Swinny145123

I recently visited a bike store in my area and they had sold 2 bikes One of them being a pure fix and the other being a raleigh however i enjoyed the raleigh more because it was faster however to be fair the raleigh was 500 and the pure fix was 340. I just wanted to know if the raleigh was a quality bike and if it was worth 500$ i have no idea if it had a fixed gear capability as i forgot to ask. Both of the bikes i tested both were in free wheel. I wanted to know someone elses opinion if its worth it to return to that store to buy the raleigh track bike or to purchase another bike. My budget is around 500-600 dollars. I was also looking into other bikes such as the Aventon and the Unknown bikes. I also already read a bunch of threads saying "Kilo TT you cant go wrong" However i want other opinion on these bikes. If anyone has Aventon, Unkwn, or raleigh, can you give me your opinion on them? I also have no idea what model the raleigh was because he had told me that it was a bike shop exclusive and i cant purchase it online(i smell bull****) but besides my point can someone possibly tell me what it was?

d1961

I'm confused.
If one was a pure fixie, how did you ride it in freewheel?
Anyway.....of the two bikes you looked at, I would choose the Raleigh since we don't really know anything about the other bike other than price. Raleigh is a quality brand and have been producing nice bikes for many years.

Swinny145123

Do you have any idea what raleigh it was because i didn't ask the person and he said that you wont be able to find it online. It isn't "Pure fixie" the brand is called pure fix and it has a flip flop hub that you can change between freewheel and the fixed gear. Do you have any opinion on the aventon or the Unknown?

d1961

I am unfamiliar with Pure Fix but I have read about both the Unknown and Aventon. I haven't seen any of them in my area so I can't really give you much advise about them. I have a Raleigh mtb bike (yes I converted it to single speed) that I have had since 2000. No trouble with it at all. There are several people I know with Raleigh road bikes and all seem pretty happy with them. I'm not trying to push the Raleigh, it's just the only brand of the ones you list that I am familiar with. I'm sure others on here can give you some info on the other brands.

Swinny145123

Were the things you read about the aventon and the Unknown good things or bad things? Also the man in the store said he would have to charge me an extra 25$ to change the track drop bars to road drop bars is it worth it? i dont think he will be giving me the track drop bars. However i also liked the raleigh it looked like a good quality bike and it was really fast.

SpeshulEd 

Pure Fix bikes don't have the best reputation around these parts.

You should be able to put a fixed cog or a freewheel on other bike, they might even have flip flop hubs where you can run both and just flip the wheel depending on your mood.

Swinny145123

It seems to be the case for any premade bike aside from the "Kilo TT" Would you trust the raleigh though? I personally was looking specifically for the aventon but most shops did not have it and the one that does closes too early for me to get there

d1961

Going from track bars to road bars is a matter of personal preference. Depends on what kind of riding you intend to do. Generally it seems like the track bars are "deeper" than road bars which are great if you plan to be on the track a lot. You might prefer traditional road bars if you plan on commuting or rides in the country. My Giant had a similar setup when I first bought it and I bought some FSA road bars which was a good move for me. I really like them but I had to get a new stem as well.
I think you would be happy with the Raleigh. If you rode it and you liked it and it's in your price range.........
Plus the added benefit of support from your local shop.

Swinny145123

Well to be honest i brought back the purefix and the guy basically told me "Purefix is a cheap piece of crap you pay the cheaper price you get the cheaper preformance. The raleigh is the better frame and better wheels. I was gonna get the road bars because it is more comfortable and i ride in the city no where near the country

Scrodzilla

Buy a Leader. I hear those are super awesome.

Swinny145123

The way you make the 2015 Leader sound its better if i just bought a walmart fixie

d1961

Is this the Raleigh?
Raleigh Bicycles - Rush Hour

Swinny145123

ACTUALLY THAT IS EXACTLY IT i just realized that is the exact bike i saw in the shop

d1961

My personal opinion, this would be a dandy first bike for you. The picture doesn't show it with brakes but the specs say it has Promax brake calipers. If you plan on riding it as a single speed, you will definitely need brakes.

Swinny145123

what would you say about this vs the aventon though any thoughts? those are the two im considering right now

d1961

Like i said, I'm not familiar with Aventon bikes. I've heard of them but I really don't know anything about them.

Swinny145123

Do you think that bike is worth 500$? in terms of specs and such

d1961

I think it's not a bad deal. I would probably pay the $25 and have them switch out the handlebars. See if they'll throw in the bar tape as well. Maybe even a water bottle cage.

Swinny145123

Will the frame be worth keeping and upgrading the parts on it though? I have been snooping around the forums and people hate Hi-ten steel

Scrodzilla

The Rush Hour is cro-mo steel, not hi-ten.

If the Aventon completes your local shop is selling are built up using the Aventon/6KU parts package available to dealers (like the ones being sold by CityGrounds), you're probably better off buying the Raleigh.

It really comes down to whether you want an aluminum or steel frame.

prooftheory

Just buy the bars and tape you want and learn to tape the bars yourself. You can always hock the old bars. Also, ketchup is better than mustard.

d1961

Save the money for upgrades in the cookie jar. By the time you have enough for the upgrades you may want (wheels,crank,brakes,etc.) you will be a long way towards the price of a new bike. Probably a nicer one. Keep the Raleigh for a "everyday" bike.

Swinny145123

@Scrodzilla @d1961

Ok, so what i have found is that the aluminium frame(Aventon) will be lighter then the raleigh while also be stiffer because of the use of stiffer materials. From what i can see i believe the aventon is also a more aggressive geometry? from what i can see correct me if i am wrong. But in terms of durability i hear in the long run the raleigh may rust however that can be fixed and the aventon frame will eventually catastrophically fail compared to the raleigh. The aventon would also be a less comfortable ride correct? I also read somewhere that with the aventon frame i would go faster because of its aluminum frame.

But my real question is which frame is actually worth buying to upgrade throughout the years the aventon or the raleigh?

Scrodzilla

Holy overhtinking.

SpeshulEd 

Buy the Rush Hour...or Kilo TT.