single speed

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  • spacey99
    spacey99 Posts: 20
    And another vote for the Pearson. I almost bought a BadBoy off e-bay before plumping for the SS and very glad I did. Build it to your own spec with good wheels on it and it's a great bike. & maintenance free 2 years later apart from brake blocks etc.
  • Oddjob62
    Oddjob62 Posts: 1,056
    Sea_Green_Incorruptible wrote:
    it's no fun spinning away like a hampster on a 20% descent at 0730 on a rainy Monday morning!

    That's PART of the fun :p
    As yet unnamed (Dolan Seta)
    Joelle (Focus Expert SRAM)
  • BigJimmyB
    BigJimmyB Posts: 1,302
    See anything here? ;

    http://bricklanebikes.co.uk/gallery/
  • BigJimmyB
    BigJimmyB Posts: 1,302
    See anything here you might prefer? ;

    http://bricklanebikes.co.uk/gallery/

    Sorry mate, but far better bikes than the BadBoy are out there.....
  • snig
    snig Posts: 428
    biondino wrote:
    Why as a matter of interest? Just doesn't suit your aesthetic? Or you don't want to look like a roadie poseur :) For what it's worth nice looking town/hybrid/mountain bikes *seem* to be the main targets for thieves rather than racers.


    think I'm put off the racer type because I had a ridgeback bulit a couple of years back and just never felt right on it,it seemed to me a very good bike but I felt like I was going to tipover the bars and also it was to me not very maneuverable at slower speeds,so felt abit unsafe on it.and I also I like the thought of a wider tyre just seems safer,soft I know!
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    I'd suggest trying a few out. It's a case of getting used to a different type of bike. FWIW I started out on a Ridgeback with flatbars then moved onto drop bar roadies. Now I struggle to ride anything that isn't 700x23 tired roadbike.
  • the_hundredth_idiot
    the_hundredth_idiot Posts: 813
    Condor has some nice single speeds at that sort of price.

    Potenza or Pista or Tempo

    IMHO, a Condor would be a much classier option than a Bad Boy.

    And with a much less homo-erotic name. :shock: I mean, c'mon, imagine the conversation down the pub with your mates: "I was riding my Bad Boy really hard last night, pumping away ...". You just know that's the point at which the pub goes quiet and you have no option but to get your coat. :lol:
    Never be tempted to race against a Barclays Cycle Hire bike. If you do, there are only two outcomes. Of these, by far the better is that you now have the scalp of a Boris Bike.
  • snig
    snig Posts: 428
    ok think am getting there,

    just emailed pearson and received a reply back within the hour! so liking them already,I asked about getting the touche with flatbars and they said nps and will be the same price!

    so how does this sound, touche(gun metal) standard but with flatbars and with the upgraded HALO aerorage wheelset in black? loads better than the bad boy?
    any cheap upgrades that would be daft not to get (not got loads of money so the upgrade would have to be well worth it)
    any idea the weight of the touche? cheers
  • Sea_Green_Incorruptible
    Sea_Green_Incorruptible Posts: 431
    edited July 2009
    Why not courier bars (like in my sig) rather than flats? They are much more comfortable and versitle than flats and great in traffic. For the purposes of a half hour commute I prefer them to drops. Braking is surer and more powerful too because of where your hands are on the levers.

    The other thing to bear in mind with the Touche concerns the stability point. The frame is NOT built around a 'racing bike' geometry. It has a high bottom bracket and a longer wheelbase. This means it is very stable in traffic and does not have that twitchy feeling that some roadies do. My Cervelo was fast as fup and felt very agile. However, the back end regularly used to kick out under sharp braking, especially in the wet. No danger of that on the Pearson. For me it is the perfect bike for riding fast in a busy urban environment.

    EDIT: On weight. I haven't weighed mine but the Pearson feels about the same as my Orbea road bike (high end alu with Ultegra). I wouldn't worry about this unduely though. Weight is just one aspect (often not the most important) of how a bike rides and how it feels.
  • Oddjob62
    Oddjob62 Posts: 1,056
    Sea_Green_Incorruptible wrote:
    Why not courier bars (like in my sig) rather than flats? They are much more comfortable and versitle than flats and great in traffic. For the purposes of a half hour commute I prefer them to drops. Braking is surer and more powerful too because of where your hands are on the levers.

