looking for first singlespeed
 

I am 6'2" with an inseam of 32-33( can't seem to get a solid measurement).

I am looking at windsors, motbecane messenger and the mercier kilo from bikes direct.

It will be mainly for short 6 miles rides downtown and the occasional weekend ride anywhere from 16 to 20 miles.

The main purpose of this bike is to get back in shape. I just sold my specialized rockhopper. Hated changing gears and riding trails.

Which is the best for my type of riding?

Thanks,

Clarke

I just got a Dawes SST for my Bday. I love it. I use it for a 4 mile commute. I thought about the Kilo and the Hour, but I wanted the brakes and bullhorns. I couldn't be happier with the combo.

I have a Windsor Hour i use as a beater i found on craigslist for $90 [got lucky]. I am really happy with it and it rides great. I think as your first SS, you won't be disappointed. I haven't rode a Kilo, but i'm sure they are just as good.

I think everyone here is pretty pleased with the bikesdirect models. They're definitely not too shabby.

I ride a Kilo, and other than having some clearance issues (Which probably won't happen with your size frame) It's a good ride. Pick something that looks the most comfortable and practical.

There's a lot of posts on all those bikes, so search the forums to get some more details on each.

happy riding!

A little confused after lookign at pics of the windor the hour.

Is it a fixed gear bike or a single speed with coaster brakes? Or a single speed with no pedal brakes?

Which would best suit me?

Target should have some soon

Don't make the same mistake I did by not doing the following: Find an LBS that will sell you a Surly Steamroller frame and have them build it up for you with some Velocity Deep V rims and some Surly or Formula track hubs and other bits to suit your taste. A bunch of my friends ride these and absolutely swear by them. I ride FG but on either of a 2007 Langster (pre the city versions) or a 1990 Trek 1400 road frame converted with an ENO hub. I like them both but still covet the Steamroller.

This looks pretty good and is on sale too.
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...%20Singlespeed

Get something "good" right off the bat...
I say this not as a snob, its just that cheap stuff isnt much fun and has no resale value if you dont like what you got! I say this from experience, as I have "invested" $400 extra dollars in my $200 bike. If I had spent all of it at once, I would have ended up with alot more for my $$$, and probably have a frame that I could namedrop if necessary... Im happy with what I have, but I see the error of my ways!


Best, Jake

It's a fixed gear. They come with a fixed cog, but a flip-flop hub which means you can install a freewheel cog on the other side for single-speed use.

Re: don't buy cheap bikes as your first bike. That makes sense if you're really planning to ride it a lot and want to have nice parts such as nice wheels, phil hubs, sugino cranks, etc etc. BUT. If you are just trying to get into shape, maybe short rides here and there? There's nothing wrong with the Hour. But you will need to put a brake on it, as well as get a freewheel cog. So you may as well go for something like the Dawes which has front and rear brakes already and has a flip-flop hub. Not sure if it comes with a freewheel cog or not, but those are inexpensive anyway.

Hope that helps. Have fun riding!

cheap stuff is MORE fun because you can do crazy **** on it and not worry too much.

the steamroller is a great bike but deep v's are very expensive for not much return cept style.

it's your first bike. don't worry about getting the most performance you can. a fast bike is only going to make you spend more time to get in shape. pushing a 14lbs bike 100 miles is going to burn less calories than pushing a 25lbs bike that far.

you will NEVER make money putting money into a bike, even if it's a concept. resale value is not really an issue.

get a dawes sst or a schwin madison, as they already have brakes and a freewheel which you will need.

devote at least 4 hours a week to pushing it as far as you can.

get it fit properly by a professional unless you are sure you can fit it properly yourself. you don't want to blow out your knees trying to drop twenty pounds. the 350 could be better spent at a gym that will supervise you in that case.

Messenger... The orange color is hawt. I just returned from a spirited 20 miler on mine.

what about leader frames. 720tr?

Yeah 20lbs is about right. My knees are already gone thanks to two offensive linemen that i p' offed in a match.

leader frames are fine but by the time you've built them up you've spent more than a BD bike and depending on the components you buy, more than a better prebuilt bike like a langster or felt.

i was just pulling random numbers, but if you really are trying to lose 20 lbs i'd suggest incorporating bicycling into a more comprehensive fitness schedule/plan. you want a bike that will be fit properly so i'd suggest going to a good local store that will actually take care of you and fit you properly.

if you get a 720tr or an SST-AL or a Madison you're going to need to do a lot of component selection and build fitting that you might not be used to coming from mtbs.

and if your knees are toast i think it would be worth having a geared road bike so you can do inclines without causing damage. but if you want SS, do it.

Windsor Clockwork, great colors, including orange, is $20 more than the Hour because it has brakes and freewheel cog, and $30 cheaper than a messenger. ;)

I got a few questions:

the hour comes with free Rear Brake and Lever.
is it safe to have only rear break?

Also, I noticed that the Hour comes with fixed cog and the Clockwork and SST with freewheel.
is this accurate? how much and where can I get any of those?
(links to direct sites would be awesome)

Also, can anyone compare the SST to the Windsor? I prefer bullhorn so I tend to lean toward SST, but not sure what else is different.
and last question: should I get 54cm or 56? (5' 10", 31 inch inseam)

thanks!

Very happy with my EighthInch Scrambler set up as a singlespeed: http://www.eighthinch.com/

Strong, smooth ride, cheap paint. 2 out of 3 ain't bad.