SS/fixed commuter, training, beater bike suggestion?

[Cackalak Han]

So, now I'm looking for a SS/fixed bike. How this came about was, I've got a 29er singlespeed, which I love, and a road bike, which I also love. Wife wanted to get into cycling, so I wanted a bike that would be a perfect "group ride" bike with the wife. The Monocog is not that ideal for this and the Klein is too fast for her to keep up. But most importantly, I just want to get a new bike. :victory:

I've been thinking and searching, and I thought the San Jose gave the best value and had all I was looking for. Mainly, steel, ability to fit fat tires and fenders, and rack mounts. My LBS has one at $650. I wanted the fender/rack mounts, plus the bigger tire option for those days I hope to commute.

Some other choices were:

- Surly Steamroller. Still might be in the running. The LBS had one at $600, but too small for me (53cm).
- Salsa Cassaroll. Good bike. No big tires, though...
- Surly Crosscheck. Great bike and very versatile, but also priced $400 over the San Jose. I don't plan to go geared, so that advantage is a moot point.

I also like to buy from a local shop, so any bikes from bikesdirect or whatever is out of the question. I want to sit on the bike and get the proper fit.

Thanks for any input.

 

[ntsqd]

Have you thought about building one up?

Unless you have a huge stash of parts laying about you probably won't come out ahead in dollars, but building up a bike is something that I really enjoy. It's mostly how I've ended up with 8 current riders and a slightly exasperated GF.

I start with a frame and a vision of what I want. I keep looking for the parts that fit that vision and don't settle for what I can easily get. For an SS of any sort you can use BMX, MTB, MTB SS, and Track bike parts; so the range of options is huge! I can think of 4 different rear hub options (not including the BMX stuff) off the bottom of my head, and I'm nowhere close to current on what is available.

FFT anyway.

 

[1speed]

I absolutely love my Surly Steamroller. Out of all the bikes I have (have had) it is by far my favorite. I built it up from a frameset myself including the wheels and the the thing just plain has "soul"! I even do group rides with guys on the latest carbon wunderbikes. If the one you are looking at is not built already and you are interested I will give you the specs of my build. I have thousands of miles on mine with absolutely no problems. Don't scrimp on the components, you will regret it later. I can also recommend a good wheel builder if you need one.:bike_rider:

 

[colotaco]

How about the Specialized Singlecross it has rack and fender mounts the bigger cross fork with built in elastomers to dampen vibration and bigger cross tires are standard. I think they go for $950 MSRP on the Specialized site.

 

[Cackalak Han]

Have you thought about building one up?

Unless you have a huge stash of parts laying about you probably won't come out ahead in dollars, but building up a bike is something that I really enjoy. It's mostly how I've ended up with 8 current riders and a slightly exasperated GF.

I start with a frame and a vision of what I want. I keep looking for the parts that fit that vision and don't settle for what I can easily get. For an SS of any sort you can use BMX, MTB, MTB SS, and Track bike parts; so the range of options is huge! I can think of 4 different rear hub options (not including the BMX stuff) off the bottom of my head, and I'm nowhere close to current on what is available.

FFT anyway.

Yeah, thought of building one up, but the $$ would be more than a factory build and I would have to wait a while to build it up, which means no ride time in between. I would like to build a bike eventually.

I absolutely love my Surly Steamroller. Out of all the bikes I have (have had) it is by far my favorite. I built it up from a frameset myself including the wheels and the the thing just plain has "soul"! I even do group rides with guys on the latest carbon wunderbikes. If the one you are looking at is not built already and you are interested I will give you the specs of my build. I have thousands of miles on mine with absolutely no problems. Don't scrimp on the components, you will regret it later. I can also recommend a good wheel builder if you need one.:bike_rider:

What is the biggest tire you can fit in the Steamroller? Yeah, let me know what your specs are. I do think they're really nice.

How about the Specialized Singlecross it has rack and fender mounts the bigger cross fork with built in elastomers to dampen vibration and bigger cross tires are standard. I think they go for $950 MSRP on the Specialized site.

Aluminum frame.... Even with the dampeners, I'd still like a steel frame. Plus, seems like it's much more expensive than the SJ. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

 

[1speed]

The Surly web site says you can run 700x38's

My Build:

• Sugino 75 track crank
• Sugino bottom bracket
• Wippermann Whitestar 1/8" Nickel chain
• Surly rear cog
• Crank Brothers Candy SL pedals
• Thomson Elite stem
• Thomson Masterpiece seatpost
• Miche Primato large flange track hubs
• Velocity Deep V rims
• DT Swiss Aerolite spokes and alloy nipples
• Kenda Kaliente 700x23 tires
• Nitto Classic handlebars
• Nashbar long reach front brake
• Cane Creek Cross Top cyclocross brake lever
• Cane Creek Speedbars
• Cane Creek Solos headset
• Brooks B17 saddle-side skirts cut off
• Brooks leather bar tape
• Brooks seat bag
• Dimension Woodgrain water bottle cage

I literally have thousands of miles on this bike with no maintenance other than cleaning the bike and cleaning and lubing the chain. I do 35+ mile group rides on this bike weekly and with 51-16 gearing have no trouble keeping up with all the guys on the latest and greatest equipment. It rides smooth as butter too. I've even put a HED Jet 60 aero wheel on the front, fabricated lexan disc covers for the rear wheel, donned my time trial helmet, and finished respectably in some ten mile time trials with it. It truly is a do-it-all bike. I even plan on doing a century on it eventually.
If you can't find a local wheel builder you trust, let me know, I can build them for you. Mine are 32 spoke 3 cross. I weigh 215 lbs and I have not touched a spoke wrench to them since they were built.

