Urban city bike
Discussion
I was wondering around town yesterday and saw what I thought was the perfect solution to my cycling problems.
I've already got a Stumpjumper FSR, but riding that around in the city is crap. The tyres are too wide (2.3's), and it really is totally OTT for road riding. In addition to this, I'm paranoid somebody will steal it, so I carry around 2 massive locks weighing in at around 4kgs in my bag which isn't particularly comfortable and is slowly tearing my laptop ruck-sack apart!!!!
Anyhow. I saw this really great looking Specialized locked up near my supermarket and though, "I want one of those!!!".
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=...
It's perfect as it has a minimal maintenance 3 gear hub. Easy to maintain mechanical discs, and no suspension to fanny about with as well as skinny tyres. It also looks rather nice too.
Right now they go for £399 which isn't tooooo bad, but I'm sure after Christmas the prices should go down in the sales.
Keep in mind I've already tried doing the "cheap bike thing", but that didn't work as the sprokets bent in half. (Don't ask how), and that's £50 down the pan. I just want something solid, excellent quality and something my bike insurance will cover in case it's nicked. (My cover doesn't take the whole cost of the Stumpy).
What do people think of these urban bikes and are they really worth the money or is it just an "ipod" thing?
I've already got a Stumpjumper FSR, but riding that around in the city is crap. The tyres are too wide (2.3's), and it really is totally OTT for road riding. In addition to this, I'm paranoid somebody will steal it, so I carry around 2 massive locks weighing in at around 4kgs in my bag which isn't particularly comfortable and is slowly tearing my laptop ruck-sack apart!!!!
Anyhow. I saw this really great looking Specialized locked up near my supermarket and though, "I want one of those!!!".
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=...
It's perfect as it has a minimal maintenance 3 gear hub. Easy to maintain mechanical discs, and no suspension to fanny about with as well as skinny tyres. It also looks rather nice too.
Right now they go for £399 which isn't tooooo bad, but I'm sure after Christmas the prices should go down in the sales.
Keep in mind I've already tried doing the "cheap bike thing", but that didn't work as the sprokets bent in half. (Don't ask how), and that's £50 down the pan. I just want something solid, excellent quality and something my bike insurance will cover in case it's nicked. (My cover doesn't take the whole cost of the Stumpy).
What do people think of these urban bikes and are they really worth the money or is it just an "ipod" thing?
What MTB has a great review on that bike and other equivilents in it this month.
I'd search that out and have a read.
Short of that, I'd build a parts bin special and whack some seni slicks on it so it can cope with the odd tow path etc on the way home.
Edited to add: I'd just buy a road bike if I were 'properly' commuting, or build the above if hacking across town (Bristol).
No point buying what, in effect, is the equivilent of a Rover Streetwise: Looks the part, , shockingly crap at everything, master of none. Why buy something compromised straight out of the box?
I'd search that out and have a read.
Short of that, I'd build a parts bin special and whack some seni slicks on it so it can cope with the odd tow path etc on the way home.
Edited to add: I'd just buy a road bike if I were 'properly' commuting, or build the above if hacking across town (Bristol).
No point buying what, in effect, is the equivilent of a Rover Streetwise: Looks the part, , shockingly crap at everything, master of none. Why buy something compromised straight out of the box?
Edited by neil_bolton on Monday 1st October 10:41
neil_bolton said:
What MTB has a great review on that bike and other equivilents in it this month.
I'd search that out and have a read.
Short of that, I'd build a parts bin special and whack some seni slicks on it so it can cope with the odd tow path etc on the way home.
Morning Neil....cheers for the tip. Have you got a link for the review as I can't find it anywhere. Also can't get my hands on the magazine being in Austria I'd search that out and have a read.
Short of that, I'd build a parts bin special and whack some seni slicks on it so it can cope with the odd tow path etc on the way home.
I'm really thinking of getting a sub though....
Edited to add!
I just want something very very simple that needs minimal maintenance and is good on cycle paths. I've zero intention on using it anywhere other than the roads, plus around Vienna there are countless cycle paths making it ideal for this kind of bike. (I could however be totally wrong though!!!)
Edited by beanbag on Monday 1st October 10:45
beanbag said:
neil_bolton said:
What MTB has a great review on that bike and other equivilents in it this month.
I'd search that out and have a read.
