Single speed commuter for London

Conjoy

My friend is looking to buy a single speed to supplement his road-bike. He is currently commuting on a mountain-hybrid.
He likes the look of the Trek District that uses the belt instead of chain and I can see the value of this in terms of less maintenance (I myself went hub-gears for a similar reason).
Charge are anther very well thought of brand with a few bikes around the same price range.

What are peoples thoughts and suggestions for around the £500 mark?


Thanks in advance.

The Rookie

Genesis Day01 drop or flat? http://www.genesisbikes.co.uk/bikes/cro ... ay-01-drop £550 so only just over budget.

Simon

raymondo60

I have and do own various Charge SS bikes - a Plug Racer previously, and currently a Plug Grinder. Both are/were great for commuting. However, my other SS is a Trek District, and in my humble opinion the Trek is a far superior machine all round. It should be of course, being up to £200 more expensive than a Plug (although I suspect there are used examples out there). I've covered around 1500 miles on the District - its been absolutely brilliant. No probs with the belt drive; unbelieveably, I haven't even needed to adjust it in that time. The geometry of the Trek is superb too; turn the stem downwards, and it becomes a really agressive, tight ride, without the jitters of a Plug, and without the Plug's habit of throwing a chain every so often. It still looks like new so wears really well too, and (most importantly!) the chicks love it! Get many a glance and comment from girls on bikes/in cars etc. What better recommendation could there be?

Wrath Rob

I looked at a Charge SS (maybe the Plug?)a while ago but couldn't get past how heavy it was. OK, so it was ~£350 and my Boardman was £200 more, but for that I got 18 gears and a significantly lighter bike. I'm all for simplicity but isn't that supposed to make things lighter, not just easier to maintain?

raymondo60

You're quite correct about the Charge being heavy Rob - its a man's bike alright! And it does feel 'industrial', but in truth that's part of it's charm too. But if it's cycling efficiency that you desire, then your choice could only ever be the better one.

Bi50N

I have a Trek District for cycling round London, and find it utterly fabulous for this purpose. Light, fast, responsive, quiet, and it looks great (although this last point is oft disputed if you dislike, say, the colour orange).

The belt drive has performed brilliantly for me.

The Trek will take a rack, so is suitable as a commuter.

You can find the 2010 model in green / brown discounted to £500 in a lot of places.

tugger

I bought a specialised langster 2010 from cycle surgery in london, £500, done 1500 miles on it, I have not touched it, ever, but to fix punctures...

mj46

Genesis day one's are fantastic, i have 2.... one with a hubgear one just singlespeed, far nicer to ride than a charge plug because you dont have to think about where your feet are before you go round a corner (the toe overlap on the charge's are horrendus) and they can really take a beating, i'v got 28c marathon plus's for the road and some 35c racing ralph's for "cross" (not that i ever ride cross, but i do take them out for a hack through the woods whn i'm bored of the mountain bike.)

t4tomo

Bi50N wrote:

.... and it looks great (although this last point is oft disputed.....

One man's Mona Lisa is another man's pig, or something like that.

Damien_KW

I've recently bought a Charge Plug Grinder for riding the 12km to and from work through London.

I got an older model at a knock down price of £300 - I certainly wouldn't pay full price for it. Have a look around for bargains. Wiggle had a few reduced a while ago, and remember Evans will price match anything if you'd prefer not to go through the mail order route.

For a bike that's solely for commuting then full mud guards would make a lot of sense. The Charge Grinder comes with a matching set fitted, plus chain guard too. It makes it a lot easier to wear normal clothes on the commute without having to change - it's a very civilised way to travel!

(I wrote about it on my blog if you're interested - http://in-the-saddle.com/2011/06/03/ditching-the-lycra/)