New Commuter Bike on Market
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New Commuter Bike on Market
The Detroit Bikes is just starting up. Bike comes in any color as long as it is black and will cost $550.
Last edited by Len S; 08-19-13 at 10:51 AM.
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I like it. A bit pricey but looks well spec'd. Not entirely comfortable with one size fits all but I understand why the manufacturer chose this. I don't own a good quality 3 speed but I've always thought they make great commuters.
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You could spend the same and get a Trek Allant, which has 21 speeds instead of 3 and has hand brakes instead of coasters. Also, won't this steel frame rust in the rain? I wonder why they chose that over aluminum.
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Here is a link for aluminum vs steel. https://www.missionbicycle.com/about...el-vs-aluminum
I personally do not use very many speeds. 3 or 4 typically. Lots of gears sounds great but the top and bottom end ratios are the most important with something in the midldle in my view. Brakes? I have had both and I think a combo is a good idea ..... as long as the front is not to grabby. I also like the idea of made in American and not China or even Taiwan.
I personally do not use very many speeds. 3 or 4 typically. Lots of gears sounds great but the top and bottom end ratios are the most important with something in the midldle in my view. Brakes? I have had both and I think a combo is a good idea ..... as long as the front is not to grabby. I also like the idea of made in American and not China or even Taiwan.
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Used to see those on navy bases and ship yards... not bad for riding over crane rails and scrap metal but I wouldn't want to ride it on real streets.
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It has promise, but there are a couple of things that could/should have been better thought out- that rear rack and those fenders. Even putting a mudflap on the front one and there will still be plenty of spray thrown up. I'm of the opinion that the front fender should extend to at least the same height as the bottom bracket or none at all . And I would have included a kickstand...
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Here is a link for aluminum vs steel. https://www.missionbicycle.com/about...el-vs-aluminum
I personally do not use very many speeds. 3 or 4 typically. Lots of gears sounds great but the top and bottom end ratios are the most important with something in the midldle in my view. Brakes? I have had both and I think a combo is a good idea ..... as long as the front is not to grabby. I also like the idea of made in American and not China or even Taiwan.
I personally do not use very many speeds. 3 or 4 typically. Lots of gears sounds great but the top and bottom end ratios are the most important with something in the midldle in my view. Brakes? I have had both and I think a combo is a good idea ..... as long as the front is not to grabby. I also like the idea of made in American and not China or even Taiwan.
Aluminum isn't glass nor should it be compared to glass. It doesn't 'break before it bends'. Yes, it tears when it breaks but it doesn't "shatter". If anything steel, because it is stiffer, tends to shatter when it breaks. I've broken plenty of steel components and steel frames as well as plenty of aluminum parts and frames. Steel goes "ping" and is broken (think broken spoke). Aluminum tears and groans but has never shattered in my experience. Nor is the failure catastrophic.
A steel bicycle frame is only 'softer' than an aluminum one because the tubes are of a smaller diameter. And even here the website is way off base. Yes, you have to use more aluminum have the same rigidity for the same tube diameter as steel. But aluminum frames don't use the same tube diameter as steel frames. They use a larger diameter so that they can use less aluminum and still achieve the same stiffness. A bicycle manufacture could do the same with steel but the bike would be almost unrideable. It would have no give whatsoever due to the stiffness of the steel.
Finally, as to longevity, we just had an airshow here in Denver with all kinds of planes from WWII. Those airframes are 70 years old. They aren't made of steel because steel is too heavy for aircraft. They were made of aluminum and they are, and have been, under far greater stresses then we can put on a bike. Heck you can still find Monarch Silver Kings from the 1930s. A modern aluminum bike will last long enough.
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Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
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Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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Yeah, Mission Bicycle is a hipster company with one product.
As far as a commuter bike, steel might be a marginally better choice just because it's less likely to dent when you accidentally hit the top tube with your U-lock, or knock it over at the rack.
#10
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I would really have to know what kind of rims and front brake are on that before I would pony up 550 sight unseen.