    Agreed. Not a big fan of drops but bullhorns are perfect for me.
    As yet unnamed (Dolan Seta)
    Joelle (Focus Expert SRAM)
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    snig wrote:
    ok think am getting there,

    just emailed pearson and received a reply back within the hour! so liking them already,I asked about getting the touche with flatbars and they said nps and will be the same price!

    so how does this sound, touche(gun metal) standard but with flatbars and with the upgraded HALO aerorage wheelset in black? loads better than the bad boy?
    any cheap upgrades that would be daft not to get (not got loads of money so the upgrade would have to be well worth it)
    any idea the weight of the touche? cheers

    See the fellas at Pearson are a v helpful bunch! Yep Touche plus Aeroage is far better than the BabBoy. I've got Aeroage's on my SS and they are great wheels, very strong. I went for the carbon seatpost as well, but have since upgraded the freewheel and run a KMC chain now. I agree with the others that bull bars might be worth considering.

    My only complaint with the Touche has been the Tektro brakes, I've had to replace both, so perhaps worth seeing if they'll build it up with CaneCreek or Sora etc.
  • Sea_Green_Incorruptible
    Sea_Green_Incorruptible Posts: 431
    On the upgrades.... the only thing that I would say is absolutely necessary is a better freewheel. The Touche comes fitted with the crappiest, cheapest freewheel imaginable. So cheap in fact that it will blight your life. It is also very difficult to remove... because of its cheap crappiness. This matters even if you only plan to ride fixed as it will clatter and clank and really p*ss you off.

    The best solution would be to fit a White Industries ENO freewheel. These are awesome but very expensive (£80+). If I were you I'd ask Pearson's to fit it with a Shimano freewheel. These come in at around £25 (though I got mine for a tenner off ebay) are not in the league of the ENO, but are perfectly ok. They are at least quiet, can be easily removed and are worlds away from the cheapo one. If you want to ride fixed then simply spec it without the freewheel.

    Other upgrades to consider (in order):
    1) Tyres: I ride Continental GP40000Ss. Nothing else comes close in my book.
    2) Halo Aerorage wheels. Great wheels. Very strong.
    3) Mudguards. I still think they look a bit crap on my Touche. That said they are a revelation in any wetness and keep almost ALL the crap of the bike itself. You are dryer, your components last longer and you rarely have to clean your bike.
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    Sea_Green_Incorruptible wrote:
    On the upgrades.... the only thing that I would say is absolutely necessary is a better freewheel. The Touche comes fitted with the crappiest, cheapest freewheel imaginable. So cheap in fact that it will blight your life. It is also very difficult to remove... because of its cheap crappiness. This matters even if you only plan to ride fixed as it will clatter and clank and really p*ss you off.

    The best solution would be to fit a White Industries ENO freewheel. These are awesome but very expensive (£80+). If I were you I'd ask Pearson's to fit it with a Shimano freewheel. These come in at around £25 (though I got mine for a tenner off ebay) are not in the league of the ENO, but are perfectly ok. They are at least quiet, can be easily removed and are worlds away from the cheapo one. If you want to ride fixed then simply spec it without the freewheel.

    +1 I run an ENO. They are totally rebuildable so should last a v long time.

    Other upgrades to consider (in order):
    1) Tyres: I ride Continental GP40000Ss. Nothing else comes close in my book.

    For commuting I'd suggest Vittoria Rubino Pro's. Not as fast as the Conti's but they are quick and virtually bombproof. I reserve GP4000S' for my best bike.
  • snig
    snig Posts: 428
    just need to wait for the cycle2work voucher to come,so gives me time to think about which bars to go for,will also be asking about the freewheel upgrade and brakes upgrade as well,but on their site the upgrade listed for the Touche only seem to be for bars ,tyres and a few others but no mention if other upgrade are possible? but they did say they could fit flatbars (still thinking on that one) and that wasn't listed as an upgrade so heres hoping I can get the upgrades you guys recommended.


    p.s sorry for harping on but something is playing on my mind so best say it,just to put it to rest,it was said that the badboy was heavy at around 9kg? but the Touche in a review was listed at just under the 9kg mark so not much differance?
  • mrc1
    mrc1 Posts: 852
    On the Touche free wheel point I have the original cheapo one on mine and it runs silently after over 2000 miles without a drop of oil so don't let that put you off!
    http://www.ledomestiquetours.co.uk

    Le Domestique Tours - Bespoke cycling experiences with unrivalled supported riding, knowledge and expertise.

