Bicycles... I want one... Suggestions/Recommendations?

fastar1 said:
What would you point me towards if I'm looking for is a low, low maintenance commuter?
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Have you looked into a fixed gear with a good gear ratio? No extra gears, low maintenance, light bike & you only need a front brake. You can get pretty big fixie frames nowadays? Lube the chain, keep the tires pumped, and adjust the chain when it starts to have freeplay (takes a couple of minutes to do). That's as low-maintenance as it gets!

Bonus: I love commuting with it because I can just trackstand at red lights
 
knowledge said:
Have you looked into a fixed gear with a good gear ratio? No extra gears, low maintenance, light bike & you only need a front brake. You can get pretty big fixie frames nowadays? Lube the chain, keep the tires pumped, and adjust the chain when it starts to have freeplay (takes a couple of minutes to do). That's as low-maintenance as it gets!

Bonus: I love commuting with it because I can just trackstand at red lights
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In-hub gears are just as little maintenance but they give you gearing, including infinitely variable gearing;
http://www.fallbrooktech.com/08_Bicycle_home.asp

Compared to a Rohloff or Nexus in-hub gears, it's gear range is limited, it's heavy, and it's expensive. Still cool though.
 
FullMotoJacket said:
LOTUS-BIKE-Big-Race-Bolid.jpg
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That makes me happy in my pants. I have Cosmic Elite wheels on my Guru!

FullMotoJacket said:
I'm not a big Cannondale fan but I like the Bad Boy and Quick lines.
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You're dead to me.
 
Let me know if a Norco Spade would interest you. IIRC my guy still has an old stock one on the floor. It's a flip-flop. Why anyone other than wannabe hipsters would use the fixed side of the hub in city traffic other than for the "look at me I'm COOL" factor is beyond me, but it's a decent single speed if you use the freewheel side of the hub. No fenders or chain guide like the City Glide if you want that stuff, though.

norco_spade1.jpg
 
FullMotoJacket said:
Let me know if a Norco Spade would interest you. IIRC my guy still has an old stock one on the floor. It's a flip-flop. Why anyone other than wannabe hipsters would use the fixed side of the hub in city traffic other than for the "look at me I'm COOL" factor is beyond me, but it's a decent single speed if you use the freewheel side of the hub. No fenders or chain guide like the City Glide if you want that stuff, though.

norco_spade1.jpg
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Thanks but no, that's all wrong. I'm sick of getting splattered all over my legs and back, need the fenders. Won't go to rim brakes either as the muck causes them to seize up and grinds away at the rim like sandpaper. Also, can't find a bike that is TOO upright. I dream of fabbing up a steering bracket that fits around my torso so I can sit bolt upright and rest my arms on the steering yokes like an armchair! So this one would be killer.

Plus yeah, I've had a fixie for most of the winter until I managed to free up my front derailleur enought shift to between my middle outer chainrings, and one gear didn't cut it. Two gears is still a PITA.
 
caboose483 said:
You're dead to me.
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I had a Delta V F700. Never rode it. The drivetrain, wheels, and brakes are spread out amongst other builds or in boxes in the garage. Frame got dumped on ebay. :p


I did like the Fulcrum. Would I have bought one if they ever went into production (in this configuration)? No.

fulcrumdrive.jpg


And the company wasn't adverse to hiring riders that were a bit "out there".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missy_Giove
 
fastar1 said:
Plus yeah, I've had a fixie for most of the winter until I managed to free up my front derailleur enought shift to between my middle outer chainrings, and one gear didn't cut it. Two gears is still a PITA.
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A "fixie" is a bike with a fixed gear. The rear sprocket is bolted or threaded directly on to the rear hub. There is no freewheel. It is direct drive, meaning if the pedals turn, the wheel turns, and visa versa. It's primarily used for track and keirin racing (velodrome). The racers started cobbing up fixed gear bikes to train on the road with, then all the trendy Williamsburg-esque hipsters latched on to the idea and now it's in a "cool" phase with them (for now......till the next cool thing comes along). I'm guessing it will become ironic some time this fall and you won't be able to give them away.

Keirin.
4240.jpg
 
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FullMotoJacket said:
A "fixie" is a bike with a fixed gear. The rear sprocket is bolted or threaded directly on to the rear hub. There is no freewheel. It is direct drive, meaning if the pedals turn, the wheel turns, and visa versa. It's primarily used for track and keirin racing (velodrome). The racers started cobbing up fixed gear bikes to train on the road with, then all the trendy Williamsburg-esque hipsters latched on to the idea and now it's in a "cool" phase with them (for now......till the next cool thing comes along). I'm guessing it will become ironic some time this fall and you won't be able to give them away.
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Ah, thanks for the edumacation. So I guess I had (effectively) a single speed, not a fixie.
 
fastar1 said:
Ah, thanks for the edumacation. So I guess I had (effectively) a single speed, not a fixie.
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It's (fixies) all fun and games till something goes wrong, then you're just along for the ride, 'cause outside of a controlled endo to get the rear wheel off the ground, you ain't stopping the pedals.

