2010 Raleigh XXIX Pro Interbike Test Ride
I’m starting to think that bike manufacturers are onto something with steel 29er hardtail mountain bikes. The Raleigh XXIX Pro shows why this is such a winning combination: it’s lightweight, supple, and rolls fast and smooth. Not content with just that, Raleigh ups the ante on the XXIX Pro by including the SRAM XX component group – that’s a lot of X’s!
For this test ride I hit the trail with element22 and just tried to hold onto his rear wheel. While the Raleigh XXIX Pro is a strictly cross-country bike, I was able to cruise the rocky, rutted trails at Bootleg Canyon without feeling like I had taken a beating.
The XXIX Pro sports a sexy, slender profile and shows why steel frames aren’t going away anytime soon. Add to that an edgy yet sophisticated graphic scheme and you’ve got a head-turning bike that melds the old (steel) with the new (29” wheels and SRAM XX components).
Clearly this is a great bike but here’s the bad news: this hardtail retails for north of $4,000. Most of the expense comes from the SRAM XX components and from what I gathered there isn’t a cheaper component configuration available at the moment (for that you’ll have to downgrade to the XXIX+G). Start saving your pennies!
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