# 2009 Raleigh One Way



## Killroy

Review coming....


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## MB1

I love the tones in that pic.


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## buck-50

If only it had gears...

http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/road/clubman/


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## snapdragen

Well hurry up!!  I've been stalking the One Way for more than a year, waiting until I can actually ride one..


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## Killroy

MB1 said:


> I love the tones in that pic.


Thanks. I took the picture when the sun was going down. That's the trick.



buck-50 said:


> If only it had gears...
> 
> http://www.raleighusa.com/bikes/road/clubman/.


I have a bunch of geared bikes already. This is my first single speed/fixed gear.



snapdragen said:


> Well hurry up!! I've been stalking the One Way for more than a year, waiting until I can actually ride one.


I have never seen one on the floor of a bike shop. I ordered my 2009 in October and got it a week ago.


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## marc180

*tire clearance?*

what's the tire clearance on the one way?


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## blackhat

I like it, nice pic too.


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## buck-50

Killroy said:


> I have a bunch of geared bikes already. This is my first single speed/fixed gear.


Meant no disrespect to yer bike-yer shot was nice enough I assumed it was pulled from the raleigh site. 

I really like the looks of that thing- I saw one in a shop a couple weeks ago and was pretty amazed at how smart the design is... If someone could figure out how to get a nexus 8 internal hub to work with drop bars (and not the kludged- up solutions offered by the late Mr. Brown), that might make it the perfect commuter.


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## Killroy

buck-50 said:


> Meant no disrespect to yer bike-yer shot was nice enough I assumed it was pulled from the raleigh site.
> 
> I really like the looks of that thing- I saw one in a shop a couple weeks ago and was pretty amazed at how smart the design is... If someone could figure out how to get a nexus 8 internal hub to work with drop bars (and not the kludged- up solutions offered by the late Mr. Brown), that might make it the perfect commuter.


My friend, Doug Ollerenshaw, rocks the gear hub commuter. I will ask him his setup sometime.

I will do a little review by the end of the day after work.


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## Killroy

I don’t know how to write this review, so I will just go in the order of my experience from researching the bike to the first rides.

I wanted to get a commuter specific bike for some time because for the last 4 years I have been using, my now decade old, CoMotion Espresso for riding to work with fenders, lights, reflectors, big heavy Armadillo tires, ect. My CoMotion is kinda a beater for going on real road rides on the weekend.

I just graduated with my engineering management masters from SCU that took me 3 years of part time school and full time work, so this bike was going to be a treat to myself for my accomplishment. I wanted to go the single speed/fixed gear route and I was considering my options, like building a vintage bike, buying one of the SS/FG bikes and putting fenders and lights on it or getting a commuter specific model. 

The Raleigh One Way caught my eye about a year ago when the 2008 came out. Other bikes I looked at were the Redline 925 and the Specialized Langster in the Seattle Trim which comes with wood-look fenders. The 925 was –yawn-- boring, the Langster was over stylized and I don’t like sloping top tube road bikes, the Raleigh was just right. I was also looking for the good mud clearance of cantilever brakes. My 20-something-mile daily commute has about 6 miles of gravel road and dirt. I ride all terrain and numerous occasions I had to ride through mud that clogged my regular road bike’s brakes and fenders so bad, that I had to get out of the saddle and hammer to maintain forward momentum. Eventually, I lost front wheel traction and crashed in the mud going over the ever so slight regularity in the road because the front wheel was near lock from the mud. I wanted to have all-terrain capability when I needed it, so cantis were a must.

I called my bike wrench mentor and old coworker, Brian Harrell, at Fairfax Cyclery back in September and tried to buy a One Way, but he said that they were all out and that I would have to order a 2009 in October. October 1 rolled around and I put my order in, but I did not get my bike until ~December 14th. Usually the new model years come really early, so I was surprised that it came so late. I guess Raleigh focuses on getting there mainstream bikes out first.










The first thing I noticed was the Lezyne Pressure Drive S Pump that comes with it. I am in search of the holy grail of road pumps. Frame pumps are too big. Mini pumps are ridiculous to actually use and I have never been happy with the longevity of the Blackburn Airstick when exposed to the elements. The Lezyne is really sleek and matches the bike. It is also sealed both at the handle ( a feature that most pumps lack) and at the business end.


