Single speed bike for commuting

diliff

Hi guys,

I got my Boardman CX stolen yesterday Second stolen bike in 3 months, and I've decided that rather than throwing money away on yet another expensive bike, I'd just get a decent single speed commuter bike.

What I'm looking for ideally is a reasonably lightweight frame (under 10kg, so steel is probably out of the question), either drop bars or bullhorn bars with TT levers (I don't like bar-levers, never used them on the CX, I want brakes to be where my hands spend most of their time), and braze-ons for mudguards and a rear rack. Carbon front forks would be nice, but not essential. I don't want it to be a fixie, i can't think of anything worse than to be stuck pedalling when going around a corner, it needs to be freewheel. Does such a bike actually exist new for less than £500? Or would I have to look at a second hand bike that has been customised to get such a beast? I've been looking around and can't find anything set up like this out of the box.

dhope

Sounds pretty standard tbh, half the SS' around have bullhorns on, the only difference would be putting a TT lever on rather than a cross.
I have a Gary Fisher Triton that you can put a rack on I think. It's fixed atm but might be that the unused Condor wheelset I have in the shed has freewheel on the other side.
I can take a look if you'd be interested. It's a 54cm frame. Steel but not exactly bulky.

Daz555

A £500 bike is gonna get nicked from the same places. Perhaps you need a hack - an old 80s racer perhaps? Some decent ones out there.

diliff

Yeah, but at least if a £500 bike is stolen, it takes half as long to save up for a replacement I'll have a look at what's out there, and maybe you're right, a cheaper second hand bike in decent condition is probably preferable to a new bike for basic commuting. I do tend to ride fairly briskly though, so I don't want to be slowed down by a chunky heavy boat of a bike.

iPete

Find a second hander, Specialized langsters seems to pop up quite frequently.

The Rookie

If you are that prone to getting bikes nicked, I'd be looking at building a nice (to use) 'bitza' using used parts, buy quality but tatty looking and make it look as uninviting as possible.

DrLex

Pinched from outside your workplace or within?
If the former, rather than get #3 pinched, why not consider a folder & bring it in? Plenty of fast folk here on Bromptons, plus it gives you a bail-out option if PT/taxi taken instead.
(If latter, still buy a folder, but wire it to the mains when you get in...)

wgwarburton

diliff wrote:

Yeah, but at least if a £500 bike is stolen, it takes half as long to save up for a replacement I'll have a look at what's out there, and maybe you're right, a cheaper second hand bike in decent condition is probably preferable to a new bike for basic commuting. I do tend to ride fairly briskly though, so I don't want to be slowed down by a chunky heavy boat of a bike.

Get yourself an '80s lightweight road frame and build it up as a single-speed hack (get a flip-flop hub and try riding fixed someday- it's fun). If you can find a local bike recycling place you can pick up parts from there- it's the miscellaneous parts that will add up you if you buy them new- seatposts, bars, brakes, pedals, and so on. You might get lucky and find decent wheels but better to budget for new ones.
Paint it by hand with hammerite, preferably in a drab (or overly bright) colour. Clean the chain & the brakes, not the frame.

You might be surprised how good it is to ride- light steel frames are nice. Cheap gas-pipe ones are not, though, so try to avoid entry-level frames!

Cheers,
W.

andyrr

One problem for the OP is that he (sensibly) wants mudguards fitted.
I think I'm right in saying that a fair number of the older frames that can be adapted to run SS won't have the ability (clearance/braze-ons) for proper 'guards ?
Until the tail-end of last year I ran a Trek District (previousl a 2nd District) which would fit the bill.
Not heavy alu frame, clearance for 28mm tyres and proper guards, carbon fork (blades only). Think it also had rack mounts at the rear.
Not common tho - the 2nd District version I had (the District was a warranty replacement) was not particularly attractive IMO so maybe not a tea-leaf-magnet as it was mainly beige with brown.orange bits.

vermin

Cyclists are slow, not cycles. Get yourself 70s Peugeot touring bike or similar. Mine has (had) guards and rack and never attracts a second look from scumbags. And I scored a Strava KOM on it in London last year. :P

dhope

iPete wrote:

Find a second hander, dhope's Gary Fisher Triton seems to pop up quite frequently.

FTFY :roll:

jedster

This looks good to me. 10.6kg* but apart from that does everything. Only £360. what's not to like?

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... road-bikes

*rack, guards, lights, panier - doe weight matter that much?

