So what is the crack with a Langster/single speeders then?

daniel_b

Sorry, I know nothing much about them, are they a fixie as well as a SS?

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/1027523/Specialized-Langster-Monaco.html?referrer=froogle.txt


Quite like the look of the Monaco edition.

So who can enlighten me on how they work, what is so special/different to a normal bike, what makes them better, and why do I need one?

And is the ratio they come with always the right one?

Dan

pigeon42

Please don't encourage him...

BUICK

You've probably noticed that Langster owners don't generally share this sort of information freely with others, and realised that this probably indicates that there are secrets about cycling only known to those who are 'in the club'.

The first rule is... 8)

biondino

They're a decent quality version of a fashionable product made by a major manufacturer at the perfect price point.

Slow Downcp

biondino wrote:

They're a decent quality version of a fashionable product made by a major manufacturer at the perfect price point.

No major selling points then?

attica

Not really different to many off the peg single speeds with flip flop hubs, so called because one side of the wheel has a fixed sprocket whilst if you flip the wheel around, it has a freewheel.

So in answer to your first question, yes it is both single speed and fixed.

daniel_b

Thanks for the replies chaps,

had heard about flip flop hubs, but didn't realise the langster had one.

So - a generic single speed question:
What is the worth in purchasing one, I'm thinking, ney hoping, that it can't just be a result of fashion surely?

In which case, what does it provide over a normal bike?

Does it help with fitness, ie does it make you push a bigger gear up hills, thus developing your strength, and also force you to spin more on the flat and downhills, thus improving your aerobic potential??

Or is it purely their simplicity that is the selling point, both in terms of use as well as maintenance?

Dan

biondino

Fixie-wixies = 75% pretentiousness, 20% inconvenience and 5% bloody-mindedly making yourself do extra work

BUICK

Biondino... it's okay. You can buy one - and then it will ALL be better.

biondino

Did you get your new bike at the end of May, or are you getting another one in 2009?

lost_in_thought

biondino wrote:

Fixie-wixies = 75% pretentiousness, 20% inconvenience and 5% bloody-mindedly making yourself do extra work

Oi, blondie! Shut it!

I actually have one because it's very basic, very easy to repair (a big thing I can't fix is gears), and you don't need gears in somewhere as flat as London. Also, I really enjoy it, and it's making me stronger and fitter. So yeah, the last 5% is accurate.

toshmund

I have a Bowery. Superb bike for the price (I paid the full £350 as well.) To be honest though if the lbs had mentioned this was to be released soon after. I would have waited and paid the extra, in the flesh it does look stunning.


http://www.dalescycles.com/2009_Giant_B ... tbow72.htm

BUICK

Biondino - I'm still waiting for my new bike that was due at the end of May... I'm assured that it will be SOON though. It's a custom build that I'm very excited about. Just hope it lives up to the standards set by the Langster is all

daniel_b

lost_in_thought wrote:

Also, I really enjoy it, and it's making me stronger and fitter. So yeah, the last 5% is accurate.

So LIT, that's what I was looking for, you say it makes you stonger and fitter, is that because of the reasons I listed earlier on, ie the bigger gear up what hills there are, and the spinning/aerobic fitness on the flat/down hills?

And what is it that you enjoy about it, or have you not analysed it that far

Would you/could you use one for a ride of 30-50 miles, or is it a commuter only beast?

Sorry for the questions, and just to clarify, I'm not trying to catch anyone out, I just genuinely don't understand what they are about, and dearly want to, as I would like one, but I don't feel I can buy one, until I know what they are about.......

I think I'm starting to get there though.....

To put in car terms, for those of you are petrol minded, I might compare it to a Peugeot 106 or 205 Rallye, or more upto date, a Renault Clip Cup - it's a sporty little number, but stripped of all the luxuries and complexity, ie no electric windows, no sound deadening, same engine as the Gti/Gt/Sport but less weight makes it more nimble, and more raw.

Is that something along the lines you would use to categorise a SS?

One last thing, what's the deal with a fixie - why is it better, and what does it do for the rider?

Dan

gondwanaman

I've had a Fuji Track for two weeks and I'm starting to understand the pleasure. Initially I struggled with staying upright at junctions and even getting my feet in the clips taking off but you pick it up pretty quickly. I ride around Hinckley in Leics so there's not a lot of big hills.
It will definitely get you fitter and you naturally ride faster because momentum is so important. Rather than shift down you up your pedal rate on hills and there's no little relief coasting just before the crests.
But wear your snuggest fitting grundies because you don't get much of a chance to adjust.

toshmund

Riding it in fixed gear is supposed to improve your high cadence pedalling action. Mastering spinning out, is on a par with another Nirvana, if you listen to some people. Personally, I have found ascending to be no problem, although the descents can be hair-raising. You do have to prepare beforehand, reading the road/giving hand signals. It is a lot easier to keep the speed up though. They are bombproof when it comes to reliability. All in all it has been a lot of fun and would highly recommend it.

