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Just In: Raleigh Maverick Comp

Raleigh resurrect an old name for a new tarmac/mud/gravelicious bike

Riders of a certain age and dirty disposition might remember the Raleigh Maverick name from a while ago. Raleigh launched the Maverick mountain bike back in 1985; steel frame and forks (it was mostly steel back then), and 15 - count 'em - 15 hill-crushing gears. It was the future. Maybe.

The Maverick was a bit half-hearted at a time when mountain biking was considered as a passing fad by a lot of the UK bike industry, and it didn’t really set the world on fire, or do too well, although enough young boys popped their off-road cherries on them for the bike to have become a romantic memory.

Now the Maverick name is back, and it’s morphed into a touring, century, commuting, towpath, gravel, cyclo-cross type of thing. It’s still all steel though. And has more gears.

There are thee Maverick models in the new range, but no Goose [nice work - Ed], with this £1,150 Maverick Comp topping the trio. The blood red heart of the Comp is the Reynolds 631 butted CroMo frame, with the magic sticker referring to the three main tubes that air-harden after welding. Matched to that frame is a disc specific straight-bladed cromo fork.

Raleigh say the Maverick has gravel road geometry, gravel being a Big Thing right now. It means that the frame angles on the Maverick are a little less racey than those of your normal 'cross bike, or are a tweaked touring shape if you prefer that description, chipper enough to make it a fun bike to ride but stable off-road or when loaded up. We’ll get back to you on that in our review in a few weeks. Angles are adjusted to suit each frame size too, so extra marks there.

There’s a gusset on the down tube/head tube junction for added strength should you prefer to take the Maverick over rougher terrain or down the steps to the station.

Elegant rear dropouts look like they come from a custom frame-builder’s catalogue, most of your commuting and adventuring needs are covered with bosses for a pair of bottles, front and rear racks and mudguards, and there’s even a little chain-pip on the seatstay to hang an oily chain out the way on when you remove the rear wheel for whatever reason. Old touring types will nod sagely.

All cables run along the down tube which goes against the thinking that it’s best to route them along the top tube out of the mud, but the cable to the rear brake is fully enclosed as it runs neatly over the bottom-bracket and along the chainstay.

The groupset is full-on SRAM Rival 22 with 50/34 chainrings linked to a 11-28 cassette that should get you up and down most things, although it might be a little harsh if you pannier up. Those cranks are sized according to frame size with the smallest two getting 170mm and the largest one 175s. 

The wheels are RSP branded AD 3.0 Disc hoops with sealed bearings and mid-section rims for cheating the wind on those long draggy avenues to work or the breezy sections across the endless epic gravel road webbed plains.

Schwalbe Marathon Racer 700x35 tyres hint at this bike's most intended use as a steady mile muncher, hardcore commuting machine or gravel grinder, with plenty of room in the gaps to fit mudguards. If you wanted to extend the Maverick’s range to see where its heritage came from and explore more off-road horizons, those tyres are going to get a bit slippy pretty quickly, but there’s easily space to fit chunkier knobblier rubber in there.

You could even venture onto a cyclo-cross race course although weighing in at over 25lbs for all that steel-is-realness of the Maverick, you might be at a disadvantage to the pure-bred machines. You can always prove them wrong.

Stopping is sorted by TRP’s cable-actuated hydraulic HyRd disc brakes, and they’re a component highlight on a bike of this price. What you get here are the benefits of a hydraulic brake without the drawbacks of having to pay for a full hydraulic system as the caliper is controlled via a standard cable brake lever. We’ve tested them at road.cc and concluded that they are a Good Thing. 

RSP deal with the bars, stem and seatpost, with a Selle Royale Seta taking care of seating plans.

The Maverick is one of the new breed of cyclo-cross bikes, like the seminal Genesis Croix de Fer, that aren’t really what could be seen as cyclo-cross bikes in the traditional sense but an evolution of the species, with a bit of, ahem, cross breeding with other bikes for good measure. It's less of a specific bike for racing around a field for an hour and more of a bike that can do a little bit of everything else, which is what a lot of people were using their cyclo-cross bikes for anyway.

Designed to take on tarmac, gravel or mud, it’s a more relaxed and versatile cyclo-cross bike, or a more rufty-tufty touring bike depending on your viewpoint, although calling it a touring bike isn’t cool, call it an Adventure Bike, a Gravel Racer, something All-Road, or whatever the marketing team decides.

