[MENTION=227213]wphamilton[/MENTION] thanks looks great!

@RidingMatthew thanks it will never be a work of art, but it works for me.

i am intrigued by a single speed/ fixed gear bike but I am not sure if it is necessary for me and if i could ride the 11 miles to and from work with one gear. Too much elevation change here in the Piedmont of NC.

I am sure that you could do it but I don't really see the question as being one of necessity. I rationalized it in various ways, but I really just wanted one and wanted to take the headlight and fenders off

i guess by necessity i mean it would fill a need in my biking so that I can convince the wife that another bike is necessary..

Need something with tires that won't slip as easily, and protection so that the chain and gears won't freeze up, or the shifting. That you can stop even if the brakes cables freeze. It's a safety issue - that worked for me.

i like it... thanks :)

This is a really good proof of concept, that you can get (and then build to a degree) a really functional bike for very little money.

Thank you, it does prove that, and more significant to me is that it is not only functional but routine. I recently (in 2014) had a span of a year where every commute was on my road bike. I've been doing that same commute since June in 2010. I'm not saying that to brag - well maybe a little brag - but mainly to show that I have a solid basis of comparison and that the commute is a completely normal, routine event for me. It doesn't particularly feel less routine or more difficult with this inexpensive bike, and if anything is more convenient and more comfortable ride. So I rate it as a fully compatible replacement.

I'm sure at some point I'll get the itch to turn it into something else, but for now it's a $270 commuter with no downside that I can see.

As much as fixies have been relegated to fad status, there is a very practical side to them.

Yes, for sure. It's one of their secrets behind the inaccurate view that that crowd is all about style and nothing else.

I am in no way into single speed bikes. However I really enjoyed reading your honest review & seeing the mods youve made to suit your needs....Jeff

I'm not into them either, really. But for this purpose, surprisingly to me it's not that much different. Maybe we just get used to whatever we're riding.

I'm glad you enjoyed the review.

I agree. I do think we just get used to whatever we're riding.

My commute is mostly flat but if I'm riding a geared bike I use the gears and am happy to have them. If I'm riding a fixed gear, obviously I don't have multiple gears, and don't really miss them.

I was something of a skeptic when it came to fixies and really didn't understand the attraction. They're not something I warmed up to immediately either, it took a couple of weeks of riding one. Now it's the bike I ride most often and like many I think it's because I like the simplicity of it.

For sure I can see using it most of the time, simplicity being one of the reasons. Relegating the road bike to those nicer days for training, taking the long way home or just riding hard.

Well, thanks for this informative thread. I just pulled the trigger on one for my son to get around the city on. He had borrowed a friend's similarly equipped bike and liked it. We'll know on Friday if I get sent a Streetfighter or an SST.

nice ride ... mine came in a box as well (long-term BSO thread).

I'll bet you get what you ordered. I can't imagine that BD does that very often - we'd have surely heard about it.

I've wound up riding it more than the other bikes. Partly because I removed fenders from my road bike, so sloppy weather is always the Dawes SST now.

The Streetfighter arrived today. Everything was clean and in good shape. It took less than an hour to assemble and tune. I had to add grease to the front hub; it was greased, but lightly. The rear was fine. It came with a 16T single freewheel and a 15T fixed cog even though it's spec'd for just the freewheel. I'm going to recommend a bigger freewheel, it feels a bit high to me. I suspect my son will never ride the fixed side. The crankset came with a chain guard installed (not pictured on the site) and an exter set of chainring bolts which I presume are to be used if one chooses to remove the guar - nice touch. I need to true the front wheel a bit and go back to the rear to take out a tiny bit of looseness in the cones. Then lights, pump, lock, tools and lessons in tire changing :-)

Overall, I'm impressed! The frame feels lively, it has nimble steering, stops efficiently and strikes me as a lot of bike for the money. To be honest, part of the equation was to get something that we wouldn't be broken-hearted about if it gets stolen or scraped up.

It's been a month now, so how is that working out for your son?

He's delighted with it. He hit a pothole and flatted the rear, which prompted me to put a set of 28mm Schwalbe Marathin Pluses on it. He reports that they roll better than the basic Kendas it came with.

I know this is quite a stretch for a post 9 months later, and as a first time poster, what are the complete changes you've made to the bike? I've got my eyes on it and wondered what improvements it could possibly need from the stock parts.

I've only replaced the stock saddle, Brake pads, tires, and Bikes Direct sent me a replacement freewheel. Maybe I changed the pedals, but I can't honestly remember. That's it, although I am very tempted by the Vuelta Track wheelset on Nashbar right now, on sale for $90 which I think would be a substantial improvement.

I've added accessories: fenders, chain case, rack, front and back lights, computer and bell. If you're looking on BD, let me reiterate that it's really the Dawes SST ( drop bars) that they sent me, not the Streetfighter (flat bars) that I ordered. I just didn't care enough either way to send it back.

BTW it's been a year and a few months since I got it, and I've used it for probably more than half of my commutes and some quick rides now and again. Likely it's 2500-3000 miles. I haven't had any issues at all with it, and am perfectly happy with the SST as a commuter.

I bought the Dawes SST 1 from BD and its just two days and I'm hearing this clicking noise.. I guess it's from the crank..

planing to check them during the off or may it's a common issue with this bike.