Raleigh The Edge

Year

1989

Designed for Raleigh by John Olsen as a technical trail bike or for observed trials. Notice the front gusset on the frame, rear derailleur guard and 24" rear wheel.   

Frame

Cro-Moly Triple butted main tubes

Fork

Cro-Mo

Hubs

Suntour XC 9000

Tires

24" rear, 26" front *

Pedals

Shimano Deore XT

Crank

SR 170mm

Bottom Bracket

Shimano

Front Derailleur

Shimano Deore

Rear Derailleur

Shimano Deore

Stem

Cro-Mo with cable roller

Bars

Alloy w/ shim

Headset

Steel

Brake Levers

Dia Compe 284

Brakes

Dia Compe 982 front canti and Suntour Roller Cam rear

Seatpost

Alloy micro-adjust

Saddle

Avocet

Shifter

Shimano Deore thumb 6 speed

Rear Cogs

Shimano Deore 6 freewheel *

Rims

Araya RM 25 24" rear 26" front

Serial Number

M7IM11175

Size

16"

Color

Red w/ yellow accents

The Edge showed up in a relatively famous catalog shot.  According to John Olsen "That shot was taken during a publicity photo session with the Raleigh in a rock quarry off of Stevens Pass near Gold Bar, Washington.  The photographer said, "Can you ride up that rock pile?", and I said, "Probably not, but I'll try".  I got quite a ways up the thing with some hopping and a bunch of lunging and tooth gnashing, but stopped on that big rock just ahead in the shot.  It was about a 3 footer, and the slope was steep, so I couldn't make it. Usually photographers say, "OK, that was good.  Now do it 34 more times."  This guy was good, and I only had to do it once. I didn't see the photo until the ads came out.  Funny thing is the photo got scanned like clip art, and somehow, it got used as a logo for a bunch of dealers around the country.  The Bike and Hike chain in Portland, for instance, uses it on their storefronts.  I've never had the guts to walk in and say, "Hey, that's me on your sign.  Give me a doughnut."

 * denotes non-original parts (to the best of my knowledge)