i know there's been a lot of talk on here about the SE Draft and its shortcomings (ie the one piece bottom bracket and the flat handle bars).

but it seems most of the negative talk i've heard is about the *type* of components used, and not the actual quality.

i'm looking for a very cheap singlespeed so my girlfriend can ride around the city with me (i'm tired of us driving because she has no bike)... so that being said, does anyone know anything about the draft's quality? i know from reading online, for example, that the bb is the bmx style and therefore harder to replace, but that doesn't mean it's crap.

is it decent enough for my girlfriend to put 10-15 light miles a week on it?

if not, does anyone have any suggestions? she really doesn't need anything fancy, and she isn't really into bikes, so the name on the components doesn't matter to her at all

for the money, I'd say you can't go wrong.

yeah it will hold up to 15 miles a week no problem.

she won't be able to keep up with you though because it weighs 30 pounds.
and it costs 2/3rds of a kilo or the like with so much less performance.

seriously, it's not a good buy. why not have her get a target road bike, save fifty dollars, and be able to keep up with you? or are you trying to coordinate outfits...

yea... my logic is that i'm gonna flip the hub and put a freewheel on, and the Draft already has brakes. Once I add them to the Kilo or Hour, it starts to add up fast (she might not care about riding crap, but that doesn't mean I can put crap on her bike).

i don't think i'm getting through to you about how heavy the thing is. stopping it without upgrading the brakes ... well you'd be better just jumping off.

ha. ok well that makes it pretty clear. that's important to know, especially because her little arms don't need to work extra hard at stopping a bike.

have her ride it, and then have her ride a target road bike or something else faster and cheaper. one thing my girlfriend is most attracted to about fixed gear ss bikes is how light they are. the draft is heavier than my 1996 GT aggressor MTB.

I would avoid getting a draft at all costs. In fact, I'd probably have intercourse with someone in my immediate family before I got a draft. And this isn't the deliverance.

Why not get a decent road bike from CL? You can find some decent ones for around what you'd spend on a draft, it will have gears (a greater range of resistance for her), and you wouldn't have to buy a freewheel. If you're really set on a draft, someone mentioned they picked up a Madison for $340, or again, the Kilo TT - if brakes & cost are an issue, stop by a used shop or head to Craig's List.

thanks again everyone. much like my mother, my girlfriend doesn't really "get" (nor does she want to "get") shifting. it makes no sense to her. i don't really understand how it can not make sense, but ok. if i want her to ride with me (and i obviously do), my best bet is to get something single speed.


but i'll look into the madison, and maybe the kilo with some brakes is the way to go.

thanks again.

I have a friend who rides a draft, keeps up with me fine, and regularly goes on 30+ mile rides.

Imagine how fast that friend would be on a real bike.

boohyah!

The SE Draft is 27 pounds. The steel is not double-butted. The components are decent at that price range (better than cheap fixies from eBay), and will hold up to your girlfriend's riding style, and the bike will fit her empathy for brand names. If there are no hills where you guys plan to ride it, then the SE will serve the purpose.

It's ok, but even at that price you could do better with an older, used bike.

It's a bike, not a marriage. I'm 90% sure she'll love riding it with you, and if she doesn't... she can sell it and move on.

The main complaint isn't that the steel isn't butted, but that it isn't even cromoly. It is a hi-tensile steel frame, just like the cheapest BMX frames. Heavy as hell and weaker as well.

True, but I don't think this matters to his girlfriend. With her riding style, I don't think she'll break anything soon. And she sounds like my wife, who just wants to hop on a bicycle and ride it. My wife will ride a 35-pound single-speed Huffy up a hill without complaint, and she'd rather do it without messing with gears. I think that people like her enjoy the process much better than the bike.

27 pounds?
seriously?

Yep, a heifer. But there are people who are purists for bikes; and there are people who are purists for just riding a f***ing bike.