As above, I have a bit of duplication and one is destined for the door.
In the yellow corner we have the Ofo:
Pros:
-Dynamo / solar lighting
- Sealed / lower maintenance drivetrain (geared hub); brakes less affected in wet weather
- Chain guard
- Convenient gripshift
- Relaxed riding position
- Not very thievable
- Interesting history
- Seemingly relatively new and in good nick
Cons:
- Limited three-speed gear range with wide spacing between gears; especially crappy when going uphill
- High drag / slow; especially in a head wind
- Mudguards currently don't fit on account of the tyres; requiring more money spending on at least one replacement to enable them to go back on
- Lack of crossbar makes it a pain to stabilise when stationary and straddled
- Rear wheel is a swine to remove
Owes me about £100 and a lot of time and effort..
In the red corner we have by Raleigh Router:
Pros:
- Relatively quick
- Reasonable gearing range (2x5) and spacing
- Mudguards fitted and work (but need extending on the front)
- Panier rack
- Nice and retro
- Steel frame
Cons:
- Non-indexed downtube shifters are a bit of a pain
- A lot older and somewhat of an unknown quantity in terms of wear / reliability / future cost
- Could do with a bit more (relatively minor) work; rear wheel pretty beaten up but works OK.
- Probably a bit more rob-worthy
Owes me about £30 and a good deal of time and effort.
I've left some bits out where the bikes are vaguely comparable - brakes are pretty shocking on both and they're a similar weight at around 14kg.
What do we reckon? I've not really ridden the ofo since I got the Raleigh (which IMO says a lot) however the ofo does have some redeeming features. I'm thinking now's the time to sell before the weather changes and everyone realises how skint they are..
In the yellow corner we have the Ofo:
Pros:
-Dynamo / solar lighting
- Sealed / lower maintenance drivetrain (geared hub); brakes less affected in wet weather
- Chain guard
- Convenient gripshift
- Relaxed riding position
- Not very thievable
- Interesting history
- Seemingly relatively new and in good nick
Cons:
- Limited three-speed gear range with wide spacing between gears; especially crappy when going uphill
- High drag / slow; especially in a head wind
- Mudguards currently don't fit on account of the tyres; requiring more money spending on at least one replacement to enable them to go back on
- Lack of crossbar makes it a pain to stabilise when stationary and straddled
- Rear wheel is a swine to remove
Owes me about £100 and a lot of time and effort..
In the red corner we have by Raleigh Router:
Pros:
- Relatively quick
- Reasonable gearing range (2x5) and spacing
- Mudguards fitted and work (but need extending on the front)
- Panier rack
- Nice and retro
- Steel frame
Cons:
- Non-indexed downtube shifters are a bit of a pain
- A lot older and somewhat of an unknown quantity in terms of wear / reliability / future cost
- Could do with a bit more (relatively minor) work; rear wheel pretty beaten up but works OK.
- Probably a bit more rob-worthy
Owes me about £30 and a good deal of time and effort.
I've left some bits out where the bikes are vaguely comparable - brakes are pretty shocking on both and they're a similar weight at around 14kg.
What do we reckon? I've not really ridden the ofo since I got the Raleigh (which IMO says a lot) however the ofo does have some redeeming features. I'm thinking now's the time to sell before the weather changes and everyone realises how skint they are..