BUICK

You are serious aren't you... I admit I thought you were stirring.

Well, I did a 40 miler today with a friend who was on a geared bike and really enjoyed it. I ride fixed because, although I can't quite put my finger on why, I feel like I get more power across from my legs into forward motion. I go faster and feel better in the rhythm of the constant cadence, and I feel like it's made me much more aware (you tend to look further ahead once you are adjusted to fixed so that you can slow and accelerate using your legs and avoid obstacles to your progress). I think my bike handling is improved because with a freewheel if you come to bumpy ground you automatically freewheel and stand off the saddle - on fixed you avoid the bumpy ground, or plan the best path through and pedal, or bunny hop if it's particularly bad. Also, as you have suggested, on a downhill you learn to spin faster and feel in control and trust in your ability to outspin the gradient, and on a difficult uphill you learn to feel how much effort you can put in to honk upwards without blowing up. At first I found the standard langster gearing a bit difficult (I couldn't keep up going down steep hills and had to use the brakes, and had to get off on some ascents) - but after some time I felt comfortable and could handle the local hills fine. So I upped the gearing - and just keep getting faster and stronger.

So, that's what it's about for me. It's direct and simple, and I'm smoother, faster and stronger than I was. You can spend a fortune on particular brands of 'fixy', or get a 'tricked out' designer affair if that floats your boat - the popularity of fixed gear bikes at the moment means you have a huge range of choice. I chose the langster.

That said, I like the Charge Plug racer because it's 'homegrown' and very shiny.

lost_in_thought

Daniel B wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Also, I really enjoy it, and it's making me stronger and fitter. So yeah, the last 5% is accurate.

So LIT, that's what I was looking for, you say it makes you stonger and fitter, is that because of the reasons I listed earlier on, ie the bigger gear up what hills there are, and the spinning/aerobic fitness on the flat/down hills?

And what is it that you enjoy about it, or have you not analysed it that far

Would you/could you use one for a ride of 30-50 miles, or is it a commuter only beast?

I think that particularly on a fixed it makes you stronger because you can't be lazy and coast, with a freewheel that's obviously less relevant. And yes, obviously pushing a big gear uphill will definitely make you stronger, however it will also do your knees in if you overdo it. I'm lucky, in that I've never had problems with that.

I enjoy it because I feel a better connection with the bike, I don't have to mess around with gears wondering if I'm in the right one, I just turn the pedals round and go along. I also think that they transfer more of your energy through to the wheels, but that may be total claptrap.

I wouldn't use it for massive rides over big hills, it's a case of suck it and see really. I would strongly suggest you try one.

biondino

I rode home from my parents' in 50/13 and my god LiT, you must spend a lot of time out of the saddle! I had one hillock - a railway bridge - and it was fine but thank god it wasn't twice as long or high...

lost_in_thought

biondino wrote:

I rode home from my parents' in 50/13 and my god LiT, you must spend a lot of time out of the saddle! I had one hillock - a railway bridge - and it was fine but thank god it wasn't twice as long or high...

Erm, 50/13 is a LOT bigger than my current 46/14! I don't spend much time out of the saddle really, I consider it cheating, and also it kind of makes it look like you're trying, which is obviously undesirable!

biondino

lost_in_thought wrote:

I don't spend much time out of the saddle really, I consider it cheating, and also it kind of makes it look like you're trying, which is obviously undesirable!

Hmm. Do you get a sore back putting down all that power in the saddle, or has your swimming given you massive core strength? If we ever have the bikeradar softball game we talked about in Richmond Park today, you're my first pick...

goldblendslurper

I have a LeMond Fillmore which is 44/16. I run single speed simply because I'm around traffic and on tight corners I don't want to ground a pedal.

What do I like about it and why did a buy one?? Well when you're riding home from a long day at work it's great to be able to switch off and just pedal, rather than thinking about which gear you're in. Yes I think the derailleur is the best invention on earth, but singlespeed has it's plus points too. Oh and it's made of Steel It's like riding a full susser with 700C wheels!

symo

goldblendslurper wrote:

I have a LeMond Fillmore which is 44/16. I run single speed simply because I'm around traffic and on tight corners I don't want to ground a pedal.

