Urgent advice needed..Buying a bike

alfeng

BTW. There is an alternate rear dropout available for the single speed Raleigh XXIX which has a derailleur hanger (I presume it is one that is commonly used on their MTBs, but may be proprietary to the frame), so it can be converted to something akin to the Cannondale Bad Boy by using either what you might cannibalize from your current bike (shifters, derailleurs, crank) OR with new components for a few hundred (or, more!) dollars at still a much lower cost than the Cannondale Bad Boy would cost EVEN AFTER adding the cost of a second rear wheel (or, having the single speed hub replaced with a multi-speed freehub).

The Raleigh has a steel frame (a good thing, IMO) and the Cannondale has a alloy frame (nothing wrong with that).

The Cannondale Bad Boy seems to sit surprisingly high off the ground (not necessarily a bad thing) based on the one (I've only seen it once) which one of our friends has ... that is, without looking at the bike, again, I'd say the stays are possibly almost "horizontal" like on a regular MTB. Also, the HEADSHOK (apparently, an idea-and-patent which Cannondale won't let die gracefully) places the headtube much higher above the ground (again, not necessarily a bad thing) than one might find on anything other than a downhill racer!

Most 29er frames (including the Raleigh XXIX) have a Bottom Bracket "drop" similar to what you would find on a typical road bike (i.e., it is lower because of the larger rims/tyres).

For sand & loose dirt I think you/(vanna1234) really want the fattest tyres that are commonly available. I'm not sure what the largest tyre size the Cannondale Bad Boy can actually accommodate (the typical "Hybrid" cannot accommodate a 700x58 tyre) ... and, the rims which come standard on the Cannondale are 622-15 (for 29er tyres, you probably want 622-17, or larger, rims).

NB/FYI. There are some TANDEM forks which have legs which are parallel to one another which may be able to accommodate a 700x58 tyre ... the solid steel forks are available "used" (pulled from new bikes) because many people choose to install a carbon fibre fork on their new tandems.

If you shop around on eBay (or, possibly at a local shop that also sells tandems), you may be able to find a suitable "solid" fork for under $50AUD. I got one for about $36US (including the shipping!) last year off of eBay. If a shop has a "used"/pulled steel tandem fork, it is just languishing ... taking up space ... and, probably begging to be sold for almost any amount.

Some old (but, not too old) MTB frames can handle a 700x58 tyre in the rear ... if the frame does not have disc mounts, you may be able to fit either a long reach ROAD caliper or (if the fender-mount bridge is further away) an older center pull brake caliper (probably better).

While a person may not want to retrofit a MTB with 29er tyres for use on technically demanding trails, I think doing so would be fine for unpaved road riding.

There are bikes (69er) on the market with 26" tyres in the rear & 29er tyres up front -- these are presumably intended for riding where you want the benefits of the large front tyre + you want to retain the standard MTB gearing ratios.

Of course (presuming you have a MTB), you could just put a new fork + 29er front wheel/tyre on your bike for a DIY 69er.

If your heart is set on a new bike, because the Raleigh XXIX is probably fabricated in Taiwan, the cartage & import duty may/should be cost less than for the Cannondale which is made in the States ... or, not! Of course, who know how much the local distributor wants/takes for either/(any!) bicycle brand!?!