# Single speed/fixed



## jerman (Jan 28, 2005)

Hello. I have an interest in getting a single speed/fixed gear just for tooling around on the trail and neighborhood. 
I found a couple of Giant Bowerys on-line, anyone have feedback on those or any other recommendations about what to get? 
One Bowery I found had some upgraded bars, brakes, and pedals and is $500. The other is stock and $300, both used. What would be fair for those two in good shape?
Thanks in advance for any help and suggestions.
Jerry


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

The prices seem to be in the right ballpark. I'd have to have a look see and more details. The answers to your questions depend on your purpose for the bike. First, have you ridden a fixie or track bike before, i.e. is this the type of bike you really want? Do you care about the upgrades or would you do maybe do different ones later? One person's "upgrades" is another's problem needed to be fixed.


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## axlenut (Sep 28, 2010)

Hi, for shorter rides on the bike trail and around the neighbourhood I would think you would be better off with a bike with a flat handle bar and a more upright riding position. Brakes and a freewheel might be good too.

Maybe take a look at the Raleigh Rush Hour Flat bar (or others in that class).

Hope this helps, Axlenut


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## jerman (Jan 28, 2005)

*Freewheel*



Pablo said:


> The prices seem to be in the right ballpark. I'd have to have a look see and more details. The answers to your questions depend on your purpose for the bike. First, have you ridden a fixie or track bike before, i.e. is this the type of bike you really want? Do you care about the upgrades or would you do maybe do different ones later? One person's "upgrades" is another's problem needed to be fixed.


I road a freewheel a month ago and really liked the simplicity and freedom to get a quick workout on a simple and unique bike. This is just for fun. The one Bowery has bullhorn bars and brakes and that's what I need. However, this bikes' brakes are on the end of the bars, the one I road had the pull brakes -- not sure which would be better. 
I would have to paint the frame as I want white, but it's Al frame with ChroMo fork, so to paint, maybe $100. 
It does come with some cool Shimano pedals that are long and flat on one side with SPD on the other. 

However, I found the Wabi Bikes website and it looks like a great steel frame with a little better components for ~$750. This makes prices for these two options close.
Thanks for your time.


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## Pablo (Jul 7, 2004)

jerman said:


> I road a freewheel a month ago and really liked the simplicity and freedom to get a quick workout on a simple and unique bike. This is just for fun. The one Bowery has bullhorn bars and brakes and that's what I need. However, this bikes' brakes are on the end of the bars, the one I road had the pull brakes -- not sure which would be better.
> I would have to paint the frame as I want white, but it's Al frame with ChroMo fork, so to paint, maybe $100.
> It does come with some cool Shimano pedals that are long and flat on one side with SPD on the other.
> 
> ...


Cool. Let us know what you decide with pics.


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## David Loving (Jun 13, 2008)

If you get the Bowrey consider powdercoating it. I did a white powdercoat frame and it works great. durable. I think either of the bikes is good. Let us know


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## markaitch (Nov 3, 2010)

jerman...

usually i stay out of these "is this a good deal" or "what should i buy" kinds of threads because it's such a personal decision & my own preferences are kinda...offbeat :wink5: 

but since i have just been researching & shopping online for a new fg/ss myself, maybe i can help a little.

where do you live? if it's in cal & you are still really hot for a bowery...wheelworld is offering a white bowery '84 on their site for only $599 but they say buyer must pick-up, no mail order. that is a great deal & maybe they might ship if you call them & plead your case. 

i am not knocking the wabi, know zero about them except their ad here & what i saw on their site. but have you checked out any others? there are so many options now that fixed is hot. depending on your planned use you can find a slew of unbelievably low-priced ($300-$400) new bikes if you are not too demanding & just looking for a lil fun. i am not pushing them but IRO has a good rep in fixed/ss circles for well-done moderate priced bikes, my buddy has 1 that i can tell you is very nice & they are offering some killer deals on overstocks & close-outs. 

if you do some more research there are lots of other new bikes for $500-700:
torkers, swobos, schwinn madison, trek soho, felt brougham & sooo many others too & as much as i hate to mention it don't forget bikesdirect

good luck whatever you decide...


