N+1 Raleigh WIllard

5 replies · 808 views

RoverAl
489 posts
#1Mar 25, 2016, 7:25 AMedited▲ Top
Well this geezer pulled the trigger on a sporty new bike. Will be arriving shortly. I got a great deal I just couldn't pass up. I am taking a shot here by not test riding one, but I did my homework and just went ahead and ordered it.

A thoroughly modern bike at a great price point. More thoughts and pics when I actually accept and ride mine. I am curious if anyone has put a rack on their Willard.
3
RoverAl
489 posts
#2Mar 31, 2016, 9:41 AMedited
The big brown truck arrived late yesterday and I was up till midnight setting up the Willard 1.
I am going to share my unpacking and set up experience because it was a very practical encounter and I know I always like to see this stuff so what the heck.

First things first though this is a 2016 model. Willard 1 is a thoroughly modern bike. More on that later after I have some wheel time to share.
Here it is in the box and put together. I had a good time assembling everything. This is the 4th new bike that I found the derailleur hanger loose and swiftly tightened it up.
The thru axles front and rear were a bit challenging at first ( I never worked with them before but slowly and with some grease managed to get them in and out handily.) The rear is trickier than the front which slides right in and tightens up lickity split.

The super duper TRP brakes needed to be set up and there was a tech sheet in the box to guide me thru centering and adjusting. The front caliper was just nicking a spoke (very close to spokes) when it arrived but I centered and adjusted and now it is in spec. The pads were to close in and binding the rotor. This was the most time consuming because I never worked with the TRP brakes before but now I am good to go with them.

The wheelset appears to be above average but I had to de-stress the spokes. Tension is tight and even. Only time will tell how they hold up but so far so good. The front hub is huge compared to my other bikes with quick release.

First Impressions
Quality right from the start, the welds are mostly smooth, the paint is very nice. The tape, saddle and even jagwire cables are above average. Lots of nuances about this bike I will get into later. For example the anti shock seat post and stem, thru axles ride quality..asymmetrical chain stays etc... The stock wheels look pretty darn nice and are tubeless ready. Oh and the Sora looks great!

It's quick, racy and has a bit of badassery in it's blood. Based on a very short midnight neighborhood ride she seems comfortable with 60 psi in the Clement MSO 40's

The handling is accurate and responsive in the little time I have rode it but that jumped out at me. Oh and the brakes while I am still bedding them in they seem to be as good as everything I have read about them.

OK so that's all for now, I am planning my weekend around my new ride so happy trails till then. d

1
sgtrobo
155 posts
#3Mar 31, 2016, 11:29 PM
that's a sweet lookin' rig my man! what type of clearance do you have with the 40c Clements?
1
Mudville Stomper
6 posts
#4Apr 1, 2016, 7:40 AM
Awesome! Well done! That bike looks like a lot of fun.

I'm interested to hear your thoughts on the "anti-shock" bits...
1
asleepatthekeel
29 posts
#5Apr 1, 2016, 3:11 PM
RoverAl,

Very nice bike indeed. Not quite as sexy as my Tamland 2 but a very close second. I'll be interested to hear your opinion on the brakes. I've ridden them for a year now and DO NOT like them, this despite all the glowing reviews I also read. I'm probably gonna order me a set of BB7 stainless steel pretty soon.
Enjoy the new ride.
1
RoverAl
489 posts
#6Apr 1, 2016, 5:49 PMedited
Took it out for a shake down 25 mile ride this afternoon and it' feels 29erish^ Anyway I didn't push it to hard today. Thanks for the comments! All positive stuff and vibes today, fit drive train, fork etc.. I'm 74" tall and this is a 60 cm just right. Hopefully the Alex impulse 21mm IW wheels hold up I won't need to upgrade anything in the near future. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

OK so I got home and took off the Clement 40 and put Clement 35 USH on. 40's are good tires if your on gravel most of the time. I really like the USH'S These are from my other ride they are a great summer tire. Adjusted the front Der it was noisy rubbing the chain. Flipped the stem( I hope that's OK) because it is not like a normal stem.

See the pics It is a 3 piece system a metal sleeve and rubber bushing and outer piece sorta kind of. I will attest that it does make the front smooth, noticeably so. This is very subjective though cause everyone is different and no means to measure. But I like it.

The seat post is a different story I didn't notice anything different but maybe it makes a difference because it's there. Again it looks like a simple rubber bushing between metal contact points.
With that said I felt pretty good after the ride and it was hot and humid.

This bike tracks great better than any bike I have owned. It was windy today and I was just making way on dirt with some fatigue setting and I kept it steady no problem. It is stiff yet comfortable and motors thru turns.

About the brakes yes I like them but they are new and I can skid the tires with them. Did you try resetting yours? Take out the pads and clean them up. A little sandpaper takes the glaze off them if they are gunked up. I had to set them up from scratch so maybe yours need some tweaking. I think mine have compression less cables too.

Here's the pics
On this loose chunky stuff with 60psi in the tires was as good as expected about 2 miles of this. 30 or 40 psi would have been better.

The rubber bushing is where the inner part of the circle is
Stem flipped over see the rubber in between

Roughly 5 mm clearance on either side looking up from bottom

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