# 2008 SE Lager Review



## 93561rider

I recently purchased a 2008 SE Lager from my LBS in Bakersfield. I purchased it to ride at lunch a few days a week when I'm at the Irvine office and to ride to the bar in Huntington Beach from my hotel. 

*Overall fit and finish:* 
The brown is very, well, brown.
The welds look good.
The head badge was so bad I had to take it off. It was stuck on with foam double stick tape.
The decals seem to be removing themselves, so they may have to go before they make a mess.
The bars have a sand blasted look that looks a bit cheap.
Other than that it looks pretty good.

*Components:*
The cranks look a bit out of place. (FSA Vero with a long BB to get chainline correct, 165mm q-factor) 
gearing 46/16 freewheel (installed 18T fixed before riding)
The seat is absolutely terrible. It is wide and flat in the front. The material is very sticky so it's hard to move around on the seat without it pinching or bunching up your shorts.
The hubs aren't the lowest level Formulas, apparently they are one step up from the 2007 Lager hubs. They spin well and seem nice enough.
I spent all of 2 minutes truing the wheels and so far they haven't changed. The spoke tension was actually pretty good. 
Tires are 28mm wide. Makes it kind of hard to get the wheels on and off. Generally that wouldn't be an issue but this bike is put in the back of a car several times a week.
The Tekto brakes don't seem to work well, I'll look in to new pads later on.
I added a Surly axle tug. I probably didn't need it, but they look so cool. The bottle opener works very well, especially when you leave the bike on the repair stand in the dinning room.


*Riding Impressions*
I went with a 56cm frame. I got a chance to ride a 58 at the bike shop before I ordered my bike. The 58 had a long stem so the overall length was too much for me. The 56cm bike has a short stem with a slightly shorter top tube. At first it seemed a bit tight but after a bit of riding it seems ok. I think the seat has something to do with this. It's hard to slide around and get comfortable.
There is no toe overlap. While I don't really care, it's a big deal with some people. It does make track stands easier. Maybe not easier but you don't have to worry about foot placement.
I flipped the stem over to raise the bars a bit and tilted the bars up slightly. This makes for a nice comfortable riding position and the bars are just right for long climbs out of the saddle.
The ride quality is very good. Much better than my aluminum CX bike that I ride over the same roads in Irvine.
The 69 inch gear I have on the bike works great most of the time. My ride loop has some long climbs and if the gear was much taller it would be quite the grind. It is a bit small for some of the down hills, but overall it works well.
The brake levers are on the ends of the bars. At first I thought I would like that but I'm starting to think that a brake lever on the horizontal part of the bar may be better. 
With a bottle cage, mini pump, and saddle bag this isn't some hipster bike if that's what you are going for.
Overall I think it's going to work out very well for what I purchased it for.


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## Alx

All that and no pics???  Good review but you still owe us some pics. BTW what is the going price for that bike? I saw the 07 model at a swap meet and wondering if I did the right thing by passing and saving for the 08


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## roadfix

gotta have pics. no exceptions.


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## 93561rider

Nothing really to take pics of. It's a stock 2008. Go to their website.

Maybe I can get some pics of my dog tearing the saddle up when I get back home.

I paid 475 at my LBS. I've seen it a few dollars cheaper online but I really believe it's worth a few extra bucks to buy locally. It only took a couple of days to get the bike in.

Cam


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## Applesauce

93561rider said:


> The cranks look a bit out of place. (FSA Vero with a long BB to get chainline correct, 165mm q-factor)


I think I've had mountain bikes that were narrower than that.


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## 93561rider

Applesauce said:


> I think I've had mountain bikes that were narrower than that.


That is the same as my all mountain bike and 25mm more than my road bike.


