Thursday, December 15, 2016

Bikes Of 2016: Raleigh Tamland

The time of year has come that I will be reviewing the bikes I used the most throughout 2016 and why. The ups, downs, changes, and more will be discussed.

Raleigh Tamland Two:

Again, long time readers of this blog already probably guessed that this bike would be showing up here in my year end review on bicycles I have used most. I've written tons about it and there isn't a whole lot to say further on the rig. There were a couple of changes though, so I will go over that.

First off, I built up a new wheel set last Winter using WTB i25 Frequency rims laced to White Industries hubs. The White Industries hubs are really quite nice, by the way. For a boutique brand hub, made in America, they are a pretty good deal. Plus, you can get them in several anodized colors if you'd like that. I have been impressed enough that I am considering another set for another wheel build. More on that in a moment.....

I tried this bike with 650b wheels and 47mm tires.
I also went with 650B Velocity USA Aileron rims and Velocity hubs for a bit when I tested the WTB Horizon 47mm tires. I wasn't 100% stoked on the conversion at first, so I moved the wheels over to the Twin Six Standard Rando where they felt like they had been designed for that bike.

Looking back, I might give the 650B experiment another go on the Tamland. It could be that a toothier treaded tire is what it needs, or maybe I just bailed out on that set up way too soon on that bike. I am not sure.

So, for the future I think I want to build a special wheel set just for this bike. I really like how the Velocity Ailerons have felt in 650B size, so I figured that maybe I should go and give a 700c sized set a whirl at some point. The wheels I have on it now will eventually end up on my Fargo Gen I bike.

That's about it here. I may still end up swapping saddles as well, but for now, the Tamland is pretty dialed and it is a bike I really like a lot.

4 comments:

bikedd said...

Hey GT,
I bought a Tamland after reading the positive things that you had to say about it. I've been really happy with it.

How wide a tire do you think you could fit on it on a 650 rim? I'd love to get something on there that approaches a mountain bike tire? 27x 2.1? Probably not but I thought I'd ask

Thanks, and keep up the great content!!
David

Guitar Ted said...

@bikedd (David)- Thanks for reading, thanks for the comments, and I am happy to hear you like the Tamland.

Ya know- I think 650B X 47-50mm is max size for the Tamland. I do not think a 2.1"er would work, as there would be little room for mud/dirt clearances.

Unknown said...

Can anyone weigh in on the max size tire this bike can accommodate for 700c?

Guitar Ted said...

@Unknown- Sure- I squeezed in a set of WTB Ninline 29 X 2.0 tires once,and while they spun freely, you could barely get a sheet of paper between the tire and the chainstays, so it wasn't practical. I never rode the bike with that set up. In my opinion, a 45mm tire gives you "okay" clearance without fenders.