# Upgrade for cheap single speed bike?



## lawlz_xD (Sep 22, 2012)

Hey all, I've been rolling around with a cheap Takara Single Speed Road Bike (Amazon it) and I really like it but I feel I can get a lot more speed out of it.I understand that single speeds/fixies go as fast as you can pedal but I feel that the components are so cheap in this bike that upgrading them would be worth while.

I honestly have no clue where to start!

I really like the frame so I don't want to build an entire new bike and I'm looking to spend no more than $500 on upgrades. Any advice?

Here's the spec sheet:

Steel frame and fork; 54 centimeter top tube
Alloy rims with alloy hub
Rear flip flop hub
Brakes: Alloy side pull
Tires: Yellow Kenda 700 x 32
Frame: Tig welded steel frame with horizontal drop out
Fork: Tig Welded 1 inch Threaded
Handlebar: Steel Road 42.5cm wide
Stem: Alloy Quill 1-inch 90 deg x 100mm
Crank: Steel 3-piece 170mm 44 tooth steel chain ring
Bottom Bracket: Loose ball and cone, English thread
Pedals: Alloy cage with toe clips
Rims: Alloy singlewall 32 hole with stainless steel spoke
Hub Rear: Joytech alloy 16-tooth freewheel and fix gear, bolt on
Hub Front: Joytech alloy high flange, bolt on
Tires: Kenda Yellow 700 x 32
Seat Collar: Alloy
Seatpost: Steel 25.4
Kickstand: Steel
Bar Tape: Cork
Weight: 29.5 pounds


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## bonefamily (May 17, 2011)

I don't know this bike, but odds are it is a hi-tenile steel frame - which is not much worthy of upgrading all the parts on to get it lighter/faster. With a budget of $500, you might be better off getting a complete chromoly bike, like a Mercier Kilo TT (however, you mentioned Amazon it, and the it could be for Italy?).

The bike you have the specs read 29.5 lbs which is quite heavy for a single speed bike. If you are set on keeping this bike, I would just make it comfortable by getting a saddle that fis you real well, and perhaps some quality tires to make the ride more enjoyable. Other than that, use the $500 for a new bike.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

I agree. It's probably not worth spending a lot of $ on this bike. And your assumption that upgrades will get you lots more speed is also not really that accurate.

That said, there are a few spots on that bike where some pretty inexepensive replacements would reduce the weight a good bit, and make the bike feel more nimble and quick, even if you didn't end up going a lot faster.

32mm tires are quite wide, and unless you're heavy and/or ride on very bad pavement, they're probably bigger than you need to prevent pinchflats. 25mm tires would make the bike feel a litttle quicker.

A steel crankset is a lot of weight. An inexpensive alloy SS crank like Origin 8 (which you can get for $70 or less) would knock off a couple of pounds. Similar with the steel handlebar and seatpost. Couple more pounds there.

If you really want to keep a kickstand on it, replacing the steel one with an aluminum one like the Greenfield (10 or 15 bucks) will save another pound, If you don't use the kickstand or think you can get along without it, just take it off.

I wouldn't spend money on any other changes to that bike, but these upgrades will make it significantly lighter for <150 bucks.


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## lawlz_xD (Sep 22, 2012)

Hm...I am just thinking about getting another bike entirely. Would the Mercier Kilo TT be a good step up in terms of performance/speed/quickness/etc.? I don't want to buy an entire new bike just to net marginal improvements.


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

That's a brakeless fixed-gear track bike, not a road single-speed like you have now. I don't THINK that's what you're looking for, and I certainly wouldn't recommend it for the road.


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## lawlz_xD (Sep 22, 2012)

Hm..thanks for your input! What single-speed frames would you recommend?

So far I am looking at the S-Works Langster frames.


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## bonefamily (May 17, 2011)

The Mercier Kilo TT is fine for the road if you add brakes to it. Single speed is as easy as adding a frewwheel to the flip flop hub. The geometry is a bit steeper than typical road geometry, but I ride my 74.5 / 74.5 degree single speed for long road rides (2 hours) and feel fine on it - but as always YMMV. 

The Langster is a fine bike as well.


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