Catalyst or Raven Tour?

[pad]

Hello!

 I'm thinking about buying a rohloff equipped bike early next year. The intended use would be as a multipurpose bike, commuting, shopping grocerys and a little bit of mountainbiking.
 I've been looking at both the Catayst and the Raven tour. I would like to have a rear rack and some kind of fenders istalled. I would only use small rear panniers.
 I do think that the Catalyst would be the best choice, especially if my interest in mountainbiking becomes bigger,but the price is considerably higher.
 So my question is: how big is the difference between the Catalyst and the Raven tour frame? If the Raven tour was equipped with the same wheels, tyres and brakes as the Catalyst it would still be much cheaper then the Catalyst. Is the Raven tour at all suitable as a MTB?

Regards Patrik.

[jgrgilbert]

The Reynolds 853 steel frame used on the Catalyst, which is the strongest (and therefore lightest) steel available, is more expensive. But, along with the basic fork option on the Catalyst, I think that only explains £200 of the £400 difference.

The Catalyst has proper mountain bike geometry. I has a very low standover height, which means you're much less likely to damage yourself when you put your foot down in an emergency on irregular ground (where where you stand might be much lower than the wheels)! It is designed to take a 100mm suspension fork.

The Raven Tour can carry a serious amount of luggage. I wouldn't expect it to be as manoeuvrable off road.