I've had one for a few months.



It's funny, because with all the hate it gets on bike forums, I'd expect people to be a lot less enthusiastic about it in person, but it's just the opposite. Whenever I bring it in to the office, people walk in and go 'oooOOOoooh, nice'. When I hop off to chill out during a ride, people walking by practically break their necks looking at it. It's often surrounded by WalMart mountain bikes and beach cruisers at that point, but still... positive. You can chalk that up to ignorance, but there it is.

I had the LBS take off the chain guard. First thing I did when I got home was take off all the stickers... everything - including the Giant logos - are big, easy-to-remove stickers, so it took all of ten minutes and didn't require any chemicals. It makes for a clean, industrial look.

The default seat sucks, but that's true of anything for a guy my size (6'-3", 255). I dropped the rear gears to 18t, put on a shorter stem and added Eggbeaters. After that, it fits me really well and rides the way I expect it to - stiff, tight and responsive. I come from mountain biking, so I know by comparison any road bike will feel that way, so take that for what it's worth.

I'd say there are definitely better deals, but it fit my needs. I wanted a SS/fixie that was under $500 (I paid $450) and was brand new - I don't have the time, desire or tools to build a conversion myself. I'll probably flip it on Craigslist come bonus time, and by then I'll have a better idea of what I want long-term.

It is funny... browsing the SS/FG forums here are what originally gave me the idea to investigate this kind of bike. If I'd never been here, then I wouldn't be having this much fun... or having any kind of buyer's remorse for getting this specific bike in the first place. Ironic, eh?