    Ciocc Extro - FCN 1
  • il_principe
    il_principe Posts: 9,155
    snig wrote:
    just need to wait for the cycle2work voucher to come,so gives me time to think about which bars to go for,will also be asking about the freewheel upgrade and brakes upgrade as well,but on their site the upgrade listed for the Touche only seem to be for bars ,tyres and a few others but no mention if other upgrade are possible? but they did say they could fit flatbars (still thinking on that one) and that wasn't listed as an upgrade so heres hoping I can get the upgrades you guys recommended.


    p.s sorry for harping on but something is playing on my mind so best say it,just to put it to rest,it was said that the badboy was heavy at around 9kg? but the Touche in a review was listed at just under the 9kg mark so not much difference?

    Pearson will basically spec things as you want I think? I've no idea how much my Touche weighs but I doubt it's 9kg.
  • snig
    snig Posts: 428
    well just ordered the touche,I asked about the freewheel up grade and was told that they had had a bad/cheeap batch of freewheels earlier in the year and that the newer ones were loads better,so took his word for it and didnt upgrade the freewheel,and also asked about the brakes,he said the upgrade ones where slightly better but not worth doing as the standard ones where fine,so again didnt bother upgrading them as if they do turn out to be bad I can upgrade later,the upgrades I did go for were seatpost,wheels and chain,will get the conti GP 40000s,after I get some wear out of the ones fitted,so now just have to wait,cheers to all those that helped answer my questions.
  • Jay dubbleU
    Jay dubbleU Posts: 3,159
    Strangely enough I've just been onto Pearson enquiring about the Hanzo for my C2W scheme - think I'm going to go for the upgrade to Xero wheels and 700x23 Gatorskins. In view of the hills round here. I asked what they would recommend and they suggested 18/48 - I guess its a good starting point - I can always change the sprocket as I get stronger
  • snig
    snig Posts: 428
    yeah its cheap and easy to do yourself I'm told if the gear is abit to easy for you,last thing you want is a new bike turning up and not being able to use it,by the way if its a halfords voucher you used,I asked and pearsons dont give you the 15% free worth of accessories you get as part of the voucher but he said we can reclain that part back and still use that part of the voucher in halfords,which is good to know.
  • Sea_Green_Incorruptible
    Sea_Green_Incorruptible Posts: 431
    snig wrote:
    well just ordered the touche,I asked about the freewheel up grade and was told that they had had a bad/cheeap batch of freewheels earlier in the year and that the newer ones were loads better,so took his word for it and didnt upgrade the freewheel,and also asked about the brakes,he said the upgrade ones where slightly better but not worth doing as the standard ones where fine,so again didnt bother upgrading them as if they do turn out to be bad I can upgrade later,the upgrades I did go for were seatpost,wheels and chain,will get the conti GP 40000s,after I get some wear out of the ones fitted,so now just have to wait,cheers to all those that helped answer my questions.

    Cool. If you do decide to go for the Contis, make sure you get GP4000S rather than the normal GP4000. Most people think that the former are a lot better, even though you don't get the whizzy colour choices....
  • snig
    snig Posts: 428
    its doing my head in,you have to wait 11 days for your voucher a "cooling off" period!so the things like bars etc that I had been thinking which ones to go for and had made up my mind,am now rethinking!
  • fossyant
    fossyant Posts: 2,549
    I went custom on my Fixed through CTW....... not dissimilar frame to the Touche, Ritchey Pro/Comp stem & bars, carbon seat post, Charge Knife Saddle, hand built CXP33 wheels on formula hubs, nice crank set, Shimano brakes, IZUMI chain, SKS guards..... etc.

    Finished was about £1k.........including XT SPD's......

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