I have over two thousand miles on a torker graduate, and have some very strong ideas about how a city steel bike should be set up.
The color is fine.
I have over two thousand miles on a torker graduate, and have some very strong ideas about how a city steel bike should be set up.
The color is fine.
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News article:
https://www.freep.com/article/2013081...factory-launch
https://www.freep.com/article/2013081...factory-launch
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$550 for a US made bike sounds pretty good. Really the only negative is the one size. I use our bikeshare quite a bit,and one size does not really fit all.
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I like it. Good, and glad to see another company making bikes in The States. I'll have to price out a Worksman with the same specs and see which I like better to fill the "low speed, around town, short-hop, semi-cruiser" niche.
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I think.....some time I do......that I read somewhere that the "one size fits all" does not apply to those shorter then 5'5". Went to a local bike shop and they said it would be 3 weeks yet before they though they would have one in stock to look at.
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Or you can buy a Trek with more speeds from Taiwan.
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Do the same thing with road bike geometry, put Sora 8-speed on it and decent brakes and then I'd be tempted for the price.
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I can't price a Worksman with the same stuff for an equal price, but the Worksman Standard Cruiser is a much heavier duty bike. Thier "Dutchie" bike is more in line with this bike and roughly equal part for equal part, the Worksman comes out about $75 more than the Detroit.
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Will do. I rode one at the launch party on Friday and put down a $250 deposit. First Nexus bike I have ridden. The ratios were much better spaced than my 1956 Schwinn Corvette.
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Why cannot a company make a modern three speed, Reynolds steel (or similar) true diamond free (level top bar) "English Racer" type bike complete with the white dipped fenders? I would love to have a modern, as in new, Raleigh or Rudge Path Racer.
I am an A&P mechanic, I am alos an engineer. Between steel and aluminum, chromo steel wins every time. Before airplane were made of aluminum, they were made of steel tubing and fabric (and still are) and while aluminum is a marvelous material (God's gift to aviation) it is not better than steel in many applications. Before airplanes were made of steel and fabric, they were made of wood and fabric (wood, God's gift to mariners).
All three are wonderful, I would rather have stainless steel or titanium but for $550, good, chromo steel (4130) is just fine and will last nearly forever.
LC
I am an A&P mechanic, I am alos an engineer. Between steel and aluminum, chromo steel wins every time. Before airplane were made of aluminum, they were made of steel tubing and fabric (and still are) and while aluminum is a marvelous material (God's gift to aviation) it is not better than steel in many applications. Before airplanes were made of steel and fabric, they were made of wood and fabric (wood, God's gift to mariners).
All three are wonderful, I would rather have stainless steel or titanium but for $550, good, chromo steel (4130) is just fine and will last nearly forever.
LC
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It's apparent to all but people who work in marketing (and accounting) that one size cannot possibly fit all.
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5'5" kinda cuts out about half of the US population. Great marketing
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Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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As I said I am not sure of the 5'5" figure. Indeed I have not found it again. It does stick in my mind though. On other hand, 80-90% of males are taller then 5'4"/5'5". Half of women are indeed left out because they are shorter then 5'5". But then it is estimated that 1/3rd of bike commuters are female and 2/3rds are male. Maybe for a start up company their 80% of market target really is not as bad as it first appears. I would think that if their product got "hot" then they could invest in a second line.
Found it.... on Detroitbikes.com/the-bike:
"The one-size-fits-almost-all lightweight chromoly steel frame of our A-Type makes it a perfect sharing bike. They’re light and strong. If you’re between 5’5″ and 6’2″, this bike will fit you"
Found it.... on Detroitbikes.com/the-bike:
"The one-size-fits-almost-all lightweight chromoly steel frame of our A-Type makes it a perfect sharing bike. They’re light and strong. If you’re between 5’5″ and 6’2″, this bike will fit you"
Last edited by Len S; 08-28-13 at 07:31 PM.