Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Specialized Langster or Jamis Beatnik???

I'm buying my first fixie and I am stuck between two bikes, the Specialized Langster and the Jamis Beatnik. I can get the Langster for $450 and the Beatnik for $375. My commute will be about 10 miles. Thanks in advance for your help!

Steel vs. Alu.

Tell me about your commute so we can make a better decision. Road conditions, etc

I've owned a langster, friend has a beatnik I used to borrow when my bikes were out of use. Beatnik has a higher BB, slightly steeper feel, and a better ride than the langster. I say beatnik.

There's just a few small hills on my ride to and from class. Mainly on roadways.

Are you going to ride when its raining? Are you going to ride it during winter? snow? are the roads fairly new and in good condition? alot of potholes?

I live in Florida so there won't any snow to deal with. I will do some riding in the rain but I can just catch the bus if need be on rainy days. Yeah, the roads are in good condition. No potholes.

you're good with either. i like the langster, it's basically a road bike without gears.

I have a langster. And hes right saying its a road bike with gears. It has a slightly sloped top tube so while you may lose points from some hipsters it makes for a more comfortable ride. I love my langster and ride it almost daily. Just make sure your getting a good price on it. At MSRP, id say I could have gotten something better. At the price I got it, it was the best bike I could get for my money.

I own a Sputnik and am quite happy with it. It looks like you don't have to compare components much with this/last years models. Ride each and go with what 'handles' better for you. They are both 'semi-aggressive' with the geometry so ride them to compare. Ex: shorter wheelbase with the Langster, less rake and steeper head angle with the Beatnik, but both don't have really high BB) As far as Al vs CroMo, if you like the Langster's handling better but think steel is real, get the new steel Langster. In my opinion my Sputnik (same geometry as Beatnik) is a road bike without gears as well.

I'd pick Beatnik, I'm a sucker for steel and a sucker for Maxway frames. Totally biased opinion.

I'd choose the Beatnik.

Neither bikes look like they take fenders so for rain it won't be ideal. I have a Langster, and a dedicated commute bike. The Langster never sees the rain except by accident.

The Langster will undoubtedly be lighter if that matters to you. The downtube on the Langster is also pretty stiff so power transfer on the Langster should be better too. I have ridden a few steel frame bikes, and my Langster feels stiffer out of the saddle than a Sputnik, IRO, and Surley.

BB stiffness may not be your primary concern... but I do a lot of miles on my Langster and some of it is in a race-type setting (individual timed Time Trials for example)... so it matters to me that its lighter, stiffer, and handles like a road race bike....

I love the way the langster handles, and I find the ride surprisingly nice too. Yes, is is basically a road bike without gears, and is my commuter (10 miles). I have a mountainbike type fender on the rear, don't particularly feel the need for one on the front though. I have squeezed 28mm tires on the bike, which is way too big for it (given the clearance), so no, there isn't a lot of room for fenders (although they have sold special editions with fenders on them, so is is possible with 23mm's).

I don't know that you can go wrong with either one, they are both nice bikes for what you want. I do like to commute on my velodrome bike (older steel bike) just for variety sometimes...

I find the ride surprisingly nice too... I have squeezed 28mm tires on the bike.

That explains itself. I own a Specialized Allez with an A1 frame that's almost exactly like the Langster and a Sputnik as I said before. I find the Sputnik far better when it comes to a rough road.

I'm with Vixtor.

I'm going to scream "beatnik" simply because I have a Jamis Sputnik and I love it to death. It's light, I find it agile, quite an enjoyable ride, light enough that when I do group rides most people are like "whoa" and its a pretty seksy bike. I owned a Langster Tokyo at one point, I ditched it pretty quickly once I found a Sputnik on the cheap.

I concur with Vixtor, and Scrodzilla. Try them both out but I found the aluminum to just be a lot less find to ride. Although I know people who swear by it. Again, test them both out, but at 375 i'd say its a sharp deal.

My only experience is with the Langster. I have 6200 mi. on a 2009 bike. I have nice geared bikes. but this is my hammer bike. It is a road bike with out gears. Power transfer is almost as good as my Cannondale System six. I have done climbing centuries on this bike. It all depends what you want to use your bike. If you want to use your bike hard, the Langster is a very good choice. BTW the Langster Tokyo is a hipster bike. Pimped up with parts to market it up to look cool. The plain natural polished with the road bars, is the real deal. The lost Vegas is a good bike also.

Steel is real.

That explains itself. I own a Specialized Allez with an A1 frame that's almost exactly like the Langster and a Sputnik as I said before. I find the Sputnik far better when it comes to a rough road.

Funny, I thought the same thing between the Allez and the Langster. I really don't like the Allez ride, and almost didn't get a langster because of what you said. I wasn't a particular fan of Aluminum either. But I had the chance to ride a Langster, and fell in love with the way it rides and handles. It is very responsive in acceleration and handling. I don't know if it is the fork, seat post, wheels, or what, but the ride isn't any worse than my steel bikes - it is well designed.

I do centuries, and fast group rides with roadies with the Langster. People look at me a bit odd when I show up with single speed, but I have no problem keeping up with roadies on $5,000 bikes when riding flat to rolling terrain.

I have a steel track bike that I alternate with the Langster sometimes. It is great for short (<10 mi) commutes, but I don't use it for the more deamanding rides (outside of the velodrome that is).

So, choose what feels comfortable to you, and meets your needs.

Steel dampens road impact better than aluminum. Get the Beatnik, or a 2009 Sputnik would be even better. You should be able to find one for not much more than the Beatnik.

I know a guy you could get a '09 Sputnik from for $550 with shipping as long as Jamis still has your size in stock.

the beatnik is great, its my first fixed bike and it has not let me down

I went with the Beatnik just to save a few bucks and from the recommendations from so many of you. Got it yesterday and rode about 25 miles and about 5 today (today my butt is sore, guess I gotta get used to riding a road bike). I LOVE THIS BIKE!!! Thanks for all your help and useful information.

I went with the Beatnik just to save a few bucks and from the recommendations from so many of you. Got it yesterday and rode about 25 miles and about 5 today (today my butt is sore, guess I gotta get used to riding a road bike). I LOVE THIS BIKE!!! Thanks for all your help and useful information.

Awesome! Pics!

I'd go with the langster, but that's not to say that the jamis isn't a wonderful bike.
Just don't get one of the "city theme" langsters. Especially if it is the city in which you live. I lol at one of the "Boston Langster" every time I see it.

Langster

Jamis rocks for the $$$