c_m_shooter

I demo rode a San Jose and it had a flip flop. It came standard with 42/17 if I recall. If you need to change freewheels, you will need a freewheel tool. Fixed cogs require a chain whip and channel locks (or a lock ring tool). Buy a few cogs, because you may need to experiment to find what works for you. I ride 42/15 most of the time, but have a 17 tooth cog on the other side, and have been glad it was there when I needed it.

hairlessbill

My commute is fairly flat with two small hills. I ran a 42x17 for a year before switching over to my current 44x18. I got tired of spinning like crazy on the downhills. Once I switched over to fixed I have never switched back to using the freewheel side of my flip-flop wheel. If I had to do it over, I'd just get a fixed-fixed wheel and have an added gear option. I use an old style threaded freewheel rear wheel for my singlespeeds. You can get those cheap on craigslist.

For $600.00, you can build a pretty nice singlespeed/fixed bike. I think my IRO totaled out to under $400.00 with only a few recycled parts (saddle, seatpost, stem, handlebars).

dobovedo

For me personally, this is not a project bike. I want this for lower maintenance and reducing the burden of cleaning and replacing more expensive parts (Campy) on my road bikes from riding in crappy weather. I'll clean it and maintain it only as much as needed to keep it working well.

Building bikes is great and I admire the people who lovingly build, tune, and maintain their bikes. My personal preference is to spend maximum time riding them and minimum time working on them. I'm only interesting in walking into a store, finding the model I like the best, ordering the right size if I have to, and walking out with a ready-to-ride bike.

Even if I wanted to spend the time, I have no recycled parts to use. My road bikes are complete and I ride both of them frequently. I have a 1985 Raleigh Alyeska in pristine condition with all original parts. I even have the original tires that came on it 20+ years ago hanging on a wall. That serves as my occasional "beautiful summer day" commuter. My wife and I both have identical Trek 7300 hybrids and mine now serves as a parts bin to keep hers up and running. Buying used parts, and the seemingly never-ending array of tools, adds up over time.

Even if it costs me more to purchase at retail, it doesn't actually. I believe that time = money. If I spend 20, 10, or as few as 5 hours building a bike (including tracking down and going to fetch parts), all savings will be lost. I can spend that time working, esp. at overtime rates, and come out ahead.

Don't get me wrong here... the suggestion of and discussions about building up a bike vs. buying a complete package is great if it helps other people or just for general debate. I'm all for it.

OhiOH

I love my IRO Rob Roy:

https://www.irofixedgear.com/index.as...PROD&ProdID=12

She will be 1 year old tomorrow. Has a flip/flop rear end currently running at 46/18.

sping

I'm very interested to hear that. Nokians? Full fenders? I have an RR frame coming on the group buy.

IRO only claims 28mm tire clearance with fenders, 35 without, which would rule out the Nokians. So they're being very conservative with their clearances?

sping

There's always the hybrid option - work with a specialist bike store to custom-make your ideal. Might push your budget I suppose.

I'm enjoying the SS commuter simplicity, but one thing I'm fed up with is having to clean the brakes/pads after a wet winter rides. All the road sand etc. gets built up and the brakes make harrowing scraping noises unless they're properly cleaned regularly. For that reason, I covet non-rim brakes in winter.

I'm contemplating hub brakes (Sturmey Archer), though there's about a 1lb penalty per wheel. I'll have 2 sets of wheels then, so will have the option of switching in good weather if the weight gets to me.

narr33

sping,

The Rob Roy will fit Nokians W106 (700x35) with fenders (SKS) but it is a tight fit at the front fork. Rear fender is cut 1/2 length and augmented by the rack. I've used them in several inches of snow/ice this year and the tires work great, no probelms with the fenders.

Ken Wind

Have you seen the Ortlieb Office Bag 2? It's a weatherproof briefcase made of polycarbonate that attaches to the top of your rack with an adapter. It's expensive ($170-$200), but it might be a good solution for you.



The Raleigh and the Bianchi are probably my favorites because of clearances, cantilevers, and aesthetics. Unfortunately IRO no longer sells the Rob Roy, so that isn't an option unless you want a used one.

doughboy

Of the bikes you mentioned, the Bianchi San Jose seems like a good fit. As for the "problem" with track ends causing a misalignment of rear brake pads with the machined rim surface, I find that to a be a trivial problem at best. Simply adjust the brake pads with just two bolts...takes 5 minutes at most! The chain doesn't stretch enough to warrant frequent brake pad ajustment either.

It has been answered before, but changing gearing on SS bikes is really easy. If you want a single freewheel, then you just change it for a different size. If you want a double freewheel, get the White Industries DOS freewheel in the sizes you want. The chain line will be off by a little but not significant enough to cause any problems.