What do I like about it and why did a buy one?? Well when you're riding home from a long day at work it's great to be able to switch off and just pedal, rather than thinking about which gear you're in. Yes I think the derailleur is the best invention on earth, but singlespeed has it's plus points too. Oh and it's made of Steel It's like riding a full susser with 700C wheels!

I sat on the langster today which was a lovely racing green. The position is a bit extreme compared to my Kona. Also seen on t'interweb the pearson touche which looks uber nice, but is obviously another £150. Did you look at any other ss/fixed bikes before you bought the fillmore. There are quite a few offers about for the 08 fillmore so I am fairly confused.

lost_in_thought

biondino wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

I don't spend much time out of the saddle really, I consider it cheating, and also it kind of makes it look like you're trying, which is obviously undesirable!

Hmm. Do you get a sore back putting down all that power in the saddle, or has your swimming given you massive core strength? If we ever have the bikeradar softball game we talked about in Richmond Park today, you're my first pick...

Erm, in a word, no! In fact, I pulled my back picking up heavy things the other weekend, and cycling helps enormously. All muscular, rather than anything more serious obviously. I don't know about massive core strength though, I am only average at that according to my trainer.

always_tyred

goldblendslurper wrote:

I have a LeMond Fillmore which is 44/16. I run single speed simply because I'm around traffic and on tight corners I don't want to ground a pedal.

What do I like about it and why did a buy one?? Well when you're riding home from a long day at work it's great to be able to switch off and just pedal, rather than thinking about which gear you're in. Yes I think the derailleur is the best invention on earth, but singlespeed has it's plus points too. Oh and it's made of Steel It's like riding a full susser with 700C wheels!

You are going to have to explain the pedal grounding thing to me.

biondino

Actually now you mention it, you'll have to explain it to me too. Kerb issues I can see; but on a tight corner? I mean, pedal touch is a worry with a geared bike too when cornering at speed, so why is it worse with a fixie-wixie?

goldblendslurper

My line of thinking with the pedal grounding on a fixed is that because it's fixed you are always pedalling. With a singlespeed you can freewheel with the outside pedal down allowing you to carry more speed through the corner. With a fixed, you can't lean as far over because your inside pedal would hit the ground mid corner. Unless you fixie riders have some way of always timing the pedal strokes so that your inside pedals are always up then that's fine.

There is one particular corner on my route to work which is downhill and quite tight. I know that if I was on a fixed, the speed I'm going and the "length" of the corner, I would have to do a complete revolution of the pedals during the corner. Therefore I would have to take the corner slower and more upright in order to avoid grounding the pedal.

If you think I'm wrong or disagree, please say so. I won't be offended and will be interested to hear your explanation


SYMO: I didn't shop around when I gt my Fillmore. It was in the shop one day and I instantly bought it. Literally 10 seconds after seeing it I said "I'll have it". I did test ridde it to make sure it fitted but that was that. I know Kona make a nice one too.

biondino

Ah I see what you mean - the need to avoid pedal strike rather than what happens if you *do* strike. Gotcha.

lost_in_thought

You're absolutely right, coffee-drinking fellow.

However, once you have gotten over the initial paranoia, it's not actually as bad as you think. A good plan, if you have a friend willing to play along with your rantings, is to get them on your bike and hold it, then tilt it over to see how far you'd have to lean in order to get a pedal strike. It's actually quite a long way. Obviously, you can do this with just the bike too.

Mind you, saying that, it depends on the bike's geometry and the crank length etc etc. I've never had a problem with it, despite some quite aggressive cornering from time to time.

always_tyred

Can't deny that riding fixed might be fun (in the same sort of way as oval chainrings, or clipless pedals) but I just can't help notice that the only place professional riders use them is on the track, and there mainly because of mechanical strength and UCI regulations.

BMX's have them (single speed, not fixed) to avoid dropping chains. Couriers use them because they are more tolerant to mechanical abuse and less likely to get nicked than a geared bike.

Then suddenly they start flying out of the shops and we discover that they were a good idea all along.

Kind of seems like I might need to ride fixed for the same reason I all of a sudden always needed to be scraping my tongue every time I brushed my teeth to avoid getting the bad breath I didn't ever have.... :shock:

goldblendslurper

biondino wrote:

Ah I see what you mean - the need to avoid pedal strike rather than what happens if you *do* strike. Gotcha.

You got it! That was my concern. On any bike if you ground the pedal your a good rider if you stay on, I know from experiance that I'm not a good rider