 

[Cackalak Han]

Thanks! Yeah, I'll let you know about the wheels. I'm sure that will be one of the first things that I'll change out. Also, good to hear about the ability to fit 38's. I'll most likely be running 28's for the cush with not too much rolling resistence.

Also, found another bike that might be in the running. Jamis Sputnik.

http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/road/fixies/09_sputnik.html

 

[1speed]

Probably not a bad choice either. I had an older Jamis Quest steel frame that I put a lot of miles on including a couple centurys.

Good wheels DO make all the difference in the world.

 

[Cackalak Han]

Can't seem to find one in stock anywhere, though. I did source out Surly frames for a little over $300, though. This might be a sign that I should just build?? Would go with a cross check or steamroller. Don't know which to choose....

 

[7wt]

Also, found another bike that might be in the running. Jamis Sputnik.

http://www.jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/road/fixies/09_sputnik.html

That sputnik looks like a pretty cool bike. I have been getting the itch to either start riding my bike again or get a new one. I know which path I should take but I really want a single speed urban beater. My girlfriend and I went and looked at bikes for her last weekend. She decided on getting a Globe Vienna, I figured a fitness bike would be a good first bike for her. I like the Trek 7.6 but wished it was a SS. Is there a bike that is similar to the 7.6 but in SS? Or is it a matter of getting something like a 1X1 and putting roadie tires on it? Or a Steamroller and putting straight bars on it?

 

[1speed]

Can't seem to find one in stock anywhere, though. I did source out Surly frames for a little over $300, though. This might be a sign that I should just build?? Would go with a cross check or steamroller. Don't know which to choose....

It depends on what you are going to do with it. If you have no plans on ever wanting to put gears or tires bigger than 700x38, go with the Steamroller. The Crosscheck will take up to 700x45's but has all the cable guides and brake mounts to detract from the clean appearance of a fixie. I do however recommend running a front brake on the street for emergency stopping purposes. The Steamroller is drilled for road brakes front and rear but the front needs to be a long reach caliper, not sure about the rear.

I know which one I would choose...again!

 

[1speed]

That sputnik looks like a pretty cool bike. I have been getting the itch to either start riding my bike again or get a new one. I know which path I should take but I really want a single speed urban beater. My girlfriend and I went and looked at bikes for her last weekend. She decided on getting a Globe Vienna, I figured a fitness bike would be a good first bike for her. I like the Trek 7.6 but wished it was a SS. Is there a bike that is similar to the 7.6 but in SS? Or is it a matter of getting something like a 1X1 and putting roadie tires on it? Or a Steamroller and putting straight bars on it?

Jamis has the Coda line in several levels which is cheaper than the Trek. http://jamisbikes.com/usa/thebikes/street/coda/09_codaelite.html

If you know you want a singlespeed/fixie, buy a Steamroller and throw a flat bar on it. I rode mine a long time with moustache bars.

 

[Cackalak Han]

7wt - Switching bars is easy. You'd just need different levers, but overall very easy to change up. Are you wanting a steel frame? Aluminum? For aluminum SS, there is the Giant Bowery, Specialized Langster, Cannondale Capo, and probably a few more I'm forgetting. For steel SS, there's the steamroller, Sputnik, Bianchi San Jose/Pista, Schwinn Madison, Raleigh One Way, and a few more. I've researched all of these bikes and rode a few. I found that for my needs, Bianchi San Jose and Jamis Sputnik were the best value. Jamis also offers the Beatnik, which has a slightly heavier frame and does not have a carbon fork for a little over $500. For an aluminum bike, the Giant Bowery seems to be a good value, too. I haven't ridden those, so I don't know how they ride. I've heard that people really like the Cannondale Capo's, too. All personal preference.

Also, the geometry between a 1x1 and a road bike is very different. The 1x1 or mountain bike frames are more relaxed, whereas the road frames are more aggressive. For urban/city riding, I'd go with a road frame. It'll feel more zippy on the road. Get some bigger tires on there is my preference (~28's), but that also depends on what your city streets are like.

 

[Cackalak Han]

It depends on what you are going to do with it. If you have no plans on ever wanting to put gears or tires bigger than 700x38, go with the Steamroller. The Crosscheck will take up to 700x45's but has all the cable guides and brake mounts to detract from the clean appearance of a fixie. I do however recommend running a front brake on the street for emergency stopping purposes. The Steamroller is drilled for road brakes front and rear but the front needs to be a long reach caliper, not sure about the rear.

I know which one I would choose...again!

Cool. Yeah, I am leaning towards the Steamer, too. There is another one at another shop that's all built up in my size. I think $699? I think it'd be worth it just to ride it for now and slowly change out parts? What do you think? A total build up would be nice, but lot of down time and cash!

Also, the ONLY thing that's holding me up is that there are no rack mounts. Correct?

So, the final three came out to:

Surly Steamroller
Bianchi San Jose
Jamis Sputnik

Will try to test ride this weekend. (except for the Sputnik, unless I can find a shop with one by then.)

 

[1speed]

Yeah, no rack mounts. You would have to do the clamp on thing. $699 doesn't sound too bad if you are willing to upgrade slowly. Also check out the UNO. Any dealer can get you one through J&B Imports. Thats what my wifes bike in the picture is. My dealer buddy sells them for $400 complete. Not as nice as a Surly but... The only thing I changed on hers were the wheels, saddle, and bar tape.