Tokyo Fixed anyone?

jonny_trousers

So my quest for a steel frame for commuting/winter training has taken a new turn having read Cycling Plus's recent 4 star review of Tokyo Fixed's Wide Open. As some of you may remember, I was seriously considering the Genesis Equilibrium, based on the excellent reviews I have read of it, even though my test ride - though showing the bike to be super comfortable - left me a little uninspired on top of me really not being a fan of the thick, glossy, 'cherry red' paint scheme it is currently only available in as frame and fork. The Wide Open, on the other hand, looks great in its black with white lettering. Before I pop into Tokyo Fixed myself, I was just wondering if any of you have experience or knowledge of the company and what your thoughts might be on the Wide Open frame geometry (I would rather lean more in the direction of aggressive rather than comfort): http://www.tokyofixedbikes.com/index.ph ... wide-open/

Cheers!

Gussio

A great shop for browsing in. High prices and hard-to-find bling make it popular with the hipster community.

UndercoverElephant

Nice looking frame. I'm not sure of how high up the range Columbus Thron is. I seem to remember that it's relatively heavy and lifeless, near the bottom of the range (above regular CroMo, but less lower than 531).

Certainly worth a look, though.

jonny_trousers

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I'm not sure of how high up the range Columbus Thron is. I seem to remember that it's relatively heavy and lifeless, near the bottom of the range (above regular CroMo, but less lower than 531).

Hmm, that's what I'm worried about. Like Gussio says, Tokyo Fixed are clearly aiming at the hipster clientele, which, cynical though it may sound, makes me wonder if there is a touch of style over substance. I probably wouldn't have looked twice at the Wide Open had it not been for the Cycling Plus review.

Thanks for the thoughts

T00THBRU5H

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Nice looking frame. I'm not sure of how high up the range Columbus Thron is. I seem to remember that it's relatively heavy and lifeless, near the bottom of the range (above regular CroMo, but less lower than 531).

Certainly worth a look, though.

How does 520 rate? Is it crap? I recently got a 520 frame and it doesn't feel as good as my 725

Ben6899

Gussio wrote:

A great shop for browsing in. High prices and hard-to-find bling make it popular with the hipster community.

And owned by a friendly northerner!

UndercoverElephant

T00THBRU5H wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Nice looking frame. I'm not sure of how high up the range Columbus Thron is. I seem to remember that it's relatively heavy and lifeless, near the bottom of the range (above regular CroMo, but less lower than 531).

Certainly worth a look, though.

How does 520 rate? Is it crap? I recently got a 520 frame and it doesn't feel as good as my 725

It's a modern version of the original 531, apparently. Made in Taiwan under licence from Reynolds. As always, the frame itself makes more of a difference than the material.

jonny_trousers

Ben6899 wrote:

Gussio wrote:

A great shop for browsing in. High prices and hard-to-find bling make it popular with the hipster community.

And owned by a friendly northerner!

Well that's it settled then! Sold!

Cycling + has the complete build weighing in at 9.47kg compared to the Condor Acciaio they review alongside it (only scoring 3 stars) at 8.7kg. Not sure how that relates to the Genesis. I wouldn't be buying it as an out and out race machine so maybe I shouldn't get hung up on weight.