Giant Bowery, any good?
 

For the last while (probalby about 6 months) I've been doing the 5km to school and back on a bike at least 10 cm to big for me (found it on garbage day). Well now I've got a job at a bike store, and I've always toyed with the idea of getting a fixie. They dont have one of these in the shop, but they could order one and I know I could get a killer deal on it, but is the Bowery junk?

i don't think many people on here have ridden them...they haven't been out very long, have they?

i got one. Same type of deal. I work at a shop and got the hook up. Im not sure if its worth the retail.
But the EP or cost is totally worth it. Its great for commuting, not an aggresive track geometry like you usually find in fixies.

For being an aluminum bike the thing is a tank. It easily weighs 23 lbs. I think the frame geomtery is the same as Giant's other road bikes. The components are all pretty run of the mill.

I test rode one at a bike shop and I actually liked the way it felt. It was different than the Pista that I normally ride, but in a good way. I don't think that the bike is junk, and if you can get a killer deal like you said then I say go for it.

I'm not a weight weenie, especially for this bike, it's going to get abuse and be outside for about 6 hours a day condition regadless. I just want something that will be solid and fun to ride.

My only gripe about the bike is the really cheap looking cranks. I think they're truvative, but they just look cheap. I test rode one and my official review is:
meh.

I have one. I have mixed feelings about it. I got it for 20% off MSRP, so it was a deal, but I wouldn't pay full retail for it.

Good:
The polished aluminum is trick, and looks sweet if you don't mind the chunky welds.
The black/silver combo looks hot.
It's sturdy as hell. The frame is a tank. The rims are high-profile, with 36 thick spokes. I'm 260lbs, and I have no fear about breaking it no matter how hard I ride it.
The flip/flop hub has been extremely useful.
All the stickers/logos are easily removable... nothing under the clearcoat.

Bad:
The bottom bracket is low, so pedal strike with long cranks is an issue.
The cranks, handlebars, seat post and brake levers are cheap. As a whole package, the bike looks fine, but sitting next to a Pista or an IRO the bike's lack of 'polish' is easily apparent.
The integrated headset means you have fewer options for forks unless you don't mind it looking a little weird.

Overall, hindsight, I wish I'd have just forked out the additional $200 and gotten an IRO, but then again, I'm a perfectionist nutball. The bike definitely turns heads, is a steady ride, and is durable. If you can get a deal, it's worth it.

Specialized Langster.

We dont deal Specialized, wouldnt be able to get a deal. Aparently they'll do cost + 20%. Schnee, is the BB low for the cranks they come with, I dont plan on replacing much, this will really just be a beater. Also, I dont see me replacing hte fork either.

I bought one last week, has IRO hubs to Velocity aerohead rims with 28c Conti Sport tires, Nitto bullhorns, Crank Bros Mallets and a Brooks B-17 saddle. It feels solid and very responsive.The geometry, based on the TCR seems to especially favor the way I like to stand out of the saddle, all 220#s of me and grind my way over the hills. Was the best, cheapest entry into fixed biking. I'll ride the s**t out of it, then buy whatever is the steel frame of my dreams and switch out whatever still works on the bike.

Maybe. I have the XL, so they may put longer cranks. I'll measure it when I get home, if you like.

Let me sort of recant that 'low BB' point in my earlier post. It hasn't been any problem for me at all while riding. I'm not that aggressive of a rider. It was just something the LBS guys pointed out, so I thought it worth mentioning, so you knew about it.

I've got one -- I don't think it weighs 23 pounds, but I haven't weighed it. Rode it yesterday in the KC 666 AlleyCat over brick streets, gravel, curbs and grass (in addition to streets). Sturdy responsive bike and the obnoxious decals come right off. I won't be changing the forks either, I like the straight ones it comes with. If you're looking for an off the shelf solution it's probably as good as any.
Integral is right about the frame geometry, it's compact, not traditional track or road, which could suit you for commuting. I think you'd have to lean pretty far for pedal strike, so depends on how you ride.

Well I've never ridden a fixie before for more then 5 minutes, the frame I have is just too damn big. I did break the deraileur and instead of putting money in to the bike, I just cut the chain down, so ive been riding a single speed with a full 6 speed cog for a while. I dont think I ride too agressively. This bike sounds like it might be what I'm looking for, think I might go for it, thanks for all of your help.

giant bowel movement

Oh man, that deffinetly tops ****mano

Oh man, that deffinetly tops ****mano

Completely agree; I paid just under $500 for it - had I put a little bit more effort in shopping around I probably would have gone another route...but the $500 was the threshold that my wife would agree on for me to get yet another bike and I was itching to get one ASAP.

The no-name cheap-o components don't really bother that much, they're not glitzy and all-in-all I think the bike looks pretty damn good (once you remove the stickers)...the one issue I do have is the saddle; pain in the rear for rides longer than an hour...plan on swapping that sucker out one of these days.

other options besides the Giant?!
 

soo we've established that the Giant isnt exactly the greatest option for the $500 to $600 range..

so what is? Im looking for my first fixie/single speed in this price range and Im having a hell of a time deciding.

Ive looked at the Giant Bowery, Bianchi Pista, Bianchi San Jose, Schwinn Madison, Specialized Langster, and the Raleigh Rushhour.

Does anyone have any other ideas or recommendations??

I like the idea of having the singlespeed/fixed option.

Thanks!

well if it's your 1st fixed gear, i'd say find a decent used bike off of CL. any of those you listed would be fine, in addition to the Redline 925, KHS Flite (or Mercier Kilo TT), Fuji Track (or Windsor Hour), IRO Mark V. a common recommendation given here is to just do a conversion, but in my experience, i found a big difference between riding a conversion (which initially turned me off to fg) and a true track bike, which has gotten me addicted to fg. i don't know, perhaps my conversion was a real POS. also do a search for "budget bikes" on here, as there is a thread that has some pretty good info.

by the way, i think the Bowery is the ugliest bike i've ever laid my eyes on.

I enjoy my Bowery, I've had it for about 4 months and have put 650+ miles on it. I'll admit it doesn't turn heads like most of the bikes in the photos thread but, it serves it's purpose for me.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/123/3...c3b63e16f9.jpg

07 bowery is olive drab green. Looks nice.

the green looks great, i saw on at the lbs. its like a flat army green.

its so ugly.

i donno to me something like the iro angus or the bianchi pista just looks soo much more classy.

Reviving an old thread...

This is for Bowery owners. I just picked up a frame from a fellow BFSSFG member for cheap and I had to get an integrated headset for it (Cane Creek IS.) I've never dealt w/this kind of headset and it will definitely be the last one I deal with but I want to make this thing work.

I've read up a bit on the concept of the IS and I know that there's going to be slop from this headset design but I can't seem to get the damn thing adjusted correctly. All the parts are oriented correctly but it doesn't seem to be tall enough to clear the head tube. No matter how much I tighten it there's for-aft movement in the fork and if it's tight it won't turn freely.

The fork already had a race pressed on there so that might be a bit of the problem since they don't look exactly the same but I doubt it's completely @ fault.

Any thoughts on how to fix it?

after stripping everything off of mine a while ago, i got it down to 18.5lbs.
it truly is a tank though and can take a beating.