Lately, every time I go into the garage there's a voice telling me that I NEED a SS drop bar bike for road work. Having bugger all cash at the minute, my immediate thought was an older Pompino but once I started looking my eye catches several options including the Spesh Langster, Charge Plug 2, Genesis Flyer, Kona Paddywagon, a long list of stuff I've never heard of on Fleabay and a plethora of converted "vintage" road bikes.
Should I just keep looking for a VFM Pompino or am I better off with one of the others?
I had a pompy, was nice but a little portly, however it was a comfy ride, have heard from a couple of others who "upgraded" and missed the comfier ride. Guy at work had a langster, properly light compared, not tried it tho as he is hobbit sized.
Road SS is good for commuting and can be a good laugh just messing about, going out to burn your thighs and spin at 200rpm 🙂
Pompinos are great value SH but heavy in comparison to the others. If you want brand new cheap and heavy SS try viking on eBay and a few other online shops I'm failing to recall right now...
I have a similar itch and keep being drawn to the Merlin Single Malt for £270 ish. It seems like a lot of bike for not much money.
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Seen those Viking ones but the only bike of theirs I've been near weighed more than your average moped.
Will have a look at Merlin - all I need is another choice 😉
I stripped and cleaned my 2008 flyer yesterday, reminded me how much I've enjoyed riding it over the last few years. the frame is definitely getting into ratbike territory but it's getting a new stem and bars soon and it will live again. you definitely need a SS road bike!
I love my Genesis Skyline - she's not the lightest that's for sure but sturdy and versatile
The new langster certainly looks nicer than the old one, but "track specific geometry" sounds a bit unrelenting for the road. Do giant still do one?
I quite like the look of the steel framed (530?) Langsters but they seem pricy.
I own a Viking (fixed) as my commuter, its OK if you're looking to just try the whole SS roadie thing out, but its not a "[I]Nice[/I]" bike, its a VFM, functional beater bike, I changed the tyres and bars straight away, as they were awful, and I've just built a new rear wheel up as the bearings in the old one were shagged after 12 months of all weather use (and a bit of neglect), the front isn't far from being replaced either...
I've always liked the look of the ~mid-late 00s Aluminium Langsters actually, more than the pompino/pompetamine, if buying 2nd hand and if you plan to do some miles with it, a lighter nicer frame/fork rather than a Gaspipe steel bargain bin job makes sense...
As ever tyre/guard clearances and mounts is also well worth having as you're bound to want to use it in winter and save the geared bikes for sunny days...
I can see me shopping about for a lighter SS Frame/fork in a year or two to replace the Viking, probably something like a langster, it is already gradually having all of its parts replaced with slightly better ones...
I quite like the look of the steel framed (530?) Langsters but they seem pricy.
They're 520, which is tiawanese made 525, which is Reynolds 4130 equivelent.
the merlin ss looks great
I've got a 54cm Genesis Day One Cross that I could sell you.
I've had an Alu langster for about 4-5 years now as my commuter, it's been nice, comfy, reliable, cheap to run, overall very good. fitting mudguards is a bit of a faff on them though...
I think the older Langsters can be picked up quite cheap if you hunt around, the frames are reasonably light but quite sturdy, original OEM wheels are incredibly tough but weigh enough to start pulling small objects in under their own gravity. Totally transformed mine when I built some nice light wheels up for it.
I love my Condor Tempo but they're not budget. Beautiful bike to ride.
I will be choosing where to buy my house based on not having to ride up any super steep hills so I can keep the bike and not change it for a geared one 😀
I'd look at a slicked up Day One or Singlecross. Pearson Touche seem to crop up on eBay quite often as well
I've got a Spesh Singlecross which I run fixed,light as a light thing,luv it,BUT my fave bike out of all my bikes is my 1947 Claud Butler Fixed,ratty original paint (well in places) rides so nice.
I'd certainly look at old road bikes on Evilbay, you will pick something nice,and possibly hand built,up for £100-150,build a back wheel using the original rim,a track hub and decent spokes,strip all the nasty gears and that off,polish up those old cranks and stem,new tyres and you've got urself a nice fixed or SS road bike,and something you've built yourself 😉
dunno about the single but the day one is a nice bike but again chunky (base bike was slightly heavier than my pompy with heavy puncture resistant tyres and guards), you'll need to factor in upping the gearing if you're sticking to roads too. Guards are a doddle to fit and you can go big (35c and guards will fit) if you want to do some offroad.I'd look at a slicked up Day One or Singlecross.
If you're after "useful" then a steel, disc braked number with guard/rack tabs will be spot on, if you just want something for messing about on a lightweight job with rim brakes may be more to your liking.
Had a Genesis Flyer, and then a Skyline, both running fixed. Fantastic commuting machines, really built my strength up riding to work every day.
i did have to replace the cheap and rubbish hubs with some Goldtec track hubs, a surly SS cog, Gerbhardt chainring and 1/8" chain for utter bombroofness.
Had to get rid as i needed a bike I could carry a child seat on, so wanted gears, and I'm limited for bike storage space.
worst factor was the combination of track-ends and full-length mudguards.
Ive had a few old bikes built up as single speed and there ok but can end up costing you quite a bit, new wheels long drop brakes etc.
The 2014 Langster is really appealing and seems to have moved back to the Allez type geometry thats so good. Only draw back are the minimal clearances and the whole hipster thing.
A friend who has one of the originals dropped everyone on a recent ride, hes in his late fifties and it was an 80k ride, so they dont come with an excuse!
Having real trouble looking beyond that Single Malt on Merlin.
The 2014 Langster is really appealing and seems to have moved back to the Allez type geometry thats so good. Only draw back are the minimal clearances and the whole hipster thing.
No so sure, it used to be an allez with track ends for the base model, then the pro was the aero tubed track geometry one. The 2014 is definately the same steeper angles and high BB as the pro model.
But for not much more than the £550 pricetag you could get a £300 carbon frameset from China, eccentric BB30 addapter, it'll go over the budget but you much ahve something in the parts bin to keep costs down (or it's probably still possible to get wheels, tyres, brakes, SS kit, chain, cranks, post, stem, saddle under £200, they just won't be any nicer than the OEM spesh kit)
I have no need of a SS road bike as 1 singlespeed is probably already too many where I live (Dartmoor) but I have to admit I've been ogling this lately:
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/products/revolution-track-14?bct=browse%2fbicycles%2froad-bikes
I have the revolution track and really like it. I think mine is last year's model but it does everything I need it to do. Running it fixed at the moment (although I haven't ridden it much since the end of winter).
Kona Paddywagon. Lovely road bike geometry, steel frame and eyelets for mudguards. Mine has carbon forks, custom stem, bars and wheels, and nicer brakes. But underlying it is an excellent, reasonably light steel frame with road bike geometry.
I also have a poo-brown Langster, a Dolan Pre Cursa (same geometry as the Kona) and a vintage 531 track bike. For road, I like the Kona best.
And ride it fixed.
That Revolution looks damn fine.
More choice!