Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - "Big Shot Bikes"

I've been contemplating purchasing a fixed gear/single speed bike ever since the weather got crappy here in Boston.

Does anyone have any experience/thoughts on Big Shot Bikes (www.bigshotbikes.com). It looks like you can customize the colors, which is pretty neat, although I think pretty much any color combination on there would be super-flashy!

-Josh

cool, if you only care about colors

Of course I care about colors, why not? I don't really like any of the color combinations that they offer, since I think that they're all way too flashy.
But I'm mostly concerned about the bike quality/durability. If I have to put up with flashy colors which make me look like a tool for a great fixed gear bike, then I'll do it.

For that price you can't really go that much wrong imo, although the full no-nome groupset doesn't really inspire confidence in the bike's durability (which is kind of important if you're actually planning on riding the bike).

Also, all that colour coordinating seems silly to me, but I guess that's a matter of taste.

No name everything, so you have no idea what you're buying. The only reason you would purchase a bike from those people is if you literally did not care at all about anything but appearance.

I just love the way they recommend the 52cm (small) size for a 5'-2" to 5'-7" height range. That's great sizing advice. :rolleyes:

has anyone pointed out that its hi ten steel? thing will weight a ton.

http://www.bigshotbikes.com/history-fixies.html and how lame is that?

Crap.

It's probably just as good as any random Walmart bike or whatever - or more so because it's better suited for most uses some heavy geared hybrid bike that costs just as much.

http://www.bigshotbikes.com/history-fixies.html and how lame is that?

way to inspire people to play real life frogger

i wonder why black wasn't available as a tire color choice :rolleyes:

Sh1tty. Seems just like a Republic. But like someone said, if all you care about is colors than do it. Save the good bikes for real riders.

Well since I ride my bike every day for commuting purposes and the reason I wanted a fixed gear was for greater durability /less maintenance during the winter...it looks like this bike isn't a good choice!!

Yeah, pretty weird when you can't customize a bike to have BLACK tires, right?

i would do beige---like, a really sick electric beige

electric beige?? ahaha

is this where we mention the Kilo TT or something?

sweet, hi ten steel, quando hubs, schraders on 23s...

also love that in their banner pictures at the top have pictures of sweet bros with their sweet fixies, but those pictures don't have a single one of their bikes. they just took pictures of random people and plastered them all over their site.

yo, bacarolle, imma gonna let you in a little secret.

You say you're in Boston (me too), so, look up Simple Living Cycles (its in Frammingham) and head on over there to buy yourself a Redline 925 or other actual name brand fixed-gear that fits your budget. Word of advice, make sure everything on the bike is tight (lockring, cog, everything, especially lockring/cog). If you don't know how, take it to someone who does.

Either do this ^, or order something from BikesDirect (but you'll still run into the whole problem of making sure your bike is set up properly).

just get a republic

that bigshot bike is just the Woarst.

They look like toys made out of bull$h*t.

You know your getting quality when a bike company calls their bikes fixies.

+1 on Simple living cycles.Phil is a really good guy.

You know something is wrong when black tires or a silver chain aren't even an option.


EDIT:

...that being said, you can't go wrong with a sub-$400 bike. Hats off to them.

yo, bacarolle, imma gonna let you in a little secret.

You say you're in Boston (me too), so, look up Simple Living Cycles (its in Frammingham) and head on over there to buy yourself a Redline 925 or other actual name brand fixed-gear that fits your budget. Word of advice, make sure everything on the bike is tight (lockring, cog, everything, especially lockring/cog). If you don't know how, take it to someone who does.

Either do this ^, or order something from BikesDirect (but you'll still run into the whole problem of making sure your bike is set up properly).

Whoaaa, 315 for a redline 925, 340 for a madison,/jamis beatnik.. not bad

...that being said, you can't go wrong with a sub-$400 bike. Hats off to them.

Except for the fact that it appears to be lower quality than BD's sub-$300 bike.

And this:

"Fixed gear bicycles have become the ultimate item in urban chique. Messengers glide effortlessly in and out of traffic in a show of defiance and freedom among lines of cars chained to the grind of the daily commute."

The only thing worse than really bad ad copy is made-up words.

Whoaaa, 315 for a redline 925, 340 for a madison,/jamis beatnik.. not bad

Yeah, the prices are pretty damn great and the guy who runs it, while slightly crazy, is a real good guy who loves bike. Example of his prices here \/... IDK how he does it. Not that I'm complaining...
133784

Well, for what it is, their "Polo Bike" looks like all kinds of fun, though.

Man Redline 925 for $315? Great price -- i guess because they're clearing out for 2010.
I'll definitely check this place out -- I've also heard that Harris Cyclery in West Newton is good for single speeds/fixed gears.

As a "newbie" thanks to everyone for pointing me in the right direction...I hope to learn enough some day to make educated decisions based on bike specs...

As a "newbie" thanks to everyone for pointing me in the right direction...I hope to learn enough some day to make educated decisions based on bike specs...

What a very uncommon comment.

Are you looking for Transportation, Recreation or a Lifestyle Accessory?

Nothing wrong with trying to get the best bike you can on a budget, but those kind of look like you are throwing your money away. Look at Bikesdirect.com. They have several choices in your price range, but be prepared to do some upgrades.

Are you looking for Transportation, Recreation or a Lifestyle Accessory?

My main reason for looking into fixed gear/single speed would be a blend of transportation and recreation. I ride 90% of the time on my commute to work and I would like to make that 100%. I also love taking long-ass weekend rides. The fact that there are much less maintenance issues to worry about and that riding on a fixed gear can improve your cadence really seals the deal for me. I have a hand-me-down Voodoo Hoodoo hybridized MTB which works great, but I want to put my own investment into a bike.

I'm not going to pretend to know about bike mechanics, but based on the fact that there are NO reviews of "Big Shot Bikes" and there are tons and tons of positive reviews of the Redline 925 as a commuter bike, I would say I'll go with that, especially if I can get it for $315...

I think that, at this point, there is enough negative reactionary attitude towards the "fixed gear craze" that it would be kind of weird/non-productive for me to get it as a lifestyle accessory. It's an interesting position to be a relatively new, but serious rider interested in fixed gear bikes. I know that I'm stepping into a dangerous zone where I can easily be labeled as a POSER, D-BAG, ETC :thumb:

^^
Buy a decent bike then, ideally from that LBS someone mentioned and I guarantee you'll be very happy with it.

When I switched from my heavy, screeching hybrid to a (relatively) light-weight fixed gear for commuting I almost felt like I rode a bicycle for the first time in my life because it was so much more fun. ;)

People who ride crappy bikes don't even know what they are missing. And the best thing is, that it's not necessarily a matter of money.

Harris cyclery is good (it is Sheldon browns ex shop after all) but they are a lot more expensive. If I were you, I'd just take someone that knows about bikes with you and go to simple living.