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## jerman (Jan 28, 2005)

*Top mount or bar end brakes?*

Thanks for taking the time to respond and good luck with your search. I do apprecaite any input and help.
I live in Ft. Worth, TX. The reviews I've read on the Bowery is its Al frame and wheels are pretty heavy. That's one thing about the Wabi, it's 4 pounds lighter with the reynolds 725 steel and with Wabi's lighter wheels. 
I've been checking ss/fg and what I've found is many are made with the heavier 4130 ChrMoly, but since you suggested I went back to Bikes Direct and found the Mercier Kilo WT that is made with ChrMoly 520. The wheels look pretty heavy but I emailed them for a weight. However, it has sold out anyway. 
I checked out IRO and it was going to cost too much to change it to get it the way I wanted. I'll keep looking, please feel free to let me know what you end up with.

One main question I still have it to use top mount or bar end brakes?
Thanks again...
Jerry 


markaitch said:


> jerman...
> 
> usually i stay out of these "is this a good deal" or "what should i buy" kinds of threads because it's such a personal decision & my own preferences are kinda...offbeat :wink5:
> 
> ...


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## yuBBers (Jan 8, 2011)

I personally hate bar end brakes. Looks weird.


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## markaitch (Nov 3, 2010)

hey jerman...
did you buy a bike yet?
i am still looking & found this one on my local craiglist.
unfortunately it is not my size or i would buy it myself, it looks like a heckuva deal.
i talked to the guy & he is willing to ship.

http://miami.craigslist.org/brw/bik/2167467462.html


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## jerman (Jan 28, 2005)

*SE Premium Ale*

Thanks Markaitch, I appreciate you thinking of me. It is a great deal, but I'm am leaning heavily to the Wabi Classic right now. Things affecting the decision are:
-The Wabi is designed with road geometry, not track
-The Wabi has 725 tubing while the SE is 4130
-I want bullhorns and can order them on the Wabi for no extra charge
-The gearing best for here is 42 X 17 or 18 and I can order that with the Wabi instead of getting the 46 X17 on the SE
-The Wabi has a lighter wheelset
-The Wabi weighs 18 or 19 lb compared to the SE's 21 lb
-I can specify the size of stem I need with the Wabi
-The Wabi frame has a lifetime warranty with parts and accessories given 2 years
-Most importanly, I have been looking for a pearl white so the color of the Wabi is the color I would need to have the bike painted anyway.
After all of this taken into consideration it makes the price of the two bikes comparable.
Thanks again for your heads-up though, I appreciate it! Jerry


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Bought a Wabi Classic about a year ago and have no regrets. Customer service is first rate.


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## jerman (Jan 28, 2005)

*Size?*

WIM... Good to hear. So, how does the bike fit? What size did you get and what's your height and jeans inseam? Also, what length stem did you get? Thanks.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Got the 55 cm with the 120 mm stem and 170 mm cranks. I'm 5'10" with a jeans inseam of 31", but I have to tell you that like to wear my pants "high-water style." Much more useful is my cycling inseam, which is 85 cm. I have a proportionally longish uppper body, so I'd get a 58 cm to get a little more stretched out if I had to do it over again. I don't care about standover, just a few millimeter is fine with me. BTW, took the Wabi classic on the track last year and won the 500-meter event in my age group, so it's not just a fixed for the road.


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## jerman (Jan 28, 2005)

*Nice*

Good job, WIM. You don't look your age, must be all the beer and ciggies. 
I'm 5'10 or 5' 10 1/2" too. My jeans inseam is 30 or 31", but I haven't taken the good cycling ground to crotch measurement yet - will do it soon.
Exactly how much stand over space do you have? It doesn't look like your seat is too low.
Also, since I want to get bullhorns, what stem length would you suggest? I'm sure it would need to be shorter than your 120. My two road bikes are 53s, a Look and Merlin, - they fit good. It seems my ideal TT length is between 54 and 55.
Thanks for the info and posting the great picture.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

Got to run, but quickly: standover, perhaps 1/2". Short legs / long upper body. And BB height has sth. to do with standover too, but I can't remember what the 55 cm Classic BB height is or if it's higher than a road bike. Know nothing about bulllhorms, sorry.

