Raleigh Cadent i8

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I may have an opportunity to buy a 2014 model Raleigh Cadent i8 demo bike from a local bike shop. They said the selling price back then was about $850, and they've got $350 on it now. I don't know what a "demo bike" means -- it's a local bike shop chain -- maybe they had this bike out at events and gave test rides? I don't know...

Either way, does anyone have experience with the Shimano internal 8 speed hub? The current model uses a belt drive; I'm not sure about the 2014 model. I'm also not sure of the gear ratio spread between lowest and highest on this bike. I'm used to a 21 speed drivetrain, with a 28t front and 28t rear cog as the low gear. I'm interested to know how "low" 1st gear would be on this Cadent.

I'm also interested to know about maintenance on an internal hub in general. I'm very familiar with adjusting derailleurs -- I haven't messed with the internal hubs at all. I imagine that, due to their nature, they'd have to be pretty much maintenance-free, right? You can't easily disassemble a wheel hub to tune that up.

If the bike fits me, and would fit my use (mostly fitness riding family bike riding), I think this particular bike would be a good value, at just $350. Any thoughts?
 
I'd heard of these a while back, but have never seen one in person. Sheldon Brown had a bike with one, and had a write up here Sheldon Brown internal-gear hubs He has a few links to maintenance and operation at that link.

Sheldon is one of a very few internet sources I trust.

It seems that maintenance would be oil changes, and keeping the cable adjusted.

He claims a range of 244% on the 7 speed version. Presumably 8 would be close to that range (with an old school 10speed range of 247%)

My only worry would be if it didn't have a way to add a different brake, you couldn't change from that setup if you didn't like it. They do appear to still sell the hub and parts.
 
They do seem interesting. Sheldon Brown is about the only internet site dedicated to bikes that I visit with regularity.

This seems to be OBE now, though. I've been trolling Craigslist for weeks for a good used bike, which seem to be few and far between around here (thus, my interest in that demo model at a LBS). They're either Walmart bikes or they're $1,500 mountain bikes that someone bought thinking they'd use it and never did.

As it so happens, someone posted a "bicycle sale" on Craigslist yesterday, for $200. I opened the ad, and it was a Trek Verve 3. I called him and he's an older guy who bought it new last year from the same LBS where we bought our daughter's Raleigh a week or two ago. He just never rode it. Indeed -- there's not a mark on it, and it seems to have been just collecting dust. He said he paid $800 for it, but Trek's MSRP (at least for the 2016 Verve 3) is $649. In either case, $200 is a heck of a deal for what is essentially a brand new 2015 Trek hybrid.

In my basement (and you can see my trusty '92 model Motiv Stonegrinder in the background -- I've ridden that bike since I bought it new, and it's been a REAL good bike).

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You can see all the dust on it still in that picture. It has an 8 speed Hyperglide cassette in the back with Shimano Acera drivetrain. Suntour 3 ring crank on the front, but with bolt-on chainrings instead of with riveted. I wasn't looking for a sprung bike, but this has a suspension seat post and front fork. After riding it some, I think I'll really enjoy it. I have raised the seat some, and will probably lower the handlebars for closer to a traditional mountain bike riding position. I like the adjustability that my old Motiv doesn't have.

It has 35x622 tires, and I prefer a tire with a bit more "balloon" to it, for comfort. But, we'll see -- even with these really aired up, the suspension of the bike mostly erases the sharp impacts from pavement cracks and such, so it could be that I can ride this with more air than I typically use and still maintain the comfort level that I want. Daughter's Raleigh has 38x622 tires, and I like that size better. I'd actually probably look at 40mm or 42mm tires when I do replace these Bontrager H5s.

That Cadent was intriguing to me, but I just couldn't pass up this deal. I told my wife that even if I decided I didn't like it, I could easily sell it for what I paid, so my financial risk is essentially 0 with this bike.
 
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