bandhole

Does anyone have any first hand experience with either this company (Alton), or this bike, the Alton M Fixie? Is it a safe purchase? Thanks!

social suicide

It looks like competition for the Mercier Mini velo that bikesdirect sells. https://www.bikesdirect.com/products/mercier/nano.htm The Alton is hipster qualified.

Dynocoaster 

I like it in the black.

bandhole

For those interested I received this bike today and took it out for it's first ride. It's got a few kinks that need to be worked out, but otherwise it's a pretty amazing little bike!

https://i.imgur.com/Sz9zq.jpg

Dynocoaster 

Looks great, does the rear wheel have both gears? Did they give you a deal?

bandhole

Yup, the rear hub flips fixed/freewheel. They didn't give me a deal, but it was still pretty cheap through Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Alton-Single-S...=alton+m+fixie

bandhole

For those interested, here's an update on this bike. After putting 600 or so miles on it the bike is holding strong, and is really amazing for its low price. I love this little bike!

It's components are less than desirable though. I've replaced the brakes, saddle, grips, brake cables, seat post clamp, and tires so far, and will be upgrading the sketchy seat post next. I really want to switch to 406 wheels, but I don't even know if they make brake calibers long enough to reach them. If anyone has any tips on this please let me know!

Here's an updated photo:

Dynocoaster 

The larger 20 wheels are made to go faster and I think look better.

Dynocoaster 

Tektro has a long reach brake. R559 I believe is the part number.

rex615

Am I correct to assume you have set up the bike as a single speed and not as a fixie.

It would be easy to find a 406 wheel with a freewheel hub, but one with a locking track set up (as you have now) would probably have to be custom built.

Cool bike. You have me wanting one now. Mine would be flat blue, fixie and maybe with bullhorns.

rex

bandhole

Yeah it's setup as a single speed. The bike has been really cool, and so easy to upgrade. I've actually began building a new Sillgey Piccolo though. It will have all sealed bearings, unlike the Alton. I should have some pics soon

rex615

Congrats on the new project.

Sillgey make some cool bikes, love their retro stuff.

The Piccolo enjoys a good reputation as a Polo bike and many are used as minivelos.

Love to see pics, even if the project is not finished.

cheers

bandhole

Just finished it tonight. It's such a great bike compared to the Alton. I used some of the parts off my Alton, and the color scheme is the same so it looks eerily similar to my old bike, but the difference is night and day when riding it. Especially with the sweet custom wheels from J&R.

tds101 

Sweet ride my friend. I'm thinking single speed minivelo myself,...I may test the Alton M Fixie off Amazon myself,...

PS: would you happen to know anything about the Corsa 7 speed?

bandhole

The only thing I know is that it's an aluminum frame. Before I bought the Alton I called the corporate HQ in CA to ask them about it. When they were talking to me they accidentally confused it with the Corsa when describing how light the bike was. So I guess the Corsa is pretty light lol.

tds101 

Thanks. I spotted the Corsa thread and see how the op upgraded it over time. I'm thinking about either this, or the bike from Bikes Direct. I don't like it's shifters, but it's doable.

rex615

Well, I had to get one also, thanks bandhole forsharing your discovery, I was able to get your great price too.
I got the M Fixie version in flat blue.
Fun little bike. Steel frame, 451 wheels and surprisingly good quality parts. Cartridge bottom bracket, double pivot caliper brakes, presta valves, good wheels and hubs.....

I have barely put a hundred miles on it, but am really happy with it. I wanted a fixie for the winter and this one fits the bill quite nicely. The gearing is low enough, and the minivelo format makes the fixie experience a lot less intimidating, this is my first fixie. I will likely change the handle bars to BMX bars to get a bit more height, I am a bit too tall for a 49 cm frame. The seat has to go, a bit of an ass hatchet, but the rest I am happy with. Will update when I get back home.

ttakata73

Cool bike, although I like your original sinister Darth Vader setup more.

FoldingLawrence

This is looking amazing! Nice work.

bandhole

Congrats rex615! I hope you like it as much as I did. Have you had any problem with brake squeal due to the paint on the rims? If so, try to find SERFAS BP-130 brake pads. They're super cheap, and totally fix the problem.

And thanks guys. My Sillgey is the best bike I've ever owned or ridden.

rex615

I am enjoying the bike very much. Thanks for the tip on the brakes, I will look into it. The brakes do squeal occasionally but I guess since I am using it as a fixie I don't need to use the brakes that much.