We’re going to crash the Maverick through the streets in the week and then nudge the edges of the map on the weekend to see what it does best. Not sure when we’ll be back.

www.raleigh.co.uk

Jo Burt has spent the majority of his life riding bikes, drawing bikes and writing about bikes. When he's not scribbling pictures for the whole gamut of cycling media he writes words about them for road.cc and when he's not doing either of those he's pedaling. Then in whatever spare minutes there are in between he's agonizing over getting his socks, cycling cap and bar-tape to coordinate just so. And is quietly disappointed that yours don't He rides and races road bikes a bit, cyclo-cross bikes a lot and mountainbikes a fair bit too. Would rather be up a mountain.

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25 comments

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pauli | 9 years ago
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Just bought the maverick elite with sora and trp spyre disc brakes. The ride is well comfortable and yes you feel the extra weight on the hills but the gearing makes up for that. The brakes are responsive and the sora group is as efficient as ever. This is by far the best and most fun training/,commuting bike I've had. Flying down those big Cumbrian hills with big tyres and disc brakes just fills you with confidence and when it comes to jumping on the Stealth pro carbon in the spring I should be quite strong. Would strongly recommend.

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robgeje | 9 years ago
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Now 2+ months later and still no review on it ?? any idea when you will have finished testing it and actually reviewing it??

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shawnriffhard | 9 years ago
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This is pretty close to the Raleigh Tamland in the US. I like Shimano, myself, but the Maverick gives you TRP HYRD instead of the Spyre. I agree that this is the way forward- one do it all bike with different sets of tires. ROad tires until you arrive at your off road destination; pull out the knobbies from your backpack, a quick change, and away you go.

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samvegg | 9 years ago
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The only problem i have ever had with down tube cable routing is when it was just the right temperature that the ground was muddy under the sun but frozen else where and it froze mud on my cables, stopping up shifting.

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stealth | 9 years ago
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When 'normal' bikes appear to have this sort of multi-use potential, could we be looking at a new formula for "The ideal number if bikes"? n=1...
Most of us really do only need one bike. Particularly if it is like this. 3 sets of tyres would let you do 'pretty much' anything.

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BikeBud replied to stealth | 9 years ago
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stealth wrote:

When 'normal' bikes appear to have this sort of multi-use potential, could we be looking at a new formula for "The ideal number if bikes"? n=1...
Most of us really do only need one bike. Particularly if it is like this. 3 sets of tyres would let you do 'pretty much' anything.

What is this crazy talk? I suggest you give yourself a stern talking to. There will ALWAYS be a need for another bike!

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zedbedboy | 9 years ago
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I had a new Maverick back in '87 to take to uni. It lasted 3 weeks before some scrote pulled the barrel out of my D lock and that was the end of that.

That's Manc-chester for ya!

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crikey | 9 years ago
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The cable routing on a cross bike is related to carrying the bike; down tube cabling, especially on the right hand side of the downtube will epilate your right arm and make you look like you've been self harming.

The whole 'cross' or 'gravel' thing is essentially marketing; these bikes are the equivalent of 4x4s to trundle off to Tesco with.

Nothing wrong with the bikes, and the mudguard eyes and rack mounts make it into a versatile all rounder, but I bet more of them end up with mudguards on rather than mud.  3

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Chris James replied to crikey | 9 years ago
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crikey wrote:

down tube cabling, especially on the right hand side of the downtube will epilate your right arm and make you look like you've been self harming.

I can't say I have ever noticed that at all, and I always carry the bike with the down tube under the crook of my elbow, not wrapped around the head tube (which would avoid the 'problem' completely).

Mind you, I spend most of the time in races in the inner ring, so the cable is totally slack!

I think it is more typical to pick the bike by the top tube (for traversing barriers or short obstacles rather than larger run ups), so you could equally worry about squashing top mounted cables.

This thread covers much the same ground as the discussion below.

http://www.ukcyclocross.com/forum/topics/gear-cable-son-down-tubes

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andyp | 9 years ago
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That looks really nice. But, well, *Raleigh*? I can't get past the 'Activator II Full Suspension Mountain Bike Just £129.99' image.

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bamilton wackad... replied to andyp | 9 years ago
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andyp wrote:

That looks really nice. But, well, *Raleigh*? I can't get past the 'Activator II Full Suspension Mountain Bike Just £129.99' image.

I felt the same; but I picked up a Clubman earlier this year and I haven't looked back - it's a lovely ride. They're having a bit of a renaissance at the moment and have had some good reviews for their modern bikes.

I had a 5 speed Maverick when I was a bairn. It was bugger all use for getting up hills - but good for bombing about the village.

