Bikes Of 2024: Raleigh Tamland Two

 It's another late December here on the blog. You know what that means? Yep! Another round of my bikes I used in 2024. This round-up will not include some of the bikes I did not use this year much, or at all. I focus only on the bikes that played a big role in my riding during this year.  As always, any changes or future plans for any bike I feature will also be detailed. I hope that you enjoy this year's round-up. 

The Raleigh Tamland Two before the rear wheel failed!

Well, ten years of the Raleigh Tamland Two and it still is getting plenty of ride time, despite its age. This is the bike I helped design in 2012 with advice I gave Raleigh and was the bike I was going to retire a couple of years ago, but I just couldn't get it to happen. 

Why? 

Because it is still a relevant bike in 2024 and with a couple of minor details updated, it would be bang-on for 2025. Mainly those details are things that would generally be seen as deal killers for some, but not for performance reasons. First is the reason I almost retired the bike, and that has to do with axle standards. The Tamland I have is quick release based. Getting wheels which utilize convertible axle caps is not as common as it once was. 

I started out 2024 with some carbon wheels on this bike.

But a pair of Irwin Cycling Carbon Aeon 35's I had would support a switch to quick release hubs, so I converted that wheel set in 2023 and started out 2024 with those wheels. However; when I experienced some weird drive train issues, I first blamed the free hub on the Irwin wheels. I switched out to a set of DT Swiss hubbed Roval wheels I got from Grannygear, and that seemed to solve the issue, until it didn't. 

Then I found the real reason I was having trouble. It was a worn out crank set. So, I replaced that crank set with a completely new one, because it was cheaper than buying separate rings, and that would have been it but for a new problem. The Roval rear wheel starting unwinding its spokes. Uggh!

Sooo.... Back to the Irwins? Well, not so fast! I had taken that wheel set apart to investigate the free hub, which I had originally thought was the problem, and in the process I misplaced the axle end cap. 

Doh!

I kind of liked this look, but that went away for a bit

So, I ended up using an older wheel I had built up as a place holder until I got the DT Swiss hubbed Rovals rebuilt with new nipples. More on that in a bit...

The other thing that the Tamland has which might be seen as a deterrent in 2025 to owning this bike is the straight 1 1/8th steer tube. But that has already been addressed with the addition of the Fyxation carbon fork with those mounts for bottles, and that addresses the third issue with the original Tamlands which was the lack of bottle mounts. There are only two native to this 2014 model. 

Oh! And I added a carbon post with a white saddle this year, just to be fashionable. No other reasoning for that! 

In the future changes department I will be reinstalling the aforementioned Roval wheel. Other than that? I think with about every critical drive train bit replaced I won't have to do much else.