Fixed Gear Freestyle - Help me out? I finally am able to get a fixed gear.

So ever since 6th grade, my friend had bought a fixed gear and I have been wanting one. I am now about to be a junior in high school. I just sold my BMX bike for $450 and I am FINALLY getting a fixie, this being my first one, I want it to last me a long time and have it something that I can be happy with for as long as possible. I used to race BMX so I know that Redline does make some quality stuff, but I also know that some of their stuff is not so great.

The bike that I am looking at getting is the 2011 model of the Redline Urbis.

http://i136.photobucket.com/albums/q162/jacob07album/redline-2010-urbis.jpg

I am fairly set on getting this one. But I need some opinions, and possible alternate options for around the $500 range.

Thanks in advance,
Jacob

Mainly this bike will be used for commute, but also I wanted to learn some tricks.

If you wanted to learn tricks, maybe the Eighth Inch Scrambler bike would be good for you.

http://www.cyclingcloseouts.com/Products/EighthInch-Scrambler-V3-Complete-Bike__Scrambler_Complete.aspx

Wow. Thank you for showing me that. I think I will get one of those.

op...don't be so quick buy that bike based on only 1 poster's recommendation.

the urbis you mentioned is a well-made bike that you should be able ride hard for years & is built to handle fgfs, including barspinz.
are you really seriously interested in tricking as well as commuting? the scrambler is not meant for tricks & it cannot barspin. eighthinch's fs bike is the butcher which is more expensive.

unfortunately, this forum is not too keen on fixed freestyle & most members here are not very knowledgeable about it, you will get better info & advice on tricktrack.

finally...if you want to get into a fg/ss bike that is capable of jumping & barspinning, while keeping your cost down, the best deal going is this bike by eastern's (as a bmxer you should know them) gran royale division for only $325:
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BI278L01-Eastern+Gran+Royale+Lurker+Bike+10.aspx
i bought one for my kid as his 1st fg bike. he rides it to school, around town, with his trickin buddies & he is very happy with it.

good luck & have fun...

That Eastern Lurker looks like a rad bike. I had never seen it before. It's cool that someone came along to make an entry-level FG bike aimed at those who want to try trick riding.

finally...if you want to get into a fg/ss bike that is capable of jumping & barspinning, while keeping your cost down, the best deal going is this bike by eastern's (as a bmxer you should know them) gran royale division for only $325:
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/BI278L01-Eastern+Gran+Royale+Lurker+Bike+10.aspx
i bought one for my kid as his 1st fg bike. he rides it to school, around town, with his trickin buddies & he is very happy with it.

good luck & have fun...

FWIW I have a friend who broke the stock fork on his Lurker 3 times. They were replaced under warranty every time, but he eventually bought a Charge scissor fork and hasn't had a problem since. I dunno how hard you are going to trick, but just something to keep on your mind.

^^^it is entry level for god's sake

http://subrosabrand.com/2012-letum-fixed/subrosa letum or malum.

You rode BMX, you know not to go the route of Eastern.

I appreciate the help with this, and I have learned that eastern makes some parts that are good and also some that just are cheap. So I'm a little bit skeptical. Would you recommend the lurker over the Urbis?

^^^it is entry level for god's sake

Entry-level or not, if something is going to be marketed as a FGFS bike (or at least the fork is said to be used for tricks) I would expect it to hold up to tricking. Either way, they were really good about replacing the fork under warranty every time.

Scrambler++

It's a hell of a bike.

How far is your commute ? If it's more than a couple of miles each way, I would not get a fgfs type bike.

another thing to note about the lurker, the integrated seat tube clamp area has been known to crack/fail.

Take TejanoTrackie's advice. Most complete fgfs bikes will have really low gearing and frame geometry that isn't ideal for commuting.

I have learned that eastern makes some parts that are good and also some that just are cheap. So I'm a little bit skeptical.

Never be skeptical, just stay the hell away. The only thing you can trust as far as you can throw them are their sprockets, and those are hard to screw up. I've watched so many of their products fail miserably, often resulting in injuries.

another thing to note about the lurker, the integrated seat tube clamp area has been known to crack/fail.

Take TejanoTrackie's advice. Most complete fgfs bikes will have really low gearing and frame geometry that isn't ideal for commuting.

+1 about listening to TejanoTrackie. FGFS bikes wouldn't be ideal for anything over 4-5 miles. Even then it's a stretch.

Never be skeptical, just stay the hell away. The only thing you can trust as far as you can throw them are their sprockets, and those are hard to screw up. I've watched so many of their products fail miserably, often resulting in injuries.

And I have destroyed one of their sprockets completely before. And it depends, I will be working for a fence company that will have jobs all around town and also at the Albertson's that is only about a mile away.

I dig the redline. Disc brakes are nifty

Also I wouldn't want to commute on flat handlebars. (I did it today, and am not going to ride that bike tomorrow.)

urbis with a normal stem and your choice of bars would be rad.

Also I wouldn't want to commute on flat handlebars. (I did it today, and am not going to ride that bike tomorrow.)

I actually prefer commuting on my bike with risers.

I actually prefer commuting on my bike with risers.

word. when i had drops i was always on the flats anyway, risers just make that same position more comfy

word. when i had drops i was always on the flats anyway, risers just make that same position more comfy

I somewhat agree with this. Proper risers (right width/saddle to bar distance) are really comfortable for commuting. Maybe not knocking out a century but for short(er) rides they are great.

