audiblethought

Hello all,

Been researching affordable single/fixed rides and I keep coming back to this one. I need something versitile for street, light trail use. Will be pulling the kids in a tow behind trailer and riding with buddies to the pub and on longer rides on the weekends. So who has one and what do you think? ANy other opinions on what else I should look at in the $400 price range?

Hewp

For $400 you dont have that many options, Id look at the Mercier Kilo TT from Bikesdirect.com, great starter bike and its around $350

cc700

^ this dude doesn't know what he's talking about.

the fantom cross uno is the ONLY bike in your price range that will do what you want half as well as the fcu can.

only other option is a san jose but that's 6 or 7.

audiblethought

yeah, I've been looking at all the ss/fg options from bikes direct. The Fantom Uno just seemed a little more practical for my purposes. I'll be riding it on the free wheel side. It comes with brakes, can fit wide tires and looks to be a little more relaxed. Not much $ left in the budget after buying the bike so I'll be riding it stock until it starts to fall apart. For the money it seems like the best option.

cc700

it is. it's awesome

audiblethought

thanks for your input cc700. do you own one?

cc700

no but i have seen one and heard great firsthand accounts in real life.

bmw5nkj

i own one, but i bought the frameset and built it up with parts i have. currently it has skinny road tires as pictured, but i will put on fat cyclocross tires soon (riding on trails with skinny tires was fun but a little sketchy). it's a real workhorse, and it will fit your needs that you mentioned and more. its versatility and practicality was the reason i bought it.

HandsomeRyan

My friend Chris has one. I think its a pretty good deal for the price.

audiblethought

That is a sweet looking bike! Thanks all for the replies. I think I'll be ordering one soon.

whoosh!

I was considering getting one, but I would have had to sand it down to the top coat, remove decals, and then hit it with some Rusto or something, IMO those things need some new graphics. Or just less of them.

I went with an IRO Phoenix, which I love. Look into that. With some wheels from bicyclewheels and as many "back-room parts" as you can score from the LBS you could end up with a pretty cheap build with alot more character than a complete.

In all honesty though, I'm probably exchanging my current set up for a Pake C'mute now that they have the longer 1010 style dropouts. Nothing wrong with the Phoenix, and it'd be a hard day if I sold it, but just knowing I could [easily] put gears on it if I wanted to go to Washington tomorrow would be a great feeling. Plus extended head tubes make me happy. And if you're thinking of pulling trailers/taking long rides you just might want that gear option. I love my FG as much as the next guy, but sometimes I'd sure like to throw a 12-34 on the rear some weekend and really burn a few miles, and then switch it back on Monday.


Just throwing some options your way.

cunha

I have one. Stock gearing is no good for commuting, but it is a workhorse with a smooth ride. Expect to replace the chainring, saddle, and tires immediately (but you probably would do this on any new bike). Adding rack and fenders was a breeze (had to go to Home Depot to get bolts for the front fender, seeing as how it has cantilever brakes). I love the stock black components and the decals look great in person - overall the bike has a classy vintage feel to it. I got mine used for $250 and it was a steal!

whoosh!

That was a big concern when I was going to get one, I know "the Jury" has a been a problem for people wanting to fit chainrings larger than 42 or so, cause the stays flare too much. That's a big reason I passed on the uno, it looked in photos to have the same problem. What size chainring do you have? What's the clearance like?

time bandit

my friend pulled the trigger on it, and i put it together for him a couple weeks ago.

real nice bike. components are pretty decent and the ride is allright.

i'd say go for it!

audiblethought

Yeah, the gearing was a concern. can anyone confirm if the Uno will take a bigger chainring? Will I just be spinning like crazy on the road? dwnhill? I was really hoping to avoid having to replace parts right away. Sigh...The search continues

ianjk

I like mine. Want a different stem tho.

cunha

I still have the stock chainring. My friend swapped the rear cog for a 14t, so I have 73 GI, which is enough for now. I know 44t chainrings fit.

The stock gearing is 64 inches, so it's not tragic. You will top out fairly quickly downhill on that ratio. My research here on BF indicates that at least a 44 tooth chainring will fit, but I'm not sure about larger. I too dislike having to immediately replace parts on a bike, but you may be fine with just a rear cog swap.

time bandit

if you have to go above 44/14, you dont want this bike anyway...

bikesdirect_com

My wife has one as a commuter
and she has put on a 46T and flipped the bars and sawed them off to be bull-horn like

heck of a SS commuter; still room for racks, fenders, or even bigger tires


We like this WTF [wide tire friendly] type SS
and are adding KILO WT and Windsor Timeline this fall [both with room for up to 42c & with sidepull brakes]

audiblethought

OK, so from the horses mouth, it appears that I can put a 46 chainring on the Fantom Cross Uno without problem. I would love to know more about the Kilo WT as that bike looks even closer to what I need without having to mess with it from go.

The Kilo WT thread that was recently posted sparked a lot of interest and questions but if I remember correctly the thread was ruined by bickering bags of dou$he. Could anyone shed some more light on the upcoming KiloWT. Price? Colors? Availability? I really want a new bike like yesterday, but I might have to wait on the new Kilo.

Mike, I have a huge amount of confidence in your company after seeing you regularly on these boards. Talk about customer service. I'll be ordering a FCU very soon or possibly waiting on more info on the KiloWT. Thanks again everyone for the replies and pics. A great community we have here.

axcxnj

i know im a little late to this thread, but i have the uno..and i LOVE IT
its such a versatile bike, i did a full season of cross on it, and for the summer i set it up with riser bars, 38c tires and fixed to be my scorcher. Ill be moving it back to cross form soon to get riding again, but the bike is awesome and an incredible deal for 400, ive convinced my brother to buy one and race cross with me this winter...you wont be dissapointed at that price

bikesdirect_com

Thanks

The Kilo WT is coming in Around late August. Sizes 50c, 53c, 56c, 59c, 62c - c-t measure like a steamroller. White for sure and I forgot the other colors; but it will be posted soon for pre-book. Price will be a bit over $400 - like $429 or so. Somewhat better components than a Kilo TT or Steamroller.

Windsor TIMELINE coming in October, a wide tire version of Clockwork and I am hoping to be under $349 delivered [comes in Black, White, and GlitterBlue]

That said - a Fantom UNO is hard to beat. A really nice bike and the price is very good, I think. I sell over 150 models of bikes and could be riding about whatever; we have an UNO at the house that gets riden almost everyday.

YungBurke

just purchased in white. I hope the 49 frame isnt too small, but with little TT slope, the 52 would be too big fo sho. Maybe i can fit 52 on the road, but the boys would be pissed about a top tube as a neighbor on singletrack

Retem

I am hoping to get one in white before fall fury starts August 19th

Cynikal 

What starts on Aug 19th?