Short of that, I'd build a parts bin special and whack some seni slicks on it so it can cope with the odd tow path etc on the way home.
Morning Neil....cheers for the tip. Have you got a link for the review as I can't find it anywhere. Also can't get my hands on the magazine being in Austria I'd search that out and have a read.
Short of that, I'd build a parts bin special and whack some seni slicks on it so it can cope with the odd tow path etc on the way home.
I'm really thinking of getting a sub though....
Edited to add!
I just want something very very simple that needs minimal maintenance and is good on cycle paths. I've zero intention on using it anywhere other than the roads, plus around Vienna there are countless cycle paths making it ideal for this kind of bike. (I could however be totally wrong though!!!)
Edited by beanbag on Monday 1st October 10:45
Not 100% sure that the Specialised is in there, but its otherwise a fairly comprehensive (and fairly boring) review.
Only brought the mag as it had the "Best products of the Year" thingy, and found I disagreed with virtually all their choices. Seems they were in bed with one or two distributors methinks.
I put together a singlespeed for commuting, shopping and the like. Old MTB frame (old enough that it had horizontal dropouts), DIY respray in satin black, built up some new wheels using a singlespeed hub I got for £10 off ebay (but a regular hub and converter kit would work just fine), and the other stuff I had lying about. Nothing on it is quick-release so I can just use one lock.
Owes me about £50, I wouldn't be fussed if anyone stole it but zero problems so far - I'd be far more worried about a £400 bike. I was doing 60+ miles a week on it all last winter and just needed some new pads for the v-brakes.
(has mudguards and a rack now though)
Owes me about £50, I wouldn't be fussed if anyone stole it but zero problems so far - I'd be far more worried about a £400 bike. I was doing 60+ miles a week on it all last winter and just needed some new pads for the v-brakes.
(has mudguards and a rack now though)
sjg said:
I put together a singlespeed for commuting, shopping and the like. Old MTB frame (old enough that it had horizontal dropouts), DIY respray in satin black, built up some new wheels using a singlespeed hub I got for £10 off ebay (but a regular hub and converter kit would work just fine), and the other stuff I had lying about. Nothing on it is quick-release so I can just use one lock.
Owes me about £50, I wouldn't be fussed if anyone stole it but zero problems so far - I'd be far more worried about a £400 bike. I was doing 60+ miles a week on it all last winter and just needed some new pads for the v-brakes.
(has mudguards and a rack now though)
That's a cracking bit of kit you have there! Exactly what I'd like!! A few things....Owes me about £50, I wouldn't be fussed if anyone stole it but zero problems so far - I'd be far more worried about a £400 bike. I was doing 60+ miles a week on it all last winter and just needed some new pads for the v-brakes.
(has mudguards and a rack now though)
- You mentioned it cost just £50! Bargain....what did you have to buy, as I potentially have a reasonable frame from an old city bike in my basement.
- The single speed crank. Did that include the crank assembly and sprockets or were those extra?
- Painting...I love the matt effect. How did you get the finish and how much was the paint / primer and effort...???
Cheers!
BB
Just an update....I can get my hands on a Hardrock XC for just £266 which isn't so bad....
To be honest I'd rather just have something without suspension as for that price it's going to be crap, but it's quite a bit cheaper than the Urban bike I mentioned before and it's a solid frame....especially for that price.
To be honest I'd rather just have something without suspension as for that price it's going to be crap, but it's quite a bit cheaper than the Urban bike I mentioned before and it's a solid frame....especially for that price.
I keep adding more to this thread without a reply from my last, but I found out some interesting stuff.
I called the bike shop where I bought my Stumpy and I've been told by the fella there he can do a Hardrock XC (2008), for €399 (£266). I'm not keen on having loads of gears as the group set is pretty poor, but the frame is top-notch. Also, the forks on the 2008 model have a mechanical lock-out so that could be interesting.
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=...
I also rather like it in white
The next option is the Centrum which I mentioned earlier. He also told me he could do it for €495 (£332), which is an excellent price compared to what I've seen in the UK. The version he's offering me also comes with hydraulic discs. To be honest, I'm not sure if this is a good thing since hydraulic discs can be a pain to maintain and I figure mechanic ones or even V brakes would be fine.
Anyhow, this is the fella he's offering me. It's also slightly different to the UK spec as it has some better kit. Not sure why and how he's getting it for £70 less but a good find nevertheless.
