Viking SS/fixie bike

bails87

Anyone seen this? It was either on the front page here or on road.cc

For £200 it looks pretty good, with a fixed/ss flip flop hub. I'm tempted to sell my 'old' MTB and get one of these as a 'town' bike instead!

Not stocked in any local stores though

rick_chasey

Looks great for £200.

prawny

Saw them the other week, no guard mounts, which is odd, because their cheap as chips road bikes have them.

If it had proper mounts I'd be all over one.

They do an even cheaper one that doesn't have all the retro gubbins on

http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B3875.html

bails87

prawny wrote:

Saw them the other week, no guard mounts, which is odd, because their cheap as chips road bikes have them.

If it had proper mounts I'd be all over one.

They do an even cheaper one that doesn't have all the retro gubbins on

http://www.bikes2udirect.com/B3875.html

Ooo, good find! I reckon I could sell my MTB for £100, just in time for Xmas


I mentioned my chain device on my proper MTB broke the other day, which was met with a "I suppose you need another new bike then?" and a roll of the eyes.


:oops:

SimonAH

To quote Keith Bontrager, "you can have light, strong and cheap - pick any two". £200 is a fantastic price - but I'd be terrified. I'd spend my £200 on a second hand Langster or something instead.

This isn't anti-Halfords snobbery, but.......

bails87

Re: Light/strong/cheap.

It's cheap and strong! WEll, it's 26lbs, so I wouldn't call it light, especially when you consider there's very little drivetrain/shifting gubbins to add weight on.

prawny

These have been available for a while through catalogues and that, tbh I'd have thought they were a bit beneath even halfords!

But really, what can go wrong with a single speed? Like keith says, pick too, I expect these things weigh the same as a small car.

Ben6899

bails87 wrote:

Re: Light/strong/cheap.

It's cheap and strong! WEll, it's 26lbs, so I wouldn't call it light, especially when you consider there's very little drivetrain/shifting gubbins to add weight on.

Yep, 26lbs is a bloody ton for a geared bike; nevermind one lacking all the 'usual' ancillaries.

So you're getting 2/3! And if it snaps in two, blame Wiggle.

Torvid

Ben6899 wrote:

bails87 wrote:

Re: Light/strong/cheap.

It's cheap and strong! WEll, it's 26lbs, so I wouldn't call it light, especially when you consider there's very little drivetrain/shifting gubbins to add weight on.

Yep, 26lbs is a bloody ton for a geared bike; nevermind one lacking all the 'usual' ancillaries.

So you're getting 2/3! And if it snaps in two, blame Wiggle.

It does beg the question what size shalls do you need to order for the tank.

i'd just spend the money secondhand and get something you want to ride.

t4tomo

and also ride in reverse

Never seen many fixies being riden backwards {awaits someoe posting youtube footabe of courier backwards riding race....}

About the Viking Brand
First established in Wolverhampton in 1908, the Viking brand has a history rich in the tradition of top quality road bikes, and throughout the century had been synonymous with success.

I used to have a proper Viking in the 80's (a 10 speed Warlord - comlete with "sports mudguards"). This is the remnants of the brand, being just that, a brand slapped on a cheap taiwanese import, not sure what that has tp do with the bikes built in wolverhampton.

rick_chasey

t4tomo wrote:

and also ride in reverse

Never seen many fixies being riden backwards {awaits someoe posting youtube footabe of courier backwards riding race....}

As requested

http://youtu.be/kcPVqayc8a0

itboffin

Yuk, next!

I think even my spank BSO is better made than that and that's saying something or wot n stuff

Stevo_666

Bails, for £200 or less for a new one you can't really go too far wrong if you're after a pub bike. and the one Prawny spotted probably won't attract too much attention even in the West Midlands.

Mind you, just wait until the Crudites find out what you're thinking of buying

bails87

Stevo 666 wrote:

and the one Prawny spotted probably won't attract too much attention even in the West Midlands.

Mind you, just wait until the Crudites find out what you're thinking of buying

Two good points!


:shock:

Torvid

With how cheap it is you'll be able to buy some skinny jeans to ride in too.

t4tomo

Rick Chasey wrote:

t4tomo wrote:

and also ride in reverse

Never seen many fixies being riden backwards {awaits someoe posting youtube footabe of courier backwards riding race....}

As requested

http://youtu.be/kcPVqayc8a0

Not that impressive to be honest - he couldn't find his way out of the car park

SimonAH

t4tomo wrote:

Rick Chasey wrote:

t4tomo wrote:

and also ride in reverse

Never seen many fixies being riden backwards {awaits someoe posting youtube footabe of courier backwards riding race....}

As requested

http://youtu.be/kcPVqayc8a0

Not that impressive to be honest - he couldn't find his way out of the car park

A little more impressive; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wz9XRnV2qLk Mind you, we don't know that he made it out of the carpark either...........

McGee2010

I commute on the FX (the second link posted). Its a good bike tbh. No nonsense and easy enough to maintain (when it needs it). For the money I don't think you can go far wrong.

bails87

It would only be something to be used within a few miles of home.

My current 'hack' (don't like calling it that because while it's not a great bike, it's in good nick and not really that old) is a ~£250 Claude Butler MTB, so relatively attractive to scrotes. A manky old racer, or a singlespeed would probably be better for leave-it-locked-up-and-it-still-be-there-later-ability, especially if it's being left overnight at the station.

Anyway, I just stumbled across the article on that Viking and thought they looked a bit better than the Create fixies that appeared on ebay a while ago.

snooks

It's more fun to make your own

Plenty of old frames suitable for rebirth as a SS out there, a couple of wheels, and a chainset tah dah!

OK it might end up costing you more than £200, but much more uniqueness and satisfaction building your own. Also you know how it all works

bails87

I built my MTB, I know how a bike works, especially an olde worlde one like a singlespeed with no suspension and cable brakes (soooo 20th century ).

I'm in no rush though. I'll just see what I can find, might try to rescue something from the tip or freecycle.

t4tomo

http://www.cyclemuseum.org.uk/ncl/pics/Viking%20catalogue%201977%20(V-CC%20Library).pdf

link to "original" Vikings. I knew I'd seen it somewhere

bails87

Viking superlite: £595.




In 1977! :shock: