It’s time to bid farewell to our trusty Raleigh Strada hire bikes and find them new owners who can give them the kind of attention they deserve!
Versatility is the name of the game with the Strada. The aluminium frame and fork make light work of hacking around the local park or hard-pack trails such as canal towpath, and the Strada is equally at home on tarmac ridden as a flat-barred, leisure road bike or sleek, agile commuter.
Last year’s Raleigh Strada 3 retailed at £499, but we’re letting them go for £325, and for that price you get £100-worth of upgrades in the form of puncture-resistant tyres, mudguards and a bottle cage.
It’s the same deal with our Raleigh Strada 2 bikes, with a ‘step-through’ frame suited to female riders.
Remember that with Raleigh you’re buying into a world-renowned, tried and tested British brand with over 100 years of history.
Stepping up a gear, and moving into slightly rougher terrain, we’ve got a Ridgeback Dual Track 2.2. This is a hybrid, leaning towards off-road disciplines, but still a step away from full-on mountain biking. For hacking over moorland trails or forest tracks, it’s ideal, with the short-travel suspension fork helping to smooth out the bumps. RRP £600, sale price £450.
At the other end of the scale, we have a couple of lightweight folding bikes ideal for commuting. The Kansi 3-speed 3twenty keeps things simple by employing a geared rear up, so there’s no rear derailleur to mess with or mess up. Cycling Plus Magazine rated it as ‘one of the best folders around, if not the best’. Our ex-demo bike has only been ridden a few miles and is practically new. The RRP is £599 but we’ve slashed the price by over 50% to £295.
The 3twenty’s little brother, the 1twenty, simplifies things further – you still get the great folding portability but in a single-speed package. The RRP is £499. Our bike is brand new, still boxed and discounted by 40% – sale price £295!
