Thanks
Zman

Zman wrote: 1. What tire pressure doe most people run. Do you run less in the front than rear. I guess it depends more if you are riding roads or gravel. Is there a happy medium? 
2. Do most people take the reflectors off the spokes on the wheels or leave them on for more visibility or safety. I was wondering whether that gives you more chances for sticks and the like to get stuck in between the wheels.
3. The same goes for the front or rear deflector is that something to again get in the way?
4. What is the advantage of the 11x32 over the 11x28. I guess it help you climb better. I will say I am a pretty good road climb but I have zilch mt. bike experience/single track or technical riding like rock gardens in my experience. What would or how would the 11x32 help me.


When I went out for a test ride tonight there was a clicking noise in the front end. He put 2 shims under the rotor and then used what looked like a tuning fork with a slit in to straighten the rotor out some.   

Hi Zman, 
I have a Raleigh Willard which is similar in geometry. I had my eye on a Tamland and am waiting for the new 2018 releases to see if they will update their forks with mounts for touring. Anyway about some of your questions I can relate to.

My brakes had that clicking sound in the front too when new. I contacted TRP and they told me to switch the calipers front to back and it fixed the noise. I have no idea why but it worked. Something to consider if it continues.

I like to try different tires out for fun and from my experience with tubeless is I will start with the middle psi rated on the tire as a baseline  RE: Tire rated at 50- 80 psi I will start with 65psi ~ then adjust based on my preferences. I rarely inflate to the full psi. I prefer the lower end of the PSI depending on the tire construction Sidewall beefiness etc. Sometimes I'll start out high and adjust in ride, I always carry a small pump with a gauge on rides. After awhile you become good at judging how much air you release with your finger on the presta for a second. I use same psi F&R but sometimes less in front depending on road. I go with how the ride feels to me. Everyone is different.
I went tubeless a couple years ago. 

The reflectors come off asap for me, they are just a piece of plastic waiting to litter the road and potentially cause flats for others. Also when in stealth mode they are a nuisance. I have lights and rely on them for safety.

My bike came with a 11-32 and I am glad it did, while I don't use it much it is nice to have when needed, mostly used off road,nasty headwinds,fatigue  etc... The only reason I would switch to a 28 is if I was doing group rides a lot. Sounds like you need some seat time on the bike and most of your concerns will start to fade away.

Your bike weighs 15.1? Is that ride weight? with wheels tires ready to hop on? cause that sounds pretty light to me.

P.S. I just put a Brooks B17 on my Willard and love it. Not fully broke in yet but I can ride in street clothes comfortably.
P.S.2 Not sure if you know this about the Tamland, our very own Guitar Ted co-owner of this board helped Raleigh with the design of the Tamland.

Zurichman wrote:
1. What tire pressure doe most people run. Do you run less in the front than rear. I guess it depends more if you are riding roads or gravel. Is there a happy medium? 
2. Do most people take the reflectors off the spokes on the wheels or leave them on for more visibility or safety. I was wondering whether that gives you more chances for sticks and the like to get stuck in between the wheels.
3. The same goes for the front or rear deflector is that something to again get in the way?
4. What is the advantage of the 11x32 over the 11x28. I guess it help you climb better. I will say I am a pretty good road climb but I have zilch mt. bike experience/single track or technical riding like rock gardens in my experience. What would or how would the 11x32 help me.

When I went out for a test ride tonight there was a clicking noise in the front end. He put 2 shims under the rotor and then used what looked like a tuning fork with a slit in to straighten the rotor out some.

I also have a Willard and thus similar experience.

- I have after-market wheels with wider rims and run 41mm Surly Knard tires (with tubes) at 42psi front and 45psi rear. I'll put 5 pounds more in them if I'm riding pavement. The large air volume and supple squish mute the vast majority of vibration and impacts.
- Dump the reflectors and put on a good set of lights. Reflectors only "light up" if headlights are shining on them, and it is safer to be more visible at all angles to traffic, night or day.
- Mine came with 11x28 and I switched it to 11x32 after one season, and I'm very glad I did. Iowa is flat, unless you're in the southern half on gravel roads, yikes.
- The TRP brakes have not impressed me at all; I'm considering replacing them with BB7s. They're loud, they seem to constantly need loosened and repositioned, and their stopping power is pretty meh.

Enjoy!

RoverAl wrote:

Hi Zman, 
I have a Raleigh Willard which is similar in geometry. I had my eye on a Tamland and am waiting for the new 2018 releases to see if they will update their forks with mounts for touring. Anyway about some of your questions I can relate to.

My brakes had that clicking sound in the front too when new. I contacted TRP and they told me to switch the calipers front to back and it fixed the noise. I have no idea why but it worked. Something to consider if it continues.

