Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - 2009 Giant Bowery - What do you think?

I've decided to spoil myself a bit and get me a nice singlespeed/fixed gear bike for going to work and getting around town. I spotted the Giant Bowery which to me seems quite a decent sub AU$1000 bike. What do you guys think? Is it a reasonable deal or is there something better i should look at?

Meh - it's a Giant.

It's definitely decent. I like it.

saw it at some chain bike shop (not my lbs thankfully) and didn't like it all that much. just eh

I've ridden one. It's pretty comfortable. I like it.

Depends on what you're looking for, but I can say I got my brother the mashup for xmas and he loves it. It's great for what you described, though most of the snobs don't like it because it's aluminum and has a sloping top tube, so you may not get too many street cred points. Maybe if you threw some ridiculously expensive hubs on it; I don't know...

it's clean and simple :thumb:

A guy at the LBS I try not to shop at has one. He was telling me how rad it was, but it just didn't look that cool in person. I think he switched out the fork, so that may have been part of it.
I know this isn't the most helpful thing in the world, but basically, it just didn't LOOK like a great fixed gear. I get sort of the same feeling seeing Schwin Madisons. Maybe they have similar tubing.

I ve ridden one when it first came out... had it for about 3-4 months... I would still have if i didnt get hit by a suv on it. It has compact geometry and if you 511- 6'0 like i am it looks odd. A size medium to a large.. i couldnt tell the difference. Its okay for the money i guess... i had the black one with lime green deep vs and some deda drops...it was a okay bike.

Change the fork and wheel set and you have a solid bike.. and the crank.. when you have the money to do so later down the line.

I paid about 350-400 us for mine they were going for 500-600 when they came out ....i had extra money to throw into it and i got hooked up on my parts.

hope that helps

i personally dont like track bikes with compact geometry, but it looks like a nice started track bike.

Wonder if people bagging this bike have actually ridden it?

If you're looking for a hipster looking fixie with trackish geometry go for the SE Lager (on sale at Goldcross for $499) or Cellbikes. Or even the Fuji Track. The Bowery has gone up in price from the 08 models because of the FX rates. The 08 model could have been had for $600.

Most entry level (read: sub At$1000 fixies) have similar components:

cr-mo frame, wellgo pedals, alex rims, basic crankset (FSA Vero etc).

Best to try before you buy.

i wasn't a big fan of the way it rode when i test rode one at the my lbs, but I was also really new to riding fixed.

I think this looks pretty nice for a out of the box LBS bike.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/_upload_us/bikes/models/zooms/2009/Bowery-84-White.jpg

Not really to my taste, though I suppose to each his own.

I scored one for the wife off of CL and she likes it. I like the '84 model.

generibike?

I think this looks pretty nice for a out of the box LBS bike.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/_upload_us/bikes/models/zooms/2009/Bowery-84-White.jpg

I really like it but...

aesthetics of sloping top tubes = cognitive dissonance.

generibike?
...and ye with a 2008 Schwinn Madison???

That SE Lager definitely looks like a good deal, and also checked out the cell cingle but they all have steel frames which i've never really liked. The reason i was looking at the bowery is because its fairly cheap but unlike the other cheap models it has an aluminium frame which i prefer.
I was also interested in the trek soho s which is a similar price to the bowery and looks like a decent single speed bike. Are both brands much the same or is one better than the other?

i like the 84 and the other model with a year(don't remember which) look but not really the normal one.

I would not get a giant, they wont help me with a problem I have with a bike.
Worst customer service

I think this looks pretty nice for a out of the box LBS bike.

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/_upload_us/bikes/models/zooms/2009/Bowery-84-White.jpg

Does any one know if giant sell the these saddle separately? Or maybe some one here has one sitting around?

It does come with some decent parts but you just have to ask yourself, can I ride aluminum with a sloping top tube?
Not me.

i dont know why but a base langster seems like a better bike than a base bowery...

that's a sugino 75 and a zen messenger ring on it right?

I test rode the regular Bowery and the Bianchi Pista at my lbs. I went home that day with the Pista. The Giant just felt a lot stiffer and honestly didn't look as cool in person. The 84' version looks sexy though imo, if you're talking about that one I might recommend it.

i like alloy and i like slooping top tubes but the bowery has a too low bb so if you ride it fixed you might die

It does come with some decent parts but you just have to ask yourself, can I ride aluminum with a sloping top tube?
Not me.

???

???

What?

What?

I'm just trying to figure out what kind of bizarre infirmity would keep you from being able to ride a bike with a sloping top tube.

Or is it some kind of aluminum allergy?

I'm just trying to figure out what kind of bizarre infirmity would keep you from being able to ride a bike with a sloping top tube.

Or is it some kind of aluminum allergy?

I'm trying to figure out how a monkey learned to post on the internet without a major media outlet doing a story on it :rolleyes:

THESE TRUTHS HAVE BEEN SUPPRESSED

i wonder why it's trying to prevent me from posting in all caps.

I'm just trying to figure out what kind of bizarre infirmity would keep you from being able to ride a bike with a sloping top tube.

Not an infirmity, just a visual taste preference. If I needed a track bike to race then AL would be the choice I guess.

I just got a Bowery a couple weeks ago. PHR3AK's right about the BB being a little low for riding fixed (I clipped a pedal a couple times the first day), but I really like it so far. I don't really care about the sloping TT and I only ride it short distances around town so I don't really notice the harshness of the AL.

If you're going to ride it a long way, want true track geometry, or are really worried about the look of it, then maybe get something else. Otherwise, I say if the price is right and you like it, go for it.