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## slozoff

Alx said:


> All that and no pics???  Good review but you still owe us some pics. BTW what is the going price for that bike? I saw the 07 model at a swap meet and wondering if I did the right thing by passing and saving for the 08


I got my lager the day after christmas at Performance and it ended up costing $360. i figured might as well go with something not so flashy and add some better components to it with the money i saved. Im looking to get or have already gotten a New saddle (a must-stock seat is very uncomfortable), new (stiffer) toes straps, new brakes, new tires (the stock ones are basically mincemeat on city streets, no tread or puncture resistance) Everything else seems to work great though. the ride is very comfortable other than the seat. 

Im 5' 11.5'' 170lbs and this thing fits like a charm. i've had no back problems at all and the bullhorns are a really nice addition for getting out of the saddle and climbing. 

ill post pics of mine soon, though right now its just stock bike with new toe straps and handle bar tape, and no decals. (going with a Cleveland browns Orange/brown/white color scheme).


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## ricebowls

Picked mine up right after Christmas too as a commuter and rainy day training bike and I've goto to say I really enjoy it. I was curious about building up a SS for some time and I have to admit it's a blast to ride and totally low key.

Plus the SE head badge is Punk Rock....I used to ride BMX in the 80's so it was cool to find out they were getting into other kinds of bikes....even if they are owned by Fuji.


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## bikesdirect

93561rider said:


> I recently purchased a 2008 SE Lager from my LBS in Bakersfield. I purchased it to ride at lunch a few days a week when I'm at the Irvine office and to ride to the bar in Huntington Beach from my hotel.
> 
> Overall I think it's going to work out very well for what I purchased it for.



EXCELLENT BIKE

I AM SURE YOU WILL LOVE IT

The factory that makes this bike does great work and this model has been really good.

Have Fun


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## punchy

Ive also purchased an SE Lager a couple months nefore last christmas. First time i test rode it i was a bit unsure. I also test rode the Cannondale Capo the same day. The SE Lager felt not as stiff as the Capo and probably a little more comfy, although probably not as sharp and fast as the Capo. No doubt due to its steel frame.

But at $530 for the SE versus $1,500 for the Capo I dcided to go for the SE. I did so a couple weeks later after test riding the bike again and finally decided to buy it. My intial thoughts were to buy it as an interim bike to get me around in the mean time whilst i researched and contemplated building up another more expensive project to replace my worn out Avanti MTB. The project I was planning to build was to be a Rohloff equipped road specced bike. And as much as id still like to have that bike one day, Ive really come to love this single speed phenomenon.

After about a month I decided to go fixed. At first it felt strange and I was'nt confident riding it. But after a couple weeks ive now tuned into the diffrent riding style required for a fixie and I absilutely love it. Ive discovered that well, I dont reall need gears. And this bike is all I need as im only really using it for work commutes and my ride doesnt have any major hill climbs.

Im now totally hooked on the single speed scene. Absolutely love the feel of riding fixed and im planning on building up a higher spec frame with better componentry. Or I may just hang on to this one and up grade the parts. 

Im thinking of up grading the cranks to Truvativ Omnium external bearing bottom crank set. Ive heard some good things about these cranks. Or possibly fit those cranks to something like a Soma Delancey or something of that quality. I liked the look of the Cinelli frames as well. There are many many choices out there. Scwinn, Masi. On one, Steam Roller to name a few. Haven't decided yet, budget will decide how I go about it.

But bottom line is. Im very happy with this bike. Its limited in its uses, cant really go riding with a pack who have geared roadies through the hills, or even do my favourite hill climb I want to get back into which has a 15 degree incline, but as a work commute bike its been worth every cent I paid.

I did initially have a problem with the cranks. They were making a knockiing type noise which became noticeable on every revolution as it slowly got worse, but the bike shop I purchased it from did eventually fix it after a couple of visits. Not sure exactly what they did, but they stated they basically regreased and tightened all the parts ?? The head stem was also making a few creaks but the BS also fixed that too. Im not mechanically savvy when it comes to bikes but I would imagine the probs I had would be easily fixed by someone who knows what to look for.

Steve


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