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## Killroy

At the shop I was briefed on how to take care of the real leather Brooks Aged B17 saddle. When I was researching the bike I found out that Brooks is like the Ducati of leather saddles and Brooks has been making saddles since 1866. WOW. If fact one critic said that the saddle is so nice it does not belong on a bike like the One Way. 

Josh, at the shop, told me how to adjust the saddle shape with the draw string under the saddle that is laced through the perforations. I never new of the feature I have already tightened up the string a little because I like a really narrow saddle. I really like the saddle, but I think I would like Brooks saddle that comes on the Raleigh Clubman, the Swift or the Swallow because it is a little smaller. Normally, I ride a SLR saddle, so less is more for me. 

Josh also recommended caring for the saddle with SNO SEAL, a all season leather protector, and a inexpensive alternative to Brooks snake oil. I will have to learn more about this.


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## Killroy

When I first saw the 2009 blue color on the website, I did not think I would like it as much as the ’08 green, but in person I love it and it matches the rest of the retro look well. The paint has a little flake in it so it sparkles like the Vampires in Twilight. 










The other difference from ’08 is that the ’09 was going to loose the Brooks leather bar tape. The Brooks bar tape goes for $70 retail, so I imagine that Raleigh had a hard time meeting the price point with that spec. Its too bad that I did not get the leather bar tape, because I would of liked the extra bragging rights. The tape that came with the bike feels good and is the right color scheme, but I could do with out the Raleigh logo, because it is a tough too racy for the bike.


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## Killroy

When I first road the bike, it felt very solid. The next ride I notice how high I am riding do to the big, wide, 35c tires. These big tire make the stand over height really high compared to normal, so size the bike by the top tube, not the stand over. The big tires are really grippy and a plush. They definitely swallow the majority of harsh bumps. Now that I have a dedicated commuter bike, I don’t have to worry about the big, puncture-armored tires slowing me down on a weekend club ride. 

I’m glad that I brought a 15 mm wrench in the car because I was not sure if this bike was going to have quick release or not. Look at those dropouts, those are bolt-ons both front and rear. Its nice to have a little more security on a commuter to keep honest people honest.


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## Killroy

I would never buy a bell, because my philosophy on the MUT was to just announce your presence with the voice that God gave you, “On your left”. Now that I have a bell, I realize how much more friendly and easy it is to use. The bell keeps everyone happy on the trails that I ride which is important to cycling.


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## Killroy

I thought I would never give up my trusty Armadillo tires, but these tire are also puncture protected and they have the commuter safe reflective ring on them that is important for night visibility. 

The fenders are large, not cruiser large, but full coverage. The weather has been wet lately and as I was riding through puddle, I found my self automatically bracing myself for a cold, wet splash, but there was nothing. My old road bike was equipped with clip on fenders, but would still get splashed on my feet and lower legs. I thought that was normal, but now my feet stay completely dry. I never knew it could be this good. Alto Velo Club, take a note and consider fenders in the winter.


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## asterisk

I think you lucked out by getting the 2009, I had a 2008 for a couple months while building up my CrossCheck. The track drops (rear wheel dropouts) in addition to the fenders made changing a flat or taking the rear wheel off a gigantic pain. With the 2009 they switched to horizontal road dropouts which make it a breeze. 

Great color as well. I wasn't too into the sloping top tube but that's just aesthetics. Enjoy the ride. I would recommend swapping out the stock brake pads for some Koolstops as well, the stock pads are horrible.


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## Killroy

The bike was set up with the freewheel and I left it that way until I could fit the bike to myself. I took all the head seat spacers and cut the steer tube to get a seat to top of bar vertical drop of around 6 cm which is a lot less than my old road bike. Its perfect. 

When I was done with the fitting, I was dieing to see what the fixed side of the flip flop hub was like, so I went to take off the wheel to flop it. 15mm nuts loose, brake released and the bike won’t let go of the wheel. I have it up on the stand and I try to force the big tire forward to get it to drop out. The tire is too big. I had to let the air out. I guess that is a little design flaw, but not a big deal for the user since, the only real reason you need to get at the wheel is to change a flat.