UndercoverElephant

jedster wrote:

This looks good to me. 10.6kg* but apart from that does everything. Only £360. what's not to like?

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... road-bikes

*rack, guards, lights, panier - doe weight matter that much?

To be fair, if says either Crud Roadracer of SKS Race Blade guards, they aren't as good as real mudguards.

cyclingprop

UndercoverElephant wrote:

jedster wrote:

This looks good to me. 10.6kg* but apart from that does everything. Only £360. what's not to like?

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... road-bikes

*rack, guards, lights, panier - doe weight matter that much?

To be fair, if says either Crud Roadracer of SKS Race Blade guards, they aren't as good as real mudguards.

http://freshtripe.co.uk/Freshtripe/Mudg ... Racks.html ??

gtvlusso

vermin wrote:

Cyclists are slow, not cycles. Get yourself 70s Peugeot touring bike or similar. Mine has (had) guards and rack and never attracts a second look from scumbags. And I scored a Strava KOM on it in London last year. :P

^^This.

**I was SCR'ing against a guy on a beaten 70's racer who jumped a set of lights to pass me.....I was reeling him back in when his chain flew off because the chainset had broken. Normally I would stop and help, but this time I decided not to.

True SCR is also about maintaining your bike!

Big_Paul

My Record Sprint is now a SS/fixie, I actually thought about buying the EBC bike and it's probably lighter than the 501 framed RS, but it stands me less than £150, I'm also running proper guards on it and 700cx28 tyres so it's comfy, doesn't attract sticky fingered arseholes and if it got nicked, it wouldn't be the end of the world.

I know somebody who bought a £1000 bike then matt blacked it and covered it with really crappy stickers that his kids got free with comics, looks like a pile of crap to the untrained eye.

roger_merriman

jedster wrote:

This looks good to me. 10.6kg* but apart from that does everything. Only £360. what's not to like?

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/product ... road-bikes

*rack, guards, lights, panier - doe weight matter that much?

I had a earlier version of that, until it got knicked. Nice bike, and robust with it, not as fun as my Fuji Track now but then it had panniers etc so was more of a workhorse.

Dandelionclock30

If I were you there's no way I'd be locking up a decent bike outside for any duration of time. Its not if it when it will get stolen. Even rubbish bikes get stolen, let alone something nice.
What I would do is get a bike off gumtree etc from £20-£80 and use that.If you want a single speed then you can convert it cheaply. If this gets stolen then its not as devastating as having a bike worth £500 taken.

diliff

Dandelionclock30 wrote:

If I were you there's no way I'd be locking up a decent bike outside for any duration of time. Its not if it when it will get stolen. Even rubbish bikes get stolen, let alone something nice.
What I would do is get a bike off gumtree etc from £20-£80 and use that.If you want a single speed then you can convert it cheaply. If this gets stolen then its not as devastating as having a bike worth £500 taken.

I didn't though, it was stolen from my work's garage and it was locked up... unfortunately no CCTV to catch them All I want is a bike that isn't the best in the garage, that way mine probably won't be the one nicked!

Dandelionclock30

Sorry to hear that-Bastards.
Can you talk to your employer about making the garage more secure? Otherwize I would get a cheapy and get a nice bike for your evenings and weekend.

Drfabulous0

Encourage all your colleagues to get shiny new bikes on c2w, recommend rubbish locks, leave your rat bike next to shiny new bikes with a big ass lock and presto, no more worries.

diliff

Yeah that may be an option.. I've got my eye on a Trek District as per the link below:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/tre ... e-ec026264

It's definitely not the sexiest bike, but it seems to fit the bill. One particularly interesting thing about it seems to be the split for the rear dropouts...

(this link shows the bike including the dropout in more detail than Evans does - http://www.spokeapparel.com/2010/featur ... ike-review )

This seems to be a good idea but also a terrible one... For one thing, it's used to create the correct chain tension which is fine, but more importantly, if I'm using mudguards and a rack (which attaches to the moveable bit), that would mean removing the rack and mudguards in order to fix a puncture or something, surely? And wouldn't this be a similar problem with other single speed bikes with horizontal dropouts? I've never thought of it before as I've always had a vertical dropout'ed dérailleur bike. I'd likely upgrade the tyres to some commuter friendly puncture resistant tyres so this wouldn't happen too often with any luck, but I really hate the idea of being stuck in the middle of nowhere dismantling the entire rear just to fix a puncture. :shock: Correct me if I'm misunderstanding the way the Trek District's rear dropouts function... Also any comments or thoughts on the bike appreciated also. The guy at Evans was keen on the bike, but then again he would be since he's trying to sell it to me.