I like to try different tires out for fun and from my experience with tubeless is I will start with the middle psi rated on the tire as a baseline  RE: Tire rated at 50- 80 psi I will start with 65psi ~ then adjust based on my preferences. I rarely inflate to the full psi. I prefer the lower end of the PSI depending on the tire construction Sidewall beefiness etc. Sometimes I'll start out high and adjust in ride, I always carry a small pump with a gauge on rides. After awhile you become good at judging how much air you release with your finger on the presta for a second. I use same psi F&R but sometimes less in front depending on road. I go with how the ride feels to me. Everyone is different.
I went tubeless a couple years ago. 

The reflectors come off asap for me, they are just a piece of plastic waiting to litter the road and potentially cause flats for others. Also when in stealth mode they are a nuisance. I have lights and rely on them for safety.

My bike came with a 11-32 and I am glad it did, while I don't use it much it is nice to have when needed, mostly used off road,nasty headwinds,fatigue  etc... The only reason I would switch to a 28 is if I was doing group rides a lot. Sounds like you need some seat time on the bike and most of your concerns will start to fade away.

Your bike weighs 15.1? Is that ride weight? with wheels tires ready to hop on? cause that sounds pretty light to me.

P.S. I just put a Brooks B17 on my Willard and love it. Not fully broke in yet but I can ride in street clothes comfortably.
P.S.2 Not sure if you know this about the Tamland, our very own Guitar Ted co-owner of this board helped Raleigh with the design of the Tamland.

Thanks for the info RoverlAl Yes I know Ted Guitar helped Raleigh with the design. I did tons of research on selecting my gravel riding bike all on Easter weekend and the other offer I had was a used Giant Anyroad for $600 and I feel I got the best deal out there for the money.   I am claiming Senior Moment on the weight of the bike or fat fingers. not sure which. The bike for 56 cm is listed as 24.5 lbs and guess that would be right as mine weighs 25.15 lbs with the Shimano mt. bike pedals. On the clicking noise I thought it was kind of funny that my local Raleigh dealer would charge me $3 to put some shims under the front rotor to fix it. I thought of calling Raleigh and asking them to reimburse me(not). I am not the techy guy so it was worth me taking it to him to set up(15 minutes +) my Sigma BC 23.16 STS computer. I have a older Brooks Waterford saddle that has some sag in it from taking on way too much rain that has to be way more comfortable than the hard rock stock seat.

I have to go to town and buy a 3.5 metric allen wrench to install the water bottle cages and then taking it for a spin in the mts. 

Yep, my 2017 Tamland 1 weighed 24.5lbs out of the box. That'll be about two pounds lighter when my American Classic MTB Race wheels come in

shoota wrote:Yep, my 2017 Tamland 1 weighed 24.5lbs out of the box. That'll be about two pounds lighter when my American Classic MTB Race wheels come in

So how much have your ridden your so far and did you or do you feel that you need to switch out to 11x32 cassette on the rear. This is my first double bike as I have always bought triples for those lettle mts. here in PA. I have 12x27 on my road bike now but probably going with 32 gearing later this summer(July 26th) when me and a few buds climb Pikes Peak on our bikes.

Zman

Zurichman wrote:

So how much have your ridden your so far and did you or do you feel that you need to switch out to 11x32 cassette on the rear. This is my first double bike as I have always bought triples for those lettle mts. here in PA. I have 12x27 on my road bike now but probably going with 32 gearing later this summer(July 26th) when me and a few buds climb Pikes Peak on our bikes.

Zman

Mine came with an 11-32 and yes I would suggest that. I haven't ridden mine a whole lot because I'm still living in the concrete jungle but I will be putting miles on it come June. My only experience with gravel riding gearing is the 12-26 on my CX bike and it's no where near low enough.

edit: The specs on Raleigh say the 2016 Tamland 1 should come with an 11-32, did yours not?

shoota wrote:

Mine came with an 11-32 and yes I would suggest that. I haven't ridden mine a whole lot because I'm still living in the concrete jungle but I will be putting miles on it come June. My only experience with gravel riding gearing is the 12-26 on my CX bike and it's no where near low enough.

edit: The specs on Raleigh say the 2016 Tamland 1 should come with an 11-32, did yours not?

Sometimes(all the time) I worry too much or do way too much research. So yes I see now that mine came with a 11 x32 I have to find a spare tube somewhere yet today and then I am taking it for a photo shoot and then going to get it muddy. I couldn't live any farther away than the concrete jungle unless I lived in the hills of WV. I live in rural farm land here in Pa. and lots of Amish moved here from Lancaster County about 20 years ago taking over/buying the old generation farmers out so there is nor will there be any land development.

Zman

Zurichman wrote:

Sometimes(all the time) I worry too much or do way too much research. So yes I see now that mine came with a 11 x32 I have to find a spare tube somewhere yet today and then I am taking it for a photo shoot and then going to get it muddy. I couldn't live any farther away than the concrete jungle unless I lived in the hills of WV. I live in rural farm land here in Pa. and lots of Amish moved here from Lancaster County about 20 years ago taking over/buying the old generation farmers out so there is nor will there be any land development.

Zman

Sounds nice. Good luck out there