Raleigh Willard 4 – Gravel and Endurance on a Budget

More riders are finding the joys of riding the less traveled road these days, which you can see with the growing number of gravel events across the country. Bike companies have taken notice, and are offering bikes that are better suited than your full carbon race rig and offer a greater range of utility. These all-road bikes can be a bit of a quiver-killer, or a bike that can handle multiple disciplines with as little as a wheel or tire swap. We had a chance to test out the Raleigh Willard 4 for a few months and found it to be a great value for a sub-$1500 bike. With a mostly Shimano groupset and HED cockpit and wheels, the Willard 4 is Ready To Ride, literally. Read on to find out more.

Raleigh is a brand with a ton of history. The brand was founded in England in 1885, making it one of the oldest brands still making bikes. Over the years, their bikes raced at the highest levels of cycling, including under Joop Zoetemelk and Team TI-Raleigh when he won the 1980 Tour de France. More recently, the brand was co-sponsors of the Raleigh-Clement Pro Cycling team that featured Jamey Driscoll, Kerry Werner, and French CX champion Caroline Mani, and also sponsored the American Classics Pro Cycling Team of Robert Marion. Raleigh has moved away from racing focused frames, like the RXC Pro cyclocross frameset, and shifted their focus to fun and distinctive bikes that offer great value to riders. They have also moved strongly into the eBike market offering models for anything from commuting and utility, to adventure and off-road riding.

The Willard 4 fits in as the top of the line aluminum gravel/all-road bike for Raleigh. Raleigh offers two tiers below the 4 that gets you on a bike for starting at $849.99, along with three levels of the women’s specific Amelia. Geometry sits somewhere between cyclocross and endurance. Our size 56 has a wheelbase of 104.3cm, which helps make the bike feel incredibly stable. It’s not quite as nimble as a cross or road bike with a shorter wheelbase, but it still carves well through sweeping turns. The 15.5cm head tube is tall by racing standards, but keeps you in a comfortable position for the long days the bike is made for. In a pinch, with some proper cyclocross tires, the Willard could easily pull double duty.

The heart of the bike is the 6061 aluminum frame with carbon fork. For an aluminum frame, it might not be as smooth as a silky Cannondale CAAD road frame, arguably the benchmark for production aluminum road frames, but the slim seat stays provide some compliance out back. The carbon fork with aluminum steerer helps take a little bit of the sting out of the front end, but still remains stiff to track well and hold up to sprints and carving through corners. Thru-axles front and rear also help keep the ends tight. Rack and fender mounts add extra utility to the Willard.

The drivetrain is almost a full Shimano 105 5900 groupset, minus the crank, chain, and brakes. Shifting is crisp and dependable. Having ridden Ultegra 6800 for a number of years, it feels the same, just at a little bit heavier in weight. The Praxis Works Alba M30 with 48/32 rings fills in for the 105 crank admirably and creates great gearing options when paired with the 11-32 cassette. Front and back, shifting is crisp and was dialed in almost perfectly when the bike arrived.

HED’s contribution to the build adds the Eroica seat post, handlebars and stem, and Tomcat wheels. All are not listed on their page, but are OEM spec products. The cockpit components are all aluminum and are fairly standard, but the Eroica bars add a bit of flare, literally. The drops have a 16 degree flare, providing a wider grip to add stability when you rolling hard over gravel. It was the first time I rode a bar with a little bit more of a flare, and I found it to be pretty nice for long, endurance rides. I don’t think I’ll be swapping over my CX race bike any time soon, but for a dedicated gravel racer, a little more flare would be great.

For OEM wheels, the Tomcat wheels aren’t too bad either. Think Ardennes, but a little heavier and cheaper. The 6-bolt disc hubs are off the shelf, and the rims are pinned, not welded, but they are rather stout 28 spoke wheels that fall in line pretty well with other stock wheels at this price point. They should hold up well, regardless of where you ride them. Add on Clement (now Donnelly) X’PLOR 700cx40mm tires, the Willard 4 holds its own on the road, cinders, and gravel. The wide rubber has enough tread to provide traction off the pavement, but there is still enough of a solid strip down the center for them to roll fast. The ability to run them at lower pressures also helps to dampen some of the road noise and provide a smooth ride. The pairing comes with tubes installed, but there are also valve stems included to get you closer to a tubeless setup. I didn’t have any issues running the tubed set up, but I’m becoming a tubeless convert for all types of riding. Adding some sealant in the box would be a nice touch for those buying the bike straight from Raleigh.

Where the bike falls a bit flat is the brakes. Nothing compares to the power and modulation of hydraulic disc brakes, and the TRP Spyre C, the OEM version of the Spyre mechanical disc brake, definitely does not stack up. The dual piston design is better than other single piston mechanical brake designs, but I definitely missed my hydraulics. There were times that they just didn’t have the stopping power that I prefer. Something like TRP’s HY/RD or Paul’s Klamper disc brakes would be a good upgrade if you don’t want to drop the coin for Shimano’s hydraulic brakes and levers.

If you don’t have a Raleigh dealer near you, don’t fret. The Willard 4 is part of their Ready Ride program, which means the bike comes 95% assembled. Everything is well packed, and there is minimal assembly needed. It even comes with the hex keys you’ll need to install the handlebars and seat post, and a wrench for the pedals. Other than a few tweaks to dial in my position, I had the bike unpacked and assembled in under 30 minutes.

At $1,399.99, the Willard 4 hits a price point that is accessible for many riders that are looking to try out gravel/all-road riding, but might not want to drop thousands of dollars for a full carbon race machine. At almost 23 lbs, there are definitely ways to lighten the bike up, but you’ll have plenty of fun riding it right out of the box. With a build that consists of well known brands, and a classy red with off-white paint scheme, the Raleigh Willard 4 is a great value for a fun bike that will take you just about anywhere you want to go.

http://www.raleighusa.com