thekidwho

Hey all,
I'm currently a student in high school and I have decided to bike to school, and so I am looking for a stylish, fun, colorful, sturdy bike. I live about a mile from school, but I would also like to use the bike to commute through the city (I'm tired of paying train fare! lol) Anyways, my birthday is coming up and I want to ask my parents for a new bike. (I'm sure they'll say yes) So I looked around for reasonably priced bikes, and I found three that fit my price range and for the most part, my taste.

The first one I found was Republic bikes. I did a little bit of research, and found that everyone seems to hate the bikes. There were people, however, who owned the bike themselves, and loved them. Also let me mention that Republic bikes came out with a limited edition bike that is made with a chromoly frame. If I were to get a Republic bike, should I get this limited edition? I think my main concern with Republic bikes is that I'm not sure how sturdy they are. I mean, I am a 5'7 (I might even be 5'8) weighing 155 pounds. Will this bike be able to support me? If I commute about 5 miles a day (maybe more, maybe less. I'm pretty sure I won't be going more than 10 miles though) is this bike sufficient? Also, people complain that the parts are cheap. I don't really care if they have no brand names, but I do care about quality. Are the parts of good enough quality to fit my needs? What I love most about these bikes are the color choices. I want to look hip and cool riding to school (oh gosh, that sounds so lame).

The second bike I found was the Kilo TT. I actually found it on the Bikesdirect website (it was really the only one that I liked from the website), and it seems to be a really good deal. However it doesn't look sturdy, and the colors are very limited, so it isn't as attractive either. How sturdy is it? Are the materials and parts good quality?

The last bike I found was from the company Backward Cycle. I couldn't find much information about this company or their bikes, and so I was wondering if any of you could give me that information about these bikes? Are they sturdy? In my opinion, they're not as attractive however. And also, they are kind of above my budget.

Lastly, do you know of any other bikes that are within my price range ($300-$500) that are cool, colorful, stylish, and sturdy?

I'm sorry if this is too much to ask. I'm just really excited about getting a bike, and really want to be confident in my choice.

Thanks in advance!

travelmama

I wonder how long you will be able to keep that cool, hip bike before another youngster decides to steal it. I must admit that as much as I like to see any and everyone on bikes these days, I am tired of the "hip" cyclists. That style will soon be played out just like 80's rock shirts from Target. I think you should be a bit more practical in your thinking and how much you have to spend. If you want to ride a bike that is of quality and will last for some time, get a real bike that is not for show but for use. Consider a decent hybrid or road bike as you can't go wrong with either.

thekidwho

Hey, I have just discovered the Eight Inch Scrambler V2. Although it is a little bit more expensive than the others, should I shell out the money? It's fully customizable, which I love, and it seems to have very good reviews.

91MF

the kilo is made of reynolds, the others are made of crap. still, buy from your LBS.

RI_Swamp_Yankee

Umm. Unless you already ride a fixie, and know different, fixies suck. Buy a dutch bike instead, and wear tweed instead of '80s day-glo. (I grew up in the '80s, day-glo bites, and hard, punk (Circle Jerks) and europop (The Smiths) and indiepop (XTC) rules.)

KHS has a dutch-ride in your price range. I am weirded out, as this is like the third time in 24 hours I recommended someone look at a KHS bike. I am not on the take, I swear.

CFXMarauder

Kilo or Eigth inch are decent bike that will serve you...Maybe not for the long haul(years) but they are decent bikes..

155 is fine

5-10 miles is no probs..

Add a GOOD Ulock and cable into the budget..I would also suggest lights front and rear..

At 37 years old im still young enough to wanna look good doing it so I can understand your line of thinking but but for Gods sake please consider Lights on the front and rear..Im not talking some POS Knog blincky hipster gimmik light that all the kids think look cool...A $50 Planet Bike Blaze and Plantet bike Superflash work wonders for getting you seen and helping to prevent accidents..

I too love the clean lines and looks of the single speed and almost bought a Kilo TT but didnt ..Ended up getting a Specialized Allez instead as I love not being stuck in one gear while standing on the cranks into a 20mph headwind..

Travelmama does have a point bout being a target for theives soo good locks are a must..