So if the Lurker is a 26", would there be any way to through some B43's on there? Because a friend of mine is going to sell me some. But I don't know how well it will work.

So do all these fgfs's really come with no brakes or foot retention? I could see brakeless, but at least include some straps :eek:

So if the Lurker is a 26", would there be any way to through some B43's on there? Because a friend of mine is going to sell me some. But I don't know how well it will work.
my kid's lurker came with 700c kinlin mx5 rims/kenda kwick roller 28s

JacobPratt - keep in mind, it is not a top-of-the-line bike...it was the least expensive "real" fgfs bike i could find. since i was paying for it, if my son did not stick with riding fixed i wouldn't be out too much. so far he is liking it but is not overly aggressive on his tricks & jumping yet. i think i got great value for what i spent but i also realize that if he keeps at it & starts to go really big that a new bike will be necessary. but then he will be contributing.

btw...i ride to work 30 mi roundtrip 2-4 times a week & did it many times on a freestyled bike with no problem at all. i don't get why nobody here blinks an eye when someone mentions commuting on a track bike but they always say it is impossible to do it on a jumper.

good luck & have fun...

i don't get why nobody here blinks an eye when someone mentions commuting on a track bike but they always say it is impossible to do it on a jumper.



Gear ratios.

Gear ratios.
so gear ratios cannot be changed?

Commuting gear ratios aren't tricking gear ratios.

i guess you really do think is impossible to change a gear ratio?

No, I think it is impossible for a single speed bike to have a low gear ratio for tricking and a medium gear ratio for commuting at the same time. Otherwise, it wouldn't be a single speed bike would it? You can put whatever cogs you want on, obviously and flip flop all you like but it still isn't the best case scenario.

You can also have a quick release seat post clamp for the different applications so that you don't wear out your knees on the commute. Still, these are reasons to avoid a fgfs bike if you are mainly going to use it for commuting.

I actually think that if you can only have one bike and you want to trick, you should get a bike that can trick and then set it up differently if you need to commute. But if what you are mainly interested in doing is getting from here to there, then there are better bikes. Ideally though you'd have different bikes for the two situations.

my kid's lurker came with 700c kinlin mx5 rims/kenda kwick roller 28s

JacobPratt - keep in mind, it is not a top-of-the-line bike...it was the least expensive "real" fgfs bike i could find. since i was paying for it, if my son did not stick with riding fixed i wouldn't be out too much. so far he is liking it but is not overly aggressive on his tricks & jumping yet. i think i got great value for what i spent but i also realize that if he keeps at it & starts to go really big that a new bike will be necessary. but then he will be contributing.

btw...i ride to work 30 mi roundtrip 2-4 times a week & did it many times on a freestyled bike with no problem at all. i don't get why nobody here blinks an eye when someone mentions commuting on a track bike but they always say it is impossible to do it on a jumper.

good luck & have fun...

Thank you so much for all your help and the time you have spent with this thread. I know it isn't a top of the line bike, but it will definitely be good for the things that I am needing it for. I definitely am getting this one over the redline because of the price, and that it still really is a good bike. And with the money I am saving I am getting some Blaq K-Rab straps.(:

A lot of the kids at penn state don't even mess around with the FGFS stuff, they ride dirt-jump style bikes

It sounds like the OP is just going to cruise around town, not have something like a daily seven mile commute on a FGFS bike. But hey, maybe I inferred incorrectly. :P

I will be using it for a lot of just cruising, some tricks, and to get to work. So yeah, I think this bike will work just fine for me.

eighthinch is a safe bet. i've been really happy with the stuff I've bought from them.

^as said before eighthinch's scrambler is not good for tricking..

Try and source an older volume cutter, maybe v2-4 or something, then put on bmx cranks with a bmx bb, and find a good ratio for both commuting and tricking. if you're up for the hassle, get a fixed/fixed rear hub and put on two cogs.

^as said before eighthinch's scrambler is not good for tricking..

Try and source an older volume cutter, maybe v2-4 or something, then put on bmx cranks with a bmx bb, and find a good ratio for both commuting and tricking. if you're up for the hassle, get a fixed/fixed rear hub and put on two cogs.

Scrambler is a tough frame, and would fit a larger tire in the back than an v2-4 Volume Cutter.

I was under the idea that the Eighthinch Scrambler was a trick frame. What is it then? lol

I always thought it was a commuter or even a bike polo (their company is into bike polo) frame. I haven't really read into the v3 but i remember v1's and v2's had lots of toe overlap with very little barspin clearance only in the bigger sized frames.

It is a budget frameset (always around the 150 mark), and their company as i remembered has been really great in terms of customer service and replacing broken parts. This was about a year ago though, i haven't really followed them.

bump

That Eastern Lurker looks like a rad bike. I had never seen it before. It's cool that someone came along to make an entry-level FG bike aimed at those who want to try trick riding.
so you can troll but i cant :|

im sure if i made some serious post towards yours here youd be all like GRRRR IMA MOD WRAAAAAAAAAAA or something Serious of that matter. :)
much love scrod









only play :)





hinting at mah fetish thread if you never caught on lol