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?sid=0...
He hopes to get the '08 models in next week so I'm waiting for a call to let me know when I can take both the Centrum and Hardrock out for a test ride.....
(P.S. I'm really still interested in perhaps making my own single speed....like SJG's. Honestly looks like a cracking runner in the city!
I called the bike shop where I bought my Stumpy and I've been told by the fella there he can do a Hardrock XC (2008), for €399 (£266). I'm not keen on having loads of gears as the group set is pretty poor, but the frame is top-notch. Also, the forks on the 2008 model have a mechanical lock-out so that could be interesting.
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=...
I also rather like it in white
The next option is the Centrum which I mentioned earlier. He also told me he could do it for €495 (£332), which is an excellent price compared to what I've seen in the UK. The version he's offering me also comes with hydraulic discs. To be honest, I'm not sure if this is a good thing since hydraulic discs can be a pain to maintain and I figure mechanic ones or even V brakes would be fine.
Anyhow, this is the fella he's offering me. It's also slightly different to the UK spec as it has some better kit. Not sure why and how he's getting it for £70 less but a good find nevertheless.
http://www.specialized.com/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?sid=0...
He hopes to get the '08 models in next week so I'm waiting for a call to let me know when I can take both the Centrum and Hardrock out for a test ride.....
(P.S. I'm really still interested in perhaps making my own single speed....like SJG's. Honestly looks like a cracking runner in the city!
beanbag said:
That's a cracking bit of kit you have there! Exactly what I'd like!! A few things....
- You mentioned it cost just £50! Bargain....what did you have to buy, as I potentially have a reasonable frame from an old city bike in my basement.
- The single speed crank. Did that include the crank assembly and sprockets or were those extra?
- Painting...I love the matt effect. How did you get the finish and how much was the paint / primer and effort...???
Cheers!
BB
As I say, I had most of the bits lying about. The frame/fork had been languishing in my parents' shed for over a decade, it was my very first MTB many years ago, and a hack bike when I was at uni. Cheapo plain guage steel, it's very heavy but does the job. - You mentioned it cost just £50! Bargain....what did you have to buy, as I potentially have a reasonable frame from an old city bike in my basement.
- The single speed crank. Did that include the crank assembly and sprockets or were those extra?
- Painting...I love the matt effect. How did you get the finish and how much was the paint / primer and effort...???
Cheers!
BB
The cranks I did have to buy, they were cheapest ones on CRC and set me back £15. Took off middle/granny ring (which was one pressed unit) and put the outer in the place of the middle. You need either special short chainring bolts, or file/grind down the standard ones.
Rear hub was originally on a Specialized dirt jump bike, so won't take more than one sprocket. With conventional hubs, a SS conversion kit will cost less than a tenner and give you a couple of different sprocket sizes to play with. Picked up an old Deore front hub for 50p (nobody wants non-disc hubs these days!), rims and spokes set me back another £25 and I had fun building my first set of wheels.
Paint was direct-to-metal spraycans (I used two of Wickes own-brand at £4.50 each, which are a bit cheaper than Hammerite ones). Stripped the paint off with Nitromors, cleaned the surface with white spirit/wire wool and got spraying. The finish isn't perfect and it does scratch easily but it was a cheapo job, and one more can would give me a lifetime of touchups, or I'll do it another colour at some point. I tidied up the frame a bit by grinding off the old gear cable and canti brake stops too.
More pics of the process here:
http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~kiteless/bikes/hac...
Nice job there SJG! 
Unfortunately it looks like you are pretty kitted up in terms of parts and tools. I've got everything needed to dismantle and reassemble but no serious gear or many spare parts.
I was however wondering if maybe you could advise me with regards to purchasing the right parts for a single speed conversion kit.
The old bike I have has a 5 speed rear sprocket so I need the right sprocket and spacers but I've really no idea what to get. Also, what front crank should I get? They all seem to be 3 speed cranks and I can't find any reasonably priced single speed cranks. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place, but there must be some!!!
Cheers,
BB
Unfortunately it looks like you are pretty kitted up in terms of parts and tools. I've got everything needed to dismantle and reassemble but no serious gear or many spare parts.
I was however wondering if maybe you could advise me with regards to purchasing the right parts for a single speed conversion kit.
