With the sun in the sky and the sportive season approaching its zenith (Sunday witnessed the 10th anniversary of the Wiggle Dragon Ride), the motivation to ride will be, for many, at an all-time high.
Perhaps that same motivation drops, however, when you pop out to the shed and realise your road bike might not be up to the task of supplying the enjoyment anticipated from your planned summer of cycling.
Raleigh will be hoping to supply the answer to this possible conundrum with their sportive-oriented Revenio range. The Nottingham firm has been making bikes for over 125 years, a period long enough to develop a keen understanding of the needs of UK road cyclists.
The growth in popularity of machines suited to endurance events like sportives, and their core constituency of riders likely to value comfort over speed, has been well documented. The Revenio is Raleigh’s ‘endurance’ range, and the Revenio Carbon arrived for test at RCUK Towers represents the top of that particular tree.
With relaxed geometry, long wheelbase (1033mm on our 56mm model), and a tall headtube (190mm) it’s clear that this machine is geared towards comfort. Raleigh call this their RE2P (Relaxed Ergonomic Effective Position) set-up. The tall head tube exhibited across the Revenio range is intended to reduce the reach to the handlebars and with, stress on the body, by creating a more upright position.
The long-ish chainstays are a key contributor to the aforementioned 1033mm wheelbase, one we expect to deliver stability at high speeds and confident cornering.
A comparison with the geometry of the race-ready Milits is instructive. While sizing is in different increments (odd numbers for the Militis, even for the Revenio), preventing a direct comparison, the wheelbase of the 57cm Militis is still shorter than our 56cm Revenio – 994mm compared to 1033mm.
The Revenio’s low bottom bracket offers a further promise of stability.
The carbon frame is paired with Raleigh’s C3 carbon-bladed fork. Featuring some neat internal cable routing, the curve of the toptube is aesthetically pleasing and the matt paint finish is elegantly understated. The box-section chainstays promise stiffness under pedalling loads, but the bottom bracket shell doesn’t blend in as well to the rest of the bike as you would hope. The tall and tapered headtube on the other hand is finished well and adorned with Raleigh’s famous heron crest.
The Revenio Carbon is equipped with Shimano’s reliable 10-speed, 105 STI levers and gear drivetrain, a popular choice at the price point and one that has always met our expectations. An FSA Omega chainset with compact ratio completes the drivetrain.
Raleigh’s own brand RSP brakes have raised eyebrows but will require testing before judgement is passed. The wheels are also Raleigh’s own (AC 2.0) – keep those eyebrows raised – and wrapped in Schwalbe Lugano rubber.
The Selle San Marco Ponza saddle is a nice feature at this price, and the ITM bars are finished with Velo VLT tape, providing an extremely padded feel. Raleigh claim a total weight of 8.8kg – respectable.
We’ll be putting the Raleigh Revenio Carbon through its paces in the weeks ahead will report back on our findings.
Website: Raleigh
Sizes: 49, 52, 54, 56, 59
Colour: matte white
Price: £1,500
