Originally Posted by
Noema
I have two questions:
1. Where have you ridden you fixed gear(s)? Offroad, on-road, somewhere else? How did she fair? Which bike can take the toughest spills? Which fixie do you think is best for putting the bike to the most diverse uses?
2. How much does the Surly Steamroller complete weigh? And does weight really matter, given that it is supposedly designed to be amongst the best for diverse uses? What does it have that a lighter bike does not?
Note: just ignore the first 10 posts. Most do not answer these questions because they were not written in response to these exact questions.
1) Anywhere I need to go. Mostly street riding, occasional curb hops and some singletrack here and there (nothing super nuts/technical or anything). She faired, and continues to fair very well - beautifully handles anything I throw at her, and stands up to my abuse quite nicely. Aside from my crapper winter beaters, this is my first fixed gear bike really, so I've no comparable experience. I can't ride on beaches or sandy areas too well with 23s on... in fact, I can't at all - I walk it. I'm at around 2150 miles on it as of today and have loved every last yard.
I've never owned or ridden a Surly sorry, but I personally don't think weight is a massive factor. Most of my riding is commuting/transportation, so while it'd be nice to be as efficient as possible with weights, I have to get where I'm going anyway, so I'm going to just do it regardless. I'm not competing, and what I pack for lunch in my bag can impact my overall weight more than gram shaving on componentry.