Fixie road bike

Gb_Rae

Looking for some recommendations on getting a fixed wheel / single speed bike. The problem I have is that I have trawled the internet and there is just too much to choose from. That said I don’t really know what I should be looking for or staying away from. :roll:

I am not wanting to spend a fortune as this will my third bike and will not be used all the time, Ive been looking at the following :-

http://www.chargebikes.com/bicycle-collection/plug-1

http://www.mangobikes.co.uk/shop/matte-blue/

Has anyone had any previous experience on any of these or have better recommendations??

Thanks

Graeme

Gb_Rae

I have looked at the Dolan Fxe frameset but I think by the time I buy the frame and put it all together it will be stretching the budget a bit...!

pinarellokid

Just buy a nice old steel bike and build that up, they are ace, just get one made of nice tubes 531 or columbus and you must have horizontal drop outs, it will be a much nicer bike and lighter than a newer one. And be full of character

MountainMonster

+1 for refurbishing an older steel frame. It's great fun, and you end up with something much personal.

iPete

£5 says you'll enjoy it more than the other bikes... so take your time and build something up

OR reviews suggest either are perfectly capable and do the job for the price. Can always look for a second hand plug, langster or pre-cursa (some of them are fixed only).

MountainMonster

That is lovely looking!

I could imagine it is nice to ride around, what gearing are you running?

ddraver

All I'd say is that I'd go for a brand you recognise. There are a lot of cheap fixie brands which are closer to BSOs than bikes and you ll have a terrible time on them. To get a pimped out looking fixie that is also good then you re looking at a lot more money from a "specialist"

So go Cinelli, Charge, Dolan, Fuji etc

Gb_Rae

madasahattersley wrote:

Here's my Pre-Cursa btw. On the right day and the right conditions it's my favourite bike to ride. Pure simplicity

Yeah liking that! 8)

Had a trip to Evans at the weekend and had a look at the Charge Plug 1, nice looking bike, not as heavy as I thought it would be, and now reduce in price......tempting!!

term1te

MountainMonster wrote:

+1 for refurbishing an older steel frame. It's great fun, and you end up with something much personal.

+2 for old steel. Here's mine:

MountainMonster

madasahattersley wrote:

MountainMonster wrote:

That is lovely looking!

I could imagine it is nice to ride around, what gearing are you running?

Currently a 72" (48x18) but in that photo it was a race gear of 90" (48x14) which I still used for commuting for quite a while before I could be bothered to add more links to the chain

Nice nice, that's quite a comfortable gear to be spinning around here. I bet Madingly Rise isn't very nice on the knees though!

iPete

That plug would be hard to turn down at a good price, can always see how it goes! I'm also a fan of bull horns but with a TT lever brake. The great thing about these bikes is how easy it is to switch things around.

The latest build..

pinarellokid

Here is a picture of my old fixed gear Jan Jannsen. It's been a great ride, but finally managed to pic up my new one which is currently being tweaked. It's a Neil Orrell Triple Triangle who is my local bike shop. Awesome to ride and super stiff

Gb_Rae

Well I have finally taken the plunge and bought one! :shock:
There were lots out there but I eventually went for the Charge Plug 1, seems to be a good bike, got a lot of good reviews and at the price it was just too hard to resist. Should hopefully get it early next week from the wonderful world of Wiggle! I will let you all know how it goes, any hints and tips for riding and fixie anyone?? :roll:

marcusjb

Gb_Rae wrote:

, any hints and tips for riding and fixie anyone?? :roll:

Stick at it - it does takes a few weeks to truly click.

If it doesn't, then stick at it some more.

If it still doesn't, then put a freewheel on it.

At some point in your learning curve, you will reach the point where you realise it is called a fixed wheel rather than a, (I can hardly bring myself to type the word as I am in possession of no facial hair nor skinny jeans), fixie.

alpineaddict

Been keeping an eye on this thread, as I too am interested in getting a 'fixed wheel/fixie'

Be interested t hear how you get on with the charge bike...?

Gb_Rae, that looks awesome... Can you only buy the frames and then build them up are can you buy them as a complete bike?

iPete, Sweet ride mate... Is that an expensive custom build :?:

gimpl

Hi Marcus

Knowing that you do epic (to me) miles I'm wondering how often you go out on your fixed wheel, what sort of distances do you do, hills etc.

Lots of people recommend them as winter bike and I'm tempted but worried that as a larger rider (6'4" and 98kg) I'll really struggle up anything with a bit of a slope and also it will further knacker my already knackered knees.

I've also heard that riding in fixed as opposed to free wheel mode helps as the momentum carries you a little bit - urban myth ?

I love the look of those Mango bikes and I would like the simplicity of no gears etc to keep clean over winter but worry that at my age and size it would be a step too far.

Any thoughts from anyone greatly appreciated.

Thanks

marcusjb

Gimpl wrote:

Hi Marcus

Knowing that you do epic (to me) miles I'm wondering how often you go out on your fixed wheel, what sort of distances do you do, hills etc.

I actually don't do big miles fixed (yet) - I commute on it, do the odd 100km ride etc. - I only do about 5000km a year on the fixed.

