is there anything really wrong with the specialized langster?
 

so, apparently the only singlespeed in my price range any of the bike stores around here can get in is the specialized langster. it looks like an alright ride, but i'm wondering if there are any major cons. here are some that i can think of:

alu frame - although this could be good for winter (in montreal)
not much cushion in the fork
wheels could be tougher
bottom bracket could be tougher
someone said specialized is becoming the new trek. and who wants to be one of the masses?

but other than that... for about $600 new it seems pretty good. no one here is stocking bianchi any more - they pretty much ****ed the entire country over, apparently - so the san jose is not really an option. it'd be great to hear what people think.

its not bad, but definately DONT pay 600 for it.

my beef: compact geometry... it makes me vomit!

They're not that bad. I got mine the first year it came out when it was under $450. Since then they haven't changed much, just jacked up the price. I don't know that I'd pay $600 for it. I'm still riding the stock wheels, but I'm a small rider, so I'm not hard on them. The rear needs to be replaced. It hops and waves at everyone when I go by, I just can't afford to replace it yet. The aluminum everything is harsh. I've ridden as far as 70 miles and spent as much as 5 straight hours in the saddle. It beat the heck out of me. If you're really going to ride it a lot or far, I'd think about a carbon post and maybe a carbon fork (stock fork is also heavy) right from the start. I'd also plan on buying a new rear wheel in the not too distant future. The hubs seem ok, but the rims and the build are crap. It's been a pretty good ride. I use it mostly in the winter because of all the rain here in Oregon and it treats me well.

ahh, that'd be $600 canadian, folks....

thanks for the input so far!

I've got one, but the only thing left on it from specialized is the actual frame from specialized! First to go was the alu. fork..like they said, beats the heck out of you. Added carbon fork (and cane creek headset), seatpost and while i was at it a saddle that fits my ass. Replaced the bars with bullhorns since i had taken off the brakes and didnt want the hoods up there with nothing to do. Next I built up a set of Surly/Mavic cxp33 wheels as the stock wheels (formula/alex) were really meant to be entry level wheels. they had problems from the start, so before they exploded on me, I moved them to the winter beater ( no real problems running them single speed for the past 9 months).

I was ready to stop sinking money into it when my crank broke...no real explanation, i'm just that strong I guess =) Replaced that with Sugino 75 setup. Just ordered a new stem also, since I'm sick of the clamp bolts of the the stock one snagging my knees when i'm out of the saddle.

Other than that, its a great bike =) all of my upgrades were done with the intention of transferrign everythign to a worthy frame when I come across it. You can ride a langster all day long for much less money...if something breaks, fix it. Also, i paid 400 for mine off of ebay.

That said, the pista is a better deal.

i'm really surprized the only fixed/ss you can get in MTL is the langster...not saying you havent looked, but damn, any shop that is a fuji, bianchi, khs, etc. dealer can get you their track bike offerings too, and there is always spicer/kogswell/etc and IRO by mail.

I got mine for $550 (threw in the lockring and cog), and have put roughly 400 miles on it so far. Wheels are still true and nothing's broken.

In terms of ride quality, the last bike I rode was a 1988 Specialized Sirrus which was about two sizes too big, so obviously this feels better. But its not much of a fair comparison. Longest ride I've done on the Langster was 60 miles, and it wasn't bad at all.

Oh wait, I did break one of the pedals on a taxi-cab, but that was easily fixed with duct tape.

I love my langster its 2 years old so far i have put a better seat and bullhorns and fixed cog on other than that tires have needed replacing. I have repacked the rear hub it probebly need a new wheel but its still going for now. if you use good tires like continental ultra 2000 the ride isnt too bad armadillos made it feel like crap though. i paid about $450 us for it new plus upgrades

If you like it thats all that matters.
Dont pay 600.00 though......
Ive seen them go for 460.00

I recieved my Langster from my brother after he built a new bike. He previously put more than 1000 miles on it and only changed the wheels and added a carbon seat post. Since I have had it I put another 800 miles on it and its been great. The Aluminum doest bother me at all and all the components are holding up very well, although I cant speak about the wheels because I have mavic ellipses. My brother was about 230lbs and Im 190 and hard on bikes. Test ride it and see if you like it then buy one off someone second hand and save some money.

well, i did see a gary fischer and the lemond fillmore... but they were both more than a thousand bucks... bit steep for me... sounds like the langster might be okay.... but does it have clearance for fenders / eyelets for racks?

yes

I honestly hated my langster. It was the biggest waste of money. I used it as a commuter bike and beat the hell out of it with in a few months. If you are planning on riding it on an everyday basis plan on getting a new wheel set up too. The wheels constantly needed to be trued, the head set went to ****, the pedals are crappy and the seat post is horrible. Now i know all of those things are ussually the first to go anyways but id think about building up an older frame with nicer newer components rather than buying a new complete and still having to add nicer newer components. Just dont rush into buying one.

Just out of curiosity, what makes a seat post ****ty?

****ting on it.

LOL, yesssssss

Can't you get a Louis Garneau in Montreal?

$600 is about the price for an Iro Mark V with shipping. I'd say go with the MV. It has superior parts for the $. :D

Just my .02

I didn't really buy the whole POS seatpost thing either, until I slapped a cheap $5 Kalloy garbage post on one of my bikes as a temporary measure (as the bike came with a narrow railed saddle/seatpost/asshatchet combo.

This seatpost is a POS because the clamping mechanism DOES NOT WORK WORTH A DAMN. If I hit a hard bump (and I ride pretty far back on the saddle), the clamp mechanism slips a tooth and tilts the saddle up in the front. TOTALLY SUCKS. I have cranked that thing as tight as it will possibly go, and it still slips. It's garbage, and I can't wait to replace it...

stock bikes need parts replaced asap :s along with adjustments.. i got new pedals / cages / wheelset / handlebars and just ordered a new fork - that fork is fugly, i picked up my langster for like $400 and i love it and most of the replacement parts i got for free or dirt cheap.

Isn't it possible that it was not tightened down properly when you *first* rode it and the first slipping(s) ground down the serrated surfaces?

no single bolt seat posts are crap. Well a lot of them are.
tighten it up as hard as you can and it should stay tight for a couple of weeks.

For an alu frame bike the Langster is freakin' heavy.

As for the post issue, I've found two used Thomsons in good condition for $40 and a used Salsa Shaft for even less. **** that serrated teeth single bolt post garbage.

**** ignorance.
http://www.gambacicli.it/componenti/...arbon-seat.jpg