Claud Butler Ravana

This is a mountain bike - or possibly a hybrid, as it has no suspension and the top tube is close to level. And actually I don't care - it does the job for which it was bought. I needed a bike to tow the trailer bike (an Adams Trail-A-Bike shifter - the folding mechanism is markedly better than competing folders, but that's another story). I was driving past Berkshire Cycles and saw a display of second hand bikes. So I pulled in. At the front of the line was an unmarked CB Ravana, price new £225, marked up at 150. Somebody had bought it and decided almost immediately to trade it for a full-sus model costing nearly a grand. I tried it, I liked it, I bought it. Colour scheme is lacquered aluminium (which looks rather nice) and although ot quite as pristine as when I bought it (it really was unmarked) it's still very good. I've done about 500-600 miles on it now, and it's comfortable enough apart from the bars, which are straight. I fitted some bar-ends, which might help.

This bike is stiff enough to tow the trailer bike, but runs nicely if shod with Panaracer Hi-Roads inflated to the rated pressure. Gears are the usual Shimano STI, cheap and cheerful. No megarange, but I don't need it. Brakes are Vuelta, a cheap V-brake copy, which stop well enough.