I expected a little more from the free wheel. It’s a little cheap, so it wobbles around like my old mountain bike cassette freewheel. 

It has nothing to do with the bike, but I hate the grease that they pack chains in. Its going to take a couple of WD40 applications before that junk is gone.

Another critique is that I expected a single speed specific front ring, but Raleigh has selected a inexpensive Suntour part, with shift ramps and short teeth. Not exactly optimal.


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## marc180

*handling?*

thanks for the review. i really want one of these!

one very subjective Q...how's the handling compare to your road bike? does it feel sluggish or just as snappy/responsive?

i'm worried that if i buy one w/o riding it that the handling won't be as responsive as i'd like.


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## Dave Hickey

Very sweet bike and a great review.....


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## DIRT BOY

*That's a sweet looking bike....*

I LOVE color and the honey brooks and tape.

Great review and enjoy that sucker!! :thumbsup:


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## Killroy

marc180 said:


> thanks for the review. i really want one of these!
> 
> one very subjective Q...how's the handling compare to your road bike? does it feel sluggish or just as snappy/responsive?
> 
> i'm worried that if i buy one w/o riding it that the handling won't be as responsive as i'd like.


I would describe the handling as solid. The geometry is similar to regular road bikes and the bike feels like my steel road bike. The big variable is the big, semi-nobby tires. At normal speeds the handling feels normal except the tires are filtering out more of the harsh impacts. At low speed the tires have a lot of grip on the pavement, so you can feel the scrub of the tires as they hang onto the pavement when you crank the bars over for a u-turn or a slalom


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## Killroy

DIRT BOY said:


> I LOVE color and the honey brooks and tape.
> 
> Great review and enjoy that sucker!! :thumbsup:


The Brooks is actually the "Aged", but the collor is close to the Honey in my pictures.


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## randi_526

the frame color is the same as the 08 rush hour. Is the blue the only color they have this year?


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## Touch0Gray

Killroy....given the option of going back in time I would get the one -way over the langster I got.....

I love the langster BUT...the raliegh.......well they did it right....

edit...OR maybe i need ANOTHER fixed.....................


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## JohnnyTooBad

Nice review and looks to be a great bike. Much nicer than my SE Lager. But then again, my Lager was stupid cheap.


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## Killroy

randi_526 said:


> the frame color is the same as the 08 rush hour. Is the blue the only color they have this year?


The blue is the only color for the '09 One Way.


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## commutenow

Now that you have it for awhile can you tell us more about the ride? Thanks


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## Killroy

commutenow said:


> Now that you have it for awhile can you tell us more about the ride? Thanks


Yes, I want to critique the One Way. 

1.	It’s a Tank. This can be a good and a bad thing. There is no way in hell you are ever going to bend the bars in a crash. The tubing wall thinness is so thick that it will not take a standard bar end plug. It needs a bar plug with a smaller inside diameter. The negative is the weight. I have added a light and a small seat bag and that is it, yet it is it’s a struggle to lift this bad boy. I expected that this bike would weigh similar to my steel geared bike because it has less chain, no derailleur’s, no shifters, not cables and housing one less ring in the front and 8 less cogs in the rear. 

2.	I like the metal flake in the paint, but I did notice some small weld splatter. Either this frame snuck past quality control, or they allow some splatter to lower the cost. I have seen $200 bikes with near perfect welds, this bike should not be a exception.

3.	This bike has taught me that Bells are awesome. On MUTs, the bell is so much friendlier than “ON YOUR LEFT”. I get thank you waves all the time now. But after a couple of weeks the ringer broke off. I ended up buying a more retro looking brass bell with no plastic springs to break.

4.	The chain ring does not belong on this bike. The chain ring that Raleigh specified for the One Way is a shifting ring. What I mean by that is that it has ramps and short teeth to aid shifting. This bike is a single speed, darn it. Put a proper single speed ring on it with really stout teeth on it that last a long time. Because of this cheap chain ring I have a slight issue with tight & loose chain tension. I will end up buying a proper ring eventually.