Stevo_666

You're limiting your choice by just looking and single speeds. There are plenty of cheap-ish commuter bikes that will fit the bill apart from the single gear requirement - although remember they can all be instantly transformed into a single speed (and at no cost) by just not touching the gear shifters

diliff

Hah, thanks for stating the obvious. I know I'm limiting my choice by looking only at single speeds. That's the point though, my intention was to get a bike that was simple in mechs (and smoother as a result of the chain not slapping about over bumps), not to mention lower in cost as a result of not needing those mechs. A derailleur bike is not the same as a single speed even if you don't touch the gears.

I haven't given up yet, but the investigation has pointed out to me that most single speeds don't seem to actually be much cheaper than a low to mid range derailleur set up, nor do many have the appropriate mounts for mudguards and racks, and they have the additional problem of being more difficult to fix a flat due to the way the wheel exits the dropout.

Stevo_666

diliff wrote:

Hah, thanks for stating the obvious. I know I'm limiting my choice by looking only at single speeds. That's the point though, my intention was to get a bike that was simple in mechs (and smoother as a result of the chain not slapping about over bumps), not to mention lower in cost as a result of not needing those mechs. A derailleur bike is not the same as a single speed even if you don't touch the gears.

I haven't given up yet, but the investigation has pointed out to me that most single speeds don't seem to actually be much cheaper than a low to mid range derailleur set up, nor do many have the appropriate mounts for mudguards and racks, and they have the additional problem of being more difficult to fix a flat due to the way the wheel exits the dropout.

I don't think it's obvious to some people on here that everyone with a bike has a single speed if they want it

Yep, the mechanical set up is different but the end effect is exactly the same - with the added benefit that if you decide you don't like the gearing you can easily change your mind, a price well worth paying when you come to a decent hill. Anyhow, when you run out of real single speed options, you know where to look

diliff

Stevo 666 wrote:

I don't think it's obvious to some people on here that everyone with a bike has a single speed if they want it

Yep, the mechanical set up is different but the end effect is exactly the same - with the added benefit that if you decide you don't like the gearing you can easily change your mind, a price well worth paying when you come to a decent hill. Anyhow, when you run out of real single speed options, you know where to look

The end effect is different though, as I said... The chain doesn't pass through the same gears in the same way and has more consistent tension. I'm not saying derailleurs are the devil, but it's disingenuous to suggest the effect is the same. Unless by effect, you mean pedalling from A to B.

This bike is intended to be a commuter bike, I know my route (London)and it doesn't involve any hills, so I'm unlikely to change my mind, unless as you say, I run out of options. It's not so much a lack of options as a lack of options in my price range and without compromises. A single speed with an eccentric BB or something would solve the dropout / chain tension issue, and a frame with braze-ons for a rack and mudguards would sort out the practical side of the commuter bike, but I'm at a loss to find anything cheap that does all of this... But then, light racing style bikes with drop bars don't usually have braze-ons either. I want my bloody Boardman CX back. Did everything I wanted to and more, I just don't want to have to pay another £1000 for it, once should be enough.

arthur_scrimshaw

I know this doesn't tick many of your boxes, but as an alternative approach?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=84760

edit - looks like it's got eyelets for mudguards.

diliff

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

I know this doesn't tick many of your boxes, but as an alternative approach?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=84760

edit - looks like it's got eyelets for mudguards.

Well, nice find and it does seem to offer a reasonable amount for the money, but I much prefer the ergonomics of drop bars and mounting points for a rack is pretty much non-negotiable as I don't like riding with a backpack - sweaty back. But thanks for the suggestion.

king_jeffers

Also http://quellabicycle.com/ or mango bikes

cookeeemonster

diliff wrote:

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

I know this doesn't tick many of your boxes, but as an alternative approach?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=84760

edit - looks like it's got eyelets for mudguards.

Well, nice find and it does seem to offer a reasonable amount for the money, but I much prefer the ergonomics of drop bars and mounting points for a rack is pretty much non-negotiable as I don't like riding with a backpack - sweaty back. But thanks for the suggestion.

forget the rack - get a carradice saddlebag instead! problem solved