However, I have what will be a far comfier fixed coming in the next few weeks (Condor Tempo to match my Fratello) and will probably do some longer rides on that. I'd like a fixed SR (200, 300, 400 and 600km rides) in my palmares at some point.

There are a number of big distance riders using fixed, riding even super hilly events (two fixed riders managed the Pendle 600, probably the hardest 600 in the UK with around 10000m of ascent).

Fixed is no barrier to distance or speed to those strong enough. Contact points (particularly the bum) take more of a battering and wrists/arms etc. take some punishment when climbing out of the saddle so much.

As I said, I am no expert on big distances fixed - but that'll change I hope. I will never tackle the really hilly stuff on fixed - I am far too small really (60kg). The riders that do tackle the hard stuff on fixed tend towards the larger, more powerful end of the spectrum.

As for the other stuff, momentum, climbing etc. - mostly all true. I use my fixed for winter training quite a bit, around regular climbs I know, I will typically be a little faster on fixed providing the climb is not very steep or long. There's no-where to hide, you can't click down the gears and go up the hill at a slow pace - you just have to get on with it.

As I said above, size is of benefit on fixed - there's an element of brute force required that a little rider like myself can't produce ever so much of.

It isn't for everyone - but if it does click, it is such a great way to ride (rather than going down the route of all the zen-like cliches now, I will just STFU).

Gb_Rae

alpineaddict wrote:

Gb_Rae, that looks awesome... Can you only buy the frames and then build them up are can you buy them as a complete bike?

Yes, Wiggle at the moment are the cheapest at £299 for the complete bike. I should get it early next week so will keep you updated on how it is to ride.

I have to say I am looking forward to it, and I am determined to persevere with riding it fixed

Gb_Rae

marcusjb wrote:

Gb_Rae wrote:

, any hints and tips for riding and fixie anyone?? :roll:

Stick at it - it does takes a few weeks to truly click.

If it doesn't, then stick at it some more.

If it still doesn't, then put a freewheel on it.

At some point in your learning curve, you will reach the point where you realise it is called a fixed wheel rather than a, (I can hardly bring myself to type the word as I am in possession of no facial hair nor skinny jeans), fixie.

Point taken, Fixed wheel it is!

alpineaddict

Would anyone out there be able to comment on Charge bikes over Mango bikes...? How easy is it to buy customised parts for the Charge bikes? I know you can get diff wheels, chains etc. as standard on Mango bikes, but Charge only really do bespoke saddles and bars...

Just interested in the wheels and chain really... Love the simplicity of the Charge Plug, but faced some subtle colour coding of the saddle stitching with a chain etc.

Gb_Rae

I too liked the look of the Mango bikes, mostly the wheels but I had not heard much about them and there were not many reviews out there either. I also liked the Quella bikes, nice colours and deep profile wheels too but they were just outside my price range.

djhermer

Gb_Rae wrote:

marcusjb wrote:

Gb_Rae wrote:

, any hints and tips for riding and fixie anyone?? :roll:

Stick at it - it does takes a few weeks to truly click.

If it doesn't, then stick at it some more.

If it still doesn't, then put a freewheel on it.

At some point in your learning curve, you will reach the point where you realise it is called a fixed wheel rather than a, (I can hardly bring myself to type the word as I am in possession of no facial hair nor skinny jeans), fixie.

Point taken, Fixed wheel it is!

And when you push off for the first ride, you'll be suddenly aware how useful a freewheel is when starting..! My top tip for the first ride - have something alongside you to hold onto until you get spinning. Or someone pushing you from behind.

iPete

alpineaddict wrote:

iPete, Sweet ride mate... Is that an expensive custom build :?:

Built by me and includes some second hand parts from a second hand bike, so hard to price exactly.

Custom wheels, tyres and tubes (£350), imported frame (£550) lola bars, stem, tape, brake and cable (~£100), chainset, chain, chainring and cog (~£100), about £1100 but could be done for much less. Took a year to get on the road too!

Gb_Rae

Well it arrived sooner than anticipated, after ordering it on Thursday night I had a nice welcome on Saturday morning from the delivery man! Straight out of the box I was over the moon with the look and quality of the bike. Saturday afternoon was it's first test ride and straight away I realised the things you take for granted when you can freewheel! Basic things like just simply clipping the pedals in and coming to a junctions :roll: . It was a bit of a learning curve to say the least but I soon got the hang of it, and even started to brake by using a little bit of resistance on the pedals.

Last night was the first proper training session on it, with the start of the Clubs winter runs. At first I was a bit apprehensive about taking it along but just thought I'd bite the bullet. Luckily there were a couple of other guys out on fixed wheels so we formed a group ourselves and left the guys on the geared bikes to head off. I can definitely tell it was a harder workout as my legs this morning are a little tender! Looking forward to the coming winter on it!

Will post some pictures up soon, once I get around to taking some decent ones!

Thanks for all your help folks!

iPete

Give it a couple of weeks, I find my fixed is easier on the legs once bedded in (but it is very flat around here).