The old bike I have has a 5 speed rear sprocket so I need the right sprocket and spacers but I've really no idea what to get. Also, what front crank should I get? They all seem to be 3 speed cranks and I can't find any reasonably priced single speed cranks. Maybe I'm looking in the wrong place, but there must be some!!!
Cheers,
BB
You don't need any serious gear to do what sjg has done. A big tub of elbow greese will go a long way!
S/s conversion kits are easily found to convert a 'normal' geared / cassette rear hub to single speed. Off the top of my head On One and DMR both do kits (circa £20ish). Alternatively, you could get a dedicated s/s rear wheel which would be stronger than a 'normal' rear wheel but there is the cost of building it over the cost of converting an existing wheel but would given you the option to run a fixed gear.
If you get a chain tensioner (looks like an annorexic rear derailieur) too you won't need to worry about sliding dropouts on the frame.
If you are definately only going to use it on tarmac then I'd fit 700 sized rims. They are so much better on the road that mtb 26ers. Most mtb frames will accomodate up to a 700 x 32c tyre which is fast enough for the speed mechants and large enough to gives some comfort on a rigid. You will need to run disc brakes though as the V brake bosses are in the wrong place to be used with 700 sized rims.
The WMB review was very interesting. The two 'winners' were the Pinnicle (from Evans) and the Revolution (from Edingburgh Cycle Co-Op). Personally I really like the look of the Revolution Courier Disc bike. 9-spd at the rear, single chainset up front, rack and mud gaurd eyelets and a solid mtb based frame underneath. And all for £250 notes odd.
ETA: There are plenty of single chainsets available. sjg has converted a triple into a single and this is easily done by unbolting the redundant chainrings as he described. For a road bike the good old Shimano UN-73 square taper bottom bracket is more than adequate for duty. Mine works perfectly transporting my 15-stone frame plus bike and work stuff on my daily 32-mile commute.
RETA: Single speed conversion stuff http://www.on-one.co.uk/index.php?module=pagemaste...
S/s conversion kits are easily found to convert a 'normal' geared / cassette rear hub to single speed. Off the top of my head On One and DMR both do kits (circa £20ish). Alternatively, you could get a dedicated s/s rear wheel which would be stronger than a 'normal' rear wheel but there is the cost of building it over the cost of converting an existing wheel but would given you the option to run a fixed gear.
If you get a chain tensioner (looks like an annorexic rear derailieur) too you won't need to worry about sliding dropouts on the frame.
If you are definately only going to use it on tarmac then I'd fit 700 sized rims. They are so much better on the road that mtb 26ers. Most mtb frames will accomodate up to a 700 x 32c tyre which is fast enough for the speed mechants and large enough to gives some comfort on a rigid. You will need to run disc brakes though as the V brake bosses are in the wrong place to be used with 700 sized rims.
The WMB review was very interesting. The two 'winners' were the Pinnicle (from Evans) and the Revolution (from Edingburgh Cycle Co-Op). Personally I really like the look of the Revolution Courier Disc bike. 9-spd at the rear, single chainset up front, rack and mud gaurd eyelets and a solid mtb based frame underneath. And all for £250 notes odd.
ETA: There are plenty of single chainsets available. sjg has converted a triple into a single and this is easily done by unbolting the redundant chainrings as he described. For a road bike the good old Shimano UN-73 square taper bottom bracket is more than adequate for duty. Mine works perfectly transporting my 15-stone frame plus bike and work stuff on my daily 32-mile commute.
Edited by mk1fan on Wednesday 3rd October 15:27
RETA: Single speed conversion stuff http://www.on-one.co.uk/index.php?module=pagemaste...
Edited by mk1fan on Wednesday 3rd October 17:26
Wooly Hat Shop's one is under a tenner inc delivery
http://www.woollyhatshop.com/view_product.php?id=1...
http://www.woollyhatshop.com/view_product.php?id=1...
mk1fan said:
Personally I really like the look of the Revolution Courier Disc bike. 9-spd at the rear, single chainset up front, rack and mud gaurd eyelets and a solid mtb based frame underneath. And all for £250 notes odd.
This one normally comes up in this kind of thread I've had one (non-disc) for four years now; it lives at Paddington and comes home once a year for a brush up. In that time it's consistently done 10 miles a day through town and hasn't missed a beat, two punctures I think and that's basically it. Can't fault it.
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