[video=youtube;Ngv7Iu3y1o0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ngv7Iu3y1o0[/video]
 
caboose483 said:
That sport looks pretty stupid. Having my face buried in another guys ***? No thanks.
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<wanders off to Google to find some 2 man toboggan videos for caboose>
 
2live&ride said:
What happened there?
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Tire ripped apart. Wheel hit track hard and chunked the rim. Then the wonder of carbon fiber unfolded (literally).

They were unhurt. A wood laminate track has some give. The scary part is sliding down the track into the infield at speed. the very edge of the track gets cracked and split from guys clipping each other and riding down the bank onto the floor. The results can be..........sore.

[video=youtube;dk8guSC4WFo]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dk8guSC4WFo[/video]

109299511.jpg
 
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FullMotoJacket said:
Let me know if a Norco Spade would interest you. IIRC my guy still has an old stock one on the floor. It's a flip-flop. Why anyone other than wannabe hipsters would use the fixed side of the hub in city traffic other than for the "look at me I'm COOL" factor is beyond me, but it's a decent single speed if you use the freewheel side of the hub. No fenders or chain guide like the City Glide if you want that stuff, though.
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Sorry to **** on your sale, but I almost bought the spade when it went on sale & that bike isn't made for commuting. It's made for leisure riding (proably the hipster who wants a fixie for the sake of getting one)and won't be able to take bumps. The forks aren't too good, the cranks are sub-par, and the cogs aren't made to last. But the worst part is that the straps/clips are made out of some thin metal that's more like a shiny plastic lol

But I also test-rode a masi fixie and it was one of the smoothest bikes I've ever ridden. Is it a reputable brand? I haven't really heard about it.

On a slightly related note, I don't get your hate-on for hipsters... I'm not a hipster, but it makes my commute more enjoyable (I did the roadbike thing for a while). You have to be more strategic with how you stop, pedal setting, hopping curbs, etc. Has it never crossed your mind that some of these fixed gears might be doubling up as a trick bike when it's not being used for commuting?
 
knowledge said:
Has it never crossed your mind that some of these fixed gears might be doubling up as a trick bike when it's not being used for commuting?
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Do you see any of the stunters commuting on their stunt bikes? No. Would I commute on my 4X bike? No, that would be entirely impractical and borderline stupid. Same gose with fixies. Poeple ride them because it's trendy, not because it's practical. It's stupid. Like I said before, the track riders started using them on the road to train, then the hipsters latched on to it and turned it into a joke with their fluro deep dish wheels and 10" long handlebars.

And speaking of hipsters.............

[video=youtube;kAO4EVMlpwM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAO4EVMlpwM[/video]
 
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FullMotoJacket said:
Do you see any of the stunters commuting on their stunt bikes? No. Would I commute on my 4X bike? No, that would be entirely impractical and borderline stupid. Same gose with fixies. Poeple ride them because it's trendy, not because it's practical. It's stupid. Like I said before, the track riders started using them on the road to train, then the hipsters latched on to it and turned it into a joke with their fluro deep dish wheels and 10" long handlebars.
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lol so are most supersport motorcycles, or even many motorcycles in general, no? I'm not arguing that it's the most practical way to commute...but I think it's a bit asinine to claim that they only reason for riding them is because they're cool. I know plenty of "hipsters" that commute on fixies but race on road bikes...

Actually...handlebars get trimmed down. I think you're spouting a lot of crap about fixies because you know a lot about bicycles in general (I'm not doubting that). Tricks are easiest on low gearing...but who the hell rides around in low gearing all the time? So people commute on high gears to get their legs conditioned to trick on higher gearing.

[video=youtube;tQfpm23LoAE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQfpm23LoAE[/video]
This guy's as hipster as it gets and you don't get that good from riding around circles in a parking lot on some super low gearing. Try doing a keo spin when you commute and trick on a different bike every day lol

And I get that velocity rims are overkill...but since when was it bad to care about how your bike looks? And if you're hopping staircases or 3-4 foot drops, the looks are just a bonus to the rim strength - I'd gladly pay a little more to have form and function at the same time.
 
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