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KiwiMike | 9 years ago
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OK, hang on whilst I pick my jaw up off of the floor.

(ignoring all the reminiscing)

This is a stunning spec for the price. Seems to me they've taken the fight to Genesis' Croix de Fer and not only beaten them to a pulp, but set fire to the carcass for good measure. TRP HyRD? Rival 11-speed with Wi-Fli and Yaw front mech? AND a chain catcher?

A different tyre choice (GP 4 Seasons 28c) would see you under the 11kg mark.

This may well be my next winter bike. Can't wait for the full review.

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DrJDog replied to KiwiMike | 9 years ago
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KiwiMike wrote:

Rival 11-speed with Wi-Fli

S'not the wi-fli version - looks like the standard sized rear mech to me

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fukawitribe replied to DrJDog | 9 years ago
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DrJDog wrote:
KiwiMike wrote:

Rival 11-speed with Wi-Fli

S'not the wi-fli version - looks like the standard sized rear mech to me

Aye - spec'd as the Rival 22ss on the Raleigh website (and as you mentioned, the one in the picture isn't WiFli)

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KiwiMike replied to fukawitribe | 9 years ago
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fukawitribe wrote:
DrJDog wrote:
KiwiMike wrote:

Rival 11-speed with Wi-Fli

S'not the wi-fli version - looks like the standard sized rear mech to me

Aye - spec'd as the Rival 22ss on the Raleigh website (and as you mentioned, the one in the picture isn't WiFli)

My bad - wasn't aware it was an option. If someone could please send me a set to compare, I shall amend my ways  1

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james-o | 9 years ago
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I prefer that method of gear cable routing to top-tube routing for long-term running. Less friction on those plastic BB guides than the seat cluster cable sections after a while and water doesn't run into the upper end of the mech loop. Looks like a nice bike, Raleigh's US product guy is doing good things.

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Chris James replied to james-o | 9 years ago
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james-o wrote:

I prefer that method of gear cable routing to top-tube routing for long-term running. Less friction on those plastic BB guides than the seat cluster cable sections after a while and water doesn't run into the upper end of the mech loop. Looks like a nice bike, Raleigh's US product guy is doing good things.

I agree. My cross bike has bare cables run down the down tube and doesn't suffer any problems with mud. I thought it was now generally agreed that it is an old wife's tale, and that both routings are fine?

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crikey | 9 years ago
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Just as the majority of recent 'cross' bikes are essentially tourers with a fancy paint job, so 'gravel' bikes seem to be cross bikes with crappy cable routing...

And of course how do you know that someone's bought a gravel bike rather than a cross bike?...

...Because they'll tell you...

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Super Domestique | 9 years ago
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Not every Maverick came with that huge selection of 15 gears.

Mine had 5 (starting the 1x trend  3 )

It also had side pull brakes, steel rims and centre ridge tyres. Braking was an option I had forgotten to tick!

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Dnnnnnn | 9 years ago
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Look at that saddle! Like sittin' on a razor blade...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCUN8eJancQ

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unclebadger | 9 years ago
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Looks awesome!!

I cant wait for them to resurrect a Raleigh Team Banana!

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cat1commuter | 9 years ago
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What a great frame and fork. Only thing I'd criticise is that there seems to be less tyre clearance on the fork than there is on the chainstays.

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joemmo | 9 years ago
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if I remember rightly, the Maverick came out at the time that BMX was still in it's first flush of youth and was tarred by association with the Raleigh Bomber, which was very much out of fashion by that point.

There were only a few MTBs you could actually buy around that time - the original Ridgebacks, Muddy Fox Courier and I think Diamond Back got in on it quite early. My dad still has my old Ridgeback in his garage but I think mice ate the saddle.

Nostalgia trip ends.

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Dr_Lex replied to joemmo | 9 years ago
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joemmo wrote:

[...]
There were only a few MTBs you could actually buy around that time - the original Ridgebacks, Muddy Fox Courier and I think Diamond Back got in on it quite early. My dad still has my old Ridgeback in his garage but I think mice ate the saddle.
[...]

And Saracen; still use my Eighties Blizzard as the pub bike (mice preferring to eat cabling/pipes in my cars).

Good-looking bike; I hope it sells well.

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tom_w replied to joemmo | 9 years ago
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joemmo wrote:

the original Ridgebacks, Muddy Fox Courier and I think Diamond Back got in on it quite early. My dad still has my old Ridgeback in his garage but I think mice ate the saddle.

I am still using my original Ridgeback (yellow and light blue) as my town bike  1

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