Beer and cigs, yes! 30 years of it. Quit cigs in 1987, but have a beer or so a day when it's warm outside.


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

Hi Wim, congratulations! 

That's a very nice picture of yours, I seldom see cyclist around your age racing. 

By the way are you using a strap type of pedal or a clipless?
What would you suggest on cycling shoes and pedals, I'm kinda new to this. 

I also ride a SS road bike.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

vismitananda said:


> Hi Wim, congratulations!
> 
> That's a very nice picture of yours, I seldom see cyclist around your age racing.
> 
> ...


Thanks! 

I'm on real old Look (Delta) clipless and wear cheap Shimano shoes, RO- or RD76, can't make out what the second letter is. Like everyone else, I used to race with clips and straps, sometimes double straps. But the clipless are fine now, don't have the strength anymore to pull out on the standing start.

Re the age: yes, not having too many people to race with is an issue. It's always the same 5 or 6 guys your age. But with time trialing, you basically race against yourself, so it doesn't matter as much as it would with mass-start racing.


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

@Wim

My LBS told me that any Shimano type of shoe will just fit to any Shimano clipless pedals. I've just searched your shoe and was impressed that it fits to Look patterned pedals. Does that mean any Look pedals will just fit on that shoe?
I am 22, w/c is better straps or clips?

About the age: indeed the important thing is that you enjoyed the race. This might cheer you UP.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

vismitananda said:


> @Wim
> 
> My LBS told me that any Shimano type of shoe will just fit to any Shimano clipless pedals. I've just searched your shoe and was impressed that it fits to Look patterned pedals. Does that mean any Look pedals will just fit on that shoe?
> I am 22, w/c is better straps or clips?
> ...


Thanks for the link, inspirational reading indeed! Perhaps I need to move...

Yes, Shimano (and many other) road shoes are drilled on the bottom with the so-called "Look" pattern, which is three holes arranged in a triangle, with the apex of the triangle pointing to the toe. This means that all pedal systems with that "Look" hole pattern can be used with that shoe.

Look's newer KeO pedal has that same hole pattern. But the cleat of the KeO pedal is not compatible with the cleat of the old Look "Delta" pedal. I would suggest going with the KeO pedal if you go with Look. The old Look "Delta" pedal and cleats are getting a bit hard to find.

Clips and straps still have a place on the track, but I would not recommend them for road riding. On the track (especially with a standing-start event like the kilo or the 500 meter) there's a brief phase at the start in which you rip your foot upward as powerfully as you can on the back stroke. When doing that and accidentally twisting your foot, a road clipless pedal can release your shoe, leading to a botched start or even a crash. With toe clips and tightly cinched double straps, this can't happen.

Deleting my photo, it's been up long enough.


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

@Wim

I see, I think that explains well now. Its good to read some advise from the expert who's into cycling even before I was born. 
In case of finding the right shoe, I might tandem a Shimano type into a Look pedal, since they have the Look pattern on it. A friend of mine told me that Egg Beaters type of pedal can be use in road bikes, It looks nice and can save me weight, but are those really recommended pedals?

Since I ride mostly on road, and my country doesn't have velodromes around  I will stick to clipless pedals. I'm always wondering what does it feel racing in a velodrome. 

I'm happy that you've enjoyed the link, that lad was Mick Ives, great guy at his age. Can't believe at first that his still riding at 70+.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

vismitananda said:


> A friend of mine told me that Egg Beaters type of pedal can be use in road bikes, It looks nice and can save me weight, but are those really recommended pedals?


Know next to nothing about Eggbeaters except that I see them on quite a few road bikes. I think (but am not sure at all) that you need to put an adapter plate between the Eggbeater cleat and a 3-hole "Look drilled" road shoe. Someone else needs to answer your question, really.


