aka Tom Reingold
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,498
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7345 Post(s)
Your review is almost exactly what I found with my Nashbar fixie I bought in around 2008. Different bike, though, with an aluminum frame. Assembly was poor, but given the price and the fact that I'm competent to make it right, I was satisfied. But I can't recommend these bikes to most people because assembly and some components are so bad.
What is the gearing on yours? For the fixed gear winter benefit, I recommend something low, 67 inches or less.
If the click comes at every turn of the crank, it's not your freewheel. A crank could be hitting the frame. The chain might be hitting the chainguard; maybe it's the master link. I once had a ping sound that went with my pedaling, and it turned out to be a little plastic ball at the end of my jacket's drawstring; it was hitting the top tube in perfect rhythm.
One of my fixed gear bikes is a 1975 Viscount, formerly a 10-speed. It's fun, but it doesn't have room for a rear fender.