5.	Yesterday I got a flat and I thought I had a rare puncture through the beefy puncture-protected tires, but it was the rim strip. The WTB rims strip is too narrow for the rim and it is not held in place by any adhesive, so it migrated and the spoke hole eventually cut a hole in the tube. I will have to replace that.

6.	The rear wheel build was not perfect because it went out of true bad enough to completely loosen a spoke. When I trued the wheel, the spoke tension seemed really low, but I don’t know the spec on the non-eyelet rim.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love the bike, just Raleigh has a lot of work to do to improve customer satisfaction.


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## Killroy

7. I found out that with the big tires, the old school drop outs and the small space that the fenders take up, the tire has to be deflated to remove the rear wheel. Not good.


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## commutenow

Thanks


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## holy cromoly

Killroy said:


> The first thing I noticed was the Lezyne Pressure Drive S Pump that comes with it. I am in search of the holy grail of road pumps. Frame pumps are too big. Mini pumps are ridiculous to actually use and I have never been happy with the longevity of the Blackburn Airstick when exposed to the elements. The Lezyne is really sleek and matches the bike. It is also sealed both at the handle ( a feature that most pumps lack) and at the business end.


I can vouch for the Lezyne pump. Sweet pump indeed. I can't believe Raleigh is specing such a premium pump as OE for the bike. Impressive!


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## RecessMonkeys

Thanks for all the dirt. I got smoked by a car early last fall while riding my SS converted Schwinn World. The driver was charged and his insurance co. ponied up for a new bike. By coincidence, it happened to be the cost of a new One Way. I dithered between it and the Masi Speciale Commuter, but decided on the Raleigh. I realise it's no featherweight, but then again, neither am I. And parts will be swapped out. I was originally disappointed that they had changed the paint from the forest green, but your pictures show the blue to good advantage'. I like the fact they based it on their 'cross frame, so rail trails won't be n issue. And hopefully someone who purchases a Sojourn won't like the leather tape, and I'll pick up the leftovers. I imagine the Raleigh logo will be rubbed indistinct after a couple of weeks anyway. Thanks again for the posting. It gives me something to look forward to, while stuck in the grip of a good old fashioned Canadian winter.


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## majura

Great review/post.

When that chainring wears out check out these from Fyxomatosis

Although I can't vouch for durability (it's only been a month) they are a nice solid piece of kit. Plus, with the crashing Australian dollar should be reasonably priced.


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## Hootie31

Any comment on TouchOGrey about One Way v. Langster? I've been going back and forth between the two and can't decide...


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## Touch0Gray

Hootie31 said:


> Any comment on TouchOGrey about One Way v. Langster? I've been going back and forth between the two and can't decide...


I have yet to ride a One Way...I will say I love my Langster, she's nimble little sprite, quick, agile. I had to buy my own Brooks and there is NO WAY IN HE!! fenders would work on her. I bypassed the harsh ride issue by putting 25C on her and running lower pressure, it like a new bike. I like the compact geometry and I like Specialized, so I guess I'll just stay where I'm at for now since I have 2 fixed and 2 geared bikes already (3 steel)


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## rugbysecondrow

Very informative review. Does this bike accommodate a rear mounted rack?

Thanks


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## RecessMonkeys

Indeed it does. I picked mine up today from Cycle Cambridge (in Cambridge, Ontario). I haven't ridden it much, but it's very well-appointed. Dig your user name. I was a tight-head prop myself.


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## rugbysecondrow

Great. I am trying to choose between this and an On One Pompino.

Some of my favorite people are props (especially the female ones who keep you warm in the winter). Unfortunately a back injury keeps me from playing anymore, so I do triathlons now.

Cheers,

Paul


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## Killroy

majura said:


> Great review/post.
> 
> When that chainring wears out check out these from Fyxomatosis
> 
> Although I can't vouch for durability (it's only been a month) they are a nice solid piece of kit. Plus, with the crashing Australian dollar should be reasonably priced.


Those are stout teeth.


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## Killroy

FYI, someone asked about if there was a mount for a rack. YES. There is one mounting location for the stock fenders and another for a rack, which I leave unused.


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