Discussion
I'm considering getting a cheap-ish alloy Single Speed for "riding to the shops"
Budget of around £500-750 I would say. New, not used. Drop bars with brakes. Don't want it weighing too much either. Flip/flop hub would be fun to trial.
Any shops or websites with a decent range I should be considering. Or perhaps NOT considering.
Same for any brands to steer towards, or away from.
Must look "fast" as well. But I cant afford a Cinelli Vigorelli
Budget of around £500-750 I would say. New, not used. Drop bars with brakes. Don't want it weighing too much either. Flip/flop hub would be fun to trial.
Any shops or websites with a decent range I should be considering. Or perhaps NOT considering.
Same for any brands to steer towards, or away from.
Must look "fast" as well. But I cant afford a Cinelli Vigorelli
depends how far riding to the shops is, elevation, and where you live / crime.
my "riding to the shops" bike i also use for riding to the pub, and its a pile of s
te i got free as the dead guy i bought my house from left it in the garden. It has a 3 speed strumy rear hub.
I wouldnt chain anything over £100 up in London.
my "riding to the shops" bike i also use for riding to the pub, and its a pile of s
te i got free as the dead guy i bought my house from left it in the garden. It has a 3 speed strumy rear hub. I wouldnt chain anything over £100 up in London.
I suspect you might be a bit short of options for alloy-framed drop-bar singlespeeds under £750.
State and Brick Lane Bikes have them, but they're track-focused/based and may not even come with brakes, so possibly not all that useful for commuting.
Probably the most useful option would be the Genesis Day One, but that's more gravel-oriented so has a fairly small gear, chunky tyres and disc brakes, but may not look "fast" enough for you. Not sure how much it weighs, but it is alloy so should be a bit less than most of the steel options in your price range.
If you're prepared to consider steel, your options open up considerably. Most seem to be in the 11 to 12 kg range, and while that sounds a lot for a road bike, on a singlespeed it seems a lot less intrusive than you'd expect.
My ancient, gas-pipe Falcon singlespeed weighs over 13kg and it really isn't much of a factor in overall speed or comfort which are determined by gear ratio choice and will always be a compromise.
k
State and Brick Lane Bikes have them, but they're track-focused/based and may not even come with brakes, so possibly not all that useful for commuting.
Probably the most useful option would be the Genesis Day One, but that's more gravel-oriented so has a fairly small gear, chunky tyres and disc brakes, but may not look "fast" enough for you. Not sure how much it weighs, but it is alloy so should be a bit less than most of the steel options in your price range.
If you're prepared to consider steel, your options open up considerably. Most seem to be in the 11 to 12 kg range, and while that sounds a lot for a road bike, on a singlespeed it seems a lot less intrusive than you'd expect.
My ancient, gas-pipe Falcon singlespeed weighs over 13kg and it really isn't much of a factor in overall speed or comfort which are determined by gear ratio choice and will always be a compromise.
k
Edited by klootzak on Wednesday 7th May 02:32
Off the top of my head I'd be thinking aventon or building a dolan pre cursa. Frameset is around £200. Can't speak for aventon but the pre cursa is highly regarded. ETA: just checked mango, they do a racer style looking thing, mines just the original although there not much mango left on it now, so cant comment on the brand, it's a bit like triggers broom 
I have a fixie and love every minute of it, but it doesn't look fast and has cost me around a 3rd of your budget making it to my requirements using a new wheelset and ebay finds I'd also recommend that option too. My rear is a flip flop so can ride single speed but wheres the fun in that?
ETA: bricklane bikes, santafixie and hubjub for shops although I've only used SF. And if you can go used, I'd be looking at a specialized langster, based solely off your description.
I have a fixie and love every minute of it, but it doesn't look fast and has cost me around a 3rd of your budget making it to my requirements using a new wheelset and ebay finds
I'd also recommend that option too. My rear is a flip flop so can ride single speed but wheres the fun in that? ETA: bricklane bikes, santafixie and hubjub for shops although I've only used SF. And if you can go used, I'd be looking at a specialized langster, based solely off your description.
Edited by Ryyy on Tuesday 6th May 22:53
Mr E said:
This! My god. £500? I want one.Or stretch to £600 and go raw frame
but the brakes look photoshopped on as do the chainring/crankset. Also the brake cables don't run in their "holders" on the top tube, just dissappear 
Thanks for the pointers everyone.
I do think you make a valid point ref crime. My previous shop bike was a 26" mountain bike which was worth not much and now the frame has broken through fatigue (or the massive power I put out ) its worthless now. Probably the DMR pedals are worth salvaging.
But crime IS a thing, and the less showy perhaps the better. So probably drop the "look fast" requirement
Maybe a cheap flat bar bike from the eBay/santafixie etc is the solution for shops. And then if I do like SS, consider n+1.
z4RRSchris said:
depends how far riding to the shops is, elevation, and where you live / crime.
my "riding to the shops" bike i also use for riding to the pub, and its a pile of ste i got free as the dead guy i bought my house from left it in the garden. It has a 3 speed strumy rear hub.
I wouldnt chain anything over £100 up in London.
I would say 3-10miles depending on where I'm going. my "riding to the shops" bike i also use for riding to the pub, and its a pile of s
te i got free as the dead guy i bought my house from left it in the garden. It has a 3 speed strumy rear hub. I wouldnt chain anything over £100 up in London.
I do think you make a valid point ref crime. My previous shop bike was a 26" mountain bike which was worth not much and now the frame has broken through fatigue (or the massive power I put out
) its worthless now. Probably the DMR pedals are worth salvaging.But crime IS a thing, and the less showy perhaps the better. So probably drop the "look fast" requirement
Maybe a cheap flat bar bike from the eBay/santafixie etc is the solution for shops. And then if I do like SS, consider n+1.
Dolan - I rode mine 7 years for the most miles of any bike I had until some donut ran me over and destroyed it
You can add a front brake to a pre cursa or get a boring coloured fxe with brakes within your price
https://www.dolan-bikes.com/track-bikes/
very light too
If you want a light single speed, do what I did.
Bought a fractured Specialized Roubaix frame. Repaired it by a wet layup of CFRP. Bought a couple of old Mavic CXP22 wheels. Used whatever parts I could get, chose a ratio that let me not use a tensioner (https://eehouse.org/fixin/formfmu) , and assembled it all.
It weighs in at 14 lbs and climbs like it's made of helium. Old rimbrake road frames and wheelsets are cheap. Go ahead and figure out how it'll all go together for you.
Bought a fractured Specialized Roubaix frame. Repaired it by a wet layup of CFRP. Bought a couple of old Mavic CXP22 wheels. Used whatever parts I could get, chose a ratio that let me not use a tensioner (https://eehouse.org/fixin/formfmu) , and assembled it all.
It weighs in at 14 lbs and climbs like it's made of helium. Old rimbrake road frames and wheelsets are cheap. Go ahead and figure out how it'll all go together for you.
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