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## jerman (Jan 28, 2005)

Hello again, WIM, and glad to hear you kicked those cigs. I took that cycling inseam measurement and got 82cm. As yours is 85cm and you only have a one-half inch stand over height on the Wabi then that means I'll be on a 52 unless I want to go from a tenor to a soprano. Not ridden a bike that small before, like you I'll probably looking at a 120mm stem. 
Thanks for the helpful information and good luck with those races!




wim said:


> Got to run, but quickly: standover, perhaps 1/2". Short legs / long upper body. And BB height has sth. to do with standover too, but I can't remember what the 55 cm Classic BB height is or if it's higher than a road bike. Know nothing about bulllhorms, sorry.
> 
> Beer and cigs, yes! 30 years of it. Quit cigs in 1987, but have a beer or so a day when it's warm outside.


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

*Caution note.*



jerman said:


> I took that cycling inseam measurement and got 82cm. As yours is 85cm and you only have a one-half inch stand over height on the Wabi then that means I'll be on a 52 unless I want to go from a tenor to a soprano. Not ridden a bike that small before, like you I'll probably looking at a 120mm stem.
> Thanks for the helpful information and good luck with those races!


Don't put too much faith in my standover height assessment. That 1/2" is a wild guess, and I don't know if that's in cycling shoes or sandals, standing straight or hunched down. And your way of getting your cycling inseam may result in a 3 cm difference from the number you'd get with my way of doing that. On top of that, the tenor > soprano thing doesn't really apply to somewhat experienced riders. That's a classic fear-mongering bike shop sales tactic to get rid of bikes that are too small for a potential customer. Before that, it was the standard warning given by department store sales people to parents who were worried about their little boy losing his potential "manhood" on the top tube of his Christmas present.

So: unless you're in the habit of jumping off your bike with both feet hitting the ground at the same time, standover is bogus in terms of a good performance bike fit. Fit yourself to the three contact points (saddle, pedal, handlebar) of the bike and let standover fall where it may. In my view, a 52 cm Wabi Classic is too small for you if your true cycling inseam (pubic bone-to-floor height, with substantial pressure on the pubic bone) is in fact 82 cm.


/w


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## jerman (Jan 28, 2005)

Thanks Wim. I talked to Richard at Wabi and he was very helpful. He has been getting the right size bike to people for a couple of years now so I feel confident. He told me to take some measurements off my two road bikes - which I have had great fit kits done on - and send him those measurements. He said he would look to see which size would be the best fit. 
Thanks again for the info and don't be shy posting pics of that Wabi! I really think they are beautiful bikes, can't wait until I get one with that off-white color and the understated "Wabi" on the seat post. 




wim said:


> Don't put too much faith in my standover height assessment. That 1/2" is a wild guess, and I don't know if that's in cycling shoes or sandals, standing straight or hunched down. And your way of getting your cycling inseam may result in a 3 cm difference from the number you'd get with my way of doing that. On top of that, the tenor > soprano thing doesn't really apply to somewhat experienced riders. That's a classic fear-mongering bike shop sales tactic to get rid of bikes that are too small for a potential customer. Before that, it was the standard warning given by department store sales people to parents who were worried about their little boy losing his potential "manhood" on the top tube of his Christmas present.
> 
> So: unless you're in the habit of jumping off your bike with both feet hitting the ground at the same time, standover is bogus in terms of a good performance bike fit. Fit yourself to the three contact points (saddle, pedal, handlebar) of the bike and let standover fall where it may. In my view, a 52 cm Wabi Classic is too small for you if your true cycling inseam (pubic bone-to-floor height, with substantial pressure on the pubic bone) is in fact 82 cm.
> 
> ...


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## wim (Feb 28, 2005)

jerman said:


> I talked to Richard at Wabi and he was very helpful.


Richard knows his stuff, so trust his sizing more than mine or yours. No more pictures for now, been blowing my own horn enough here lately


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## vismitananda (Jan 16, 2011)

wim said:


> Know next to nothing about Eggbeaters except that I see them on quite a few road bikes. I think (but am not sure at all) that you need to put an adapter plate between the Eggbeater cleat and a 3-hole "Look drilled" road shoe. Someone else needs to answer your question, really.


I see, maybe I should ask any one in this forum who's into Eggbeaters. 

Thanks a lot! You've been a big help.


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