AlanKHG

Y'all are seriously trying to convince a high schooler to buy a practical bike? He has peers to impress! And even... girls! (Or maybe boys; swing however you gotta, OP.) Do you really want him to never ride a bike? Cars are cool in high school. Fixies even the balance. He can ride something else once he's older and hooked. And a fixie is perfectly practical for the kind of riding he's doing, anyway.

The Republic is a cheap bike with cheap parts that don't work that well and get rusty. And the frame's geometry doesn't even make any sense, at least in some sizes. You'd pay more than it's worth because it has a fashionable look. The frame might look sturdier because it has thicker tubes but it's heavy and tube thickness doesn't have anything to do with how strong a bike is.

I can't find any information (even a website) about Backward Cycle. That's a bad sign. Stay away.

The Eighth Inch and Kilo are both solid bikes. Lots of people on the internet like the Kilo. The Scrambler is put out by a reputable bike shop in Milwaukee. Buy a Kilo if you can find one you like the look of. If you'd spend money after you get one swapping in colored parts, then just get the Scrambler to start out with. Buying colored parts aftermarket would add up pretty quickly.

Once you have a bike make sure you get a U-lock (not a cable lock) and lock through the frame so your bike doesn't get stolen. Get good lights if you ride at night (you probably will). I won't tell you to ride smartly since you are (as I was very recently) a teenager. But don't ride too stupidly. Here's a starter: https://bicyclesafe.com/

qualia8

What city are you in? Some have local shops that can equal or better these deals. Then you can actually try the bikes out, get maintenance, etc.

thekidwho

Hey, thanks everyone for your replies! And thanks Alan for understanding my situation! ahaha. I've now narrowed it down to the Kilo and the Scrambler. I'm fine with either at this point. I'll ask my parents for the Scrambler, but if they think its too expensive, I'll just go with the Kilo.

Oh, and I live in Boston. I don't know of any bike stores around me, but I guess I should find some and check them out. Thanks for the advice

Oh, and I had one other question. Is bikedirect reliable? I mean, are their bike's legit? Or are they like replicas or knock-offs of the originals? Just wondering. Thanks

Jude

I don't think the Kilo comes with brakes, so leave room in your budget to add front and rear brakes and levers to that. I know it's not trendy to ride with brakes, but while it's one thing to want a bike that looks cool, it's another thing to be an unsafe and irresponsible ****** in the service of looking cool.

Haven't ridden a Kilo but heard all good things about it, especially for the short distances you'll be using it. Also, is your area hilly? If so, a fixie or single speed may not be the best thing, although eventually you'll get beefy enough to handle the hills. If the area's mostly flat or with smaller hills, even better.

Also I remember the Kilo coming in about 6 different colors - I think there should be a pretty good selection. I especially like the green and orange myself when I was thinking about getting one.

latortilla

If it's not too late, you should consider the SE Lager (just a little more expensive than your range) or the Draft (slightly less bike but solidly in your range). The Lager got good reviews on Commutebybike.com.

darkadious

lol.

anyways, just get a kilo wt, sturdy as hell and it looks badass.
https://velospace.org/node/25105

91MF

the fact that you are concerned about this makes you look more ridiculous than the kids that you are clowning.
riding a fixed gear bike is fun, but if dont like it thats cool too. stick with your triple, smoke a bat and relax..

vegipowrd

I hope this was obvious already, but be aware that buying from Bikesdirect will require you to set things up yourself. This won't be bad with a single speed / fixed gear, but it could be a real pain if you haven't done much previous maintenance.
Also, all these bikes are heavily reviewed in the single speed/fixed gear forum. If I had to guess you would see the most positive things about the Kilo TT.

beatnik0422

Recently, I purchased an Origin 8 Uno for my commute. It's held up like a champ so far. My commute is 24 miles round trip and I also ride for pleasure now and again. Because I don't trick--aside from an occasional trackstand at a light or something--I can't tell you how well it holds up after it's been slammed down a few times, but it's pretty sturdy and I think you could be pretty rough with it (not that you want to be rough with it). Also, it comes with a flip/flop hub, so you can ride it as a fixed gear or single speed that coasts. It comes with front and rear brakes and braze-ons for water bottles, a pump, racks, and fenders. There might be a clearance issue with certain types of fenders. All-in-all I think this bike rocks and I'd definitely recommend it for someone commuting and joy riding through town.

p.s. I've also received a plethora of comments on how awesome the bike looks.