to revive an old thread again,

i 've bought one after thinking that if i had a bike built with the parts i wanted, it was going to be more than i should spend on a bike that is used primarly for commuting and errands. i was going to build a track framed commuter with a straight bar, 3 speed internal rear, and ft and rear brakes. surely it was going to cost at least $500 more than what the bowery cost, but then it would have had much higher spec components. the problem here is that i have to lock my bike up for sometimes 2 hours, so having such a nice bike would me too much of a worry for me. the bowery is somewhat cheap transportation (for a new bike), and after 120 miles thus far, has been pretty solid. for me it has been quick and i find it reasonably light enough. though, the last bike i rode extensively was a mountainbike- and that was for commuting, so maybe my senses have been dulled. i did find the bike a bit slow to turn and i've also noticed that the pedals will touch down when leaned over and pedaling- but that's ok as i don't use the fixed gear option for my commute. the bottom bracket has a creak- annoying. it disappeared when i took it to the lbs to check it and they solved the problem- but it was temporary as the noise has reappeared. the ride is hard at 100 psi! but remember that i've come from a fat-tired mountain bike, so...

thus far i've added nitto bullhorns and bar-end (TT style) brake levers, and a computer- because i also use the bike to go on long-ish rides (for me)- 15-20 miles for exercise, and to ride one good thing has happened since i've bought the bike- i've gotten back into road biking after an extended leave. i've spent the last few years commuting on a slow and heavy mountain bike and while it was fun to run and jump over everything, it was a lot of work.