The Raleigh Stuntman screams serious fun – Monster Cross anyone?. Clearance for big tyres, a dropper post!, Reynolds 631 butted chromoly steel tubing, classy saddle and handlebar tape to match the bike’s livery – the Stuntman also looks the business.
For those readers in their mid 40’s or older, you may remember the 1980’s TV show, The Fall Guy. If the paint colours of the Raleigh Stuntman ring a bell, you’ve probably watched the Stuntman TV show just a few times. The Stuntman bicycle is a homage to that TV show.
At the top of this article, we mentioned the Stuntman has big tyre clearance – we don’t mean 650b wheels fitted with 50mm tyres.
Raleigh fit the Stuntman with Clement 700c x 50mm X’Plor MSO tyres… in MTB speak, 700c and 29’er are the same thing. This means, some good 29’er tyre options will work on the Stuntman too!
Plenty of tyre clearance, sweet!
The Stuntman is designed exclusively for use with a single chainring drivetrain.
Whether you are a fan or not, single chainring drivetrains are becoming popular – at least with the manufacturers. The crankset is a brand we are unfamiliar with – Sammox – forged two piece alumin(i)um construction with narrow / wide 40 tooth chainring.
Popularity contests aside, the Gravel Cyclist crew prefer the increased choice of gear ratios that a double chainring offers – and no huge jumps between cogs on the cassette – this is especially useful for extended climbing. However, not all gravel roads are steep in gradient or deep in sand – if simplicity is what you seek, it’s hard to look past a single chainring system.
Raleigh fit the Stuntman with a SRAM Rival long cage rear derailleur. The stock cassette is a PG11-30 unit, 11-42 ratio.
The single gear cable on the Stuntman is routed externally. Surprisingly, the cable is not fully housed from shifter to rear derailleur. The fully-housed cable running beneath the downtube is for the dropper seatpost.
The cable entering at the top of the downtube behind the headtube is for the rear brake.
Internalizing the rear brake cables helps Raleigh to avoid a mess of cables on the downtube – derailleur, dropper post and rear brake.
The dropper post cable arcs beneath the bottom bracket and enters inside the frame to connect to the seatpost.
Raleigh “classic” road saddle, leather with stainless steel rails, sits atop the Raleigh dropper seatpost, which measures 27.2mm in diameter. The dropper post has 65mm – 80mm of drop travel.
External 68mm English thread bottom bracket cups – what’s not to like here?
Some say steel is real. In this case, Reynolds 631.
Raleigh 200 series handlebar, 31.8mm clamp with 16 degree flare. The handlebar is available in 40cm, 42cm and 44cm widths. The Stuntman’s stem is a Kalloy 3D unit available in 90mm, 100mm and 110mm lengths. Note the dropper post control to the left of the stem.
SRAM’s Force hydraulic road levers take care of shifting (rear derailleur only – remember, 1X drivetrain) and braking.
Integrated cartridge bearing headset keep the all-alumin(i)um fork on track.
The fork features internal brake cable routing, post mount for the disc brake and 15mm thru-axle.
Brakes are SRAM’s Rival road hydraulic units, with 160mm rotors fitted front and rear.
Likewise, the rear brake is post mounted. Rest assured, post brake disc brakes will stop you just fine.
The Stuntman’s wheels center around Novatec hubs, Weinman 32 hole rims and 14 / 15 gauge stainless steel butted spokes with brass nipples.
The Stuntman may be all fun, but it can carry too. Rack and fender mounts are included.
Priced at $US 2,499.00, the Raleigh Stuntman is a 2017 model and should be available through Raleigh’s dealer network soon.
Thanks for reading… more 2016 Interbike coverage to come!
Why an aluminum fork on a steel.bike? Can’t imagine the beating on is going to take on the front, even with bigger tires.
Gordon, a question you need to pose to Raleigh – or maybe they will chime in? If it any consolation, I rode a 1987 at L’Eroica in Italy two days ago. I bombed the gravel descents on a circa 1987 aluminium fork – very comfy ride – and I was on 700c x 28mm tyres at 80psi.
Gordon, this came in from the product guys at Raleigh:
“there are several reasons we went with the SPF fork on the Stuntman. First off is strength. The SPF fork is much stronger than a bonded carbon/aluminum fork. SPF also allows for a better tube shape and a better looking fork for this application. Cost was also a factor. We wanted this bike to hit a certain price point and with a full carbon equivalent, the Stuntman would have been hundreds more. The compliant ride quality of the Reynolds frame along with the larger tires makes for a very smooth ride. For what it’s worth, along with my own personal experience, riding this bike you will be too busy smiling to notice.”
aluminum fork, if designed right, should be fine. …& i’m with you on the “give me a double” on the chainring–the added range is deffo worth a few extra grams. great overview & pics, so thanx for this article
The fork is SPF (SuperPlasctic Formed) alloy which is a relatively new technology and what Niner uses for their frames. So, it could be a great choice to go with the large tire volume and lower psi
So how heavy is it? Could we fearful descenders use that dropper seatpost to go faster at Pisgah? And finally – how would it compare to the cutthroat used as a gravel grinder?
Sorry Mr Reanimated… I’ll have to pose that question to Raleigh themselves. Ditto on the Cutthroat, that isn’t a bike I have ridden.
Looks like the brakes are Rival, not Force.
Thanks for the catch… I get a bit cross-eyed writing these articles.
Regarding the fork question, why not use a fork that is Reynolds 631 as well? Would that be too expensive/heavy/weak?
Frank, you need to pose this question to Raleigh themselves.