05.20.10
Alright, I am not going to sit here and pretend that I know a lot about fixed gear bikes, so I am not vouching for this but I did think it was kind of cool. Urban Outfitters has launched a new program where you can customize a fixed gear bike that they then build and ship to you. It’s kind of an armchair way to get into fixed gear riding I know but for $400 bucks I am tempted to cop one just for the hell of it. I am curious about the quality of the bike and how they ride. If anyone gets one, shoot me an email and let me know what you think about it.
written by Christopher | tags: Fixed Gear Bike, Fixie, Products, Urban Outfitters
May 20th, 2010 at 11:24 am
They’ve been doing this for a while. In mind, it’s just another corporate soul-suck of a lame hipster trend. If you’re going to buy one of these, I’d bypass Urban and go to the company that actually makes them: http://www.republicbike.com
May 20th, 2010 at 11:34 am
Yeah, that is kind of what I figured. I am just a big sucker for the online customization of physical things. It’s kind of like magic.
May 20th, 2010 at 12:29 pm
I would NOT recommend buying one of these bikes. My friend has one and this is what we’ve learned :: The frame is alright quality, but all the components are crap. The crank is not even a real track crank – its a super low end 44t crank that will get you nowhere. The wheels are crap and they even put schraeder valves on them … not to mention 44mm valves that you can’t even use with regular schraeder tubes!!! You have to order custom tubes and of course, the only vendor that sells them is Republic. You’ll want to get a new seat too, because its super uncomfortable.
So basically, if you want to buy this bike, expect to replace everything except for the frame. My advice is to get a vintage frame that fits you, strip it down and have local guys at Track Shack or Salvagetti help you build your dream bike with all the pretty colors you want. At least that way you’d be original …
May 21st, 2010 at 12:57 pm
noooo! republic is a notoriously bad bike manufacturer. i would strongly recommend avoiding this shit at all costs! i second gemmas idea. pick up a nice, cheap used road bike w/ a good triple steel frame and have it outfitted by someone local. that’s what i’ve always done + it’s served me well.
good luck!
May 21st, 2010 at 3:41 pm
Just DIY! Half the fun of the whole thing is getting your hands dirty and spraying paint all over your shoes. Plus you feel like your really into it by the time you’ve built one up instead of feeling like a sucker of a scenester…
May 22nd, 2010 at 7:54 am
I just can agree, DON’T BUY SUCH BIKES, MAKE YOUR OWN!
Me and my friends built them ourselfs and they are so much fun, I could not imagine buying cheap stuff like this, it has no personality! The frame I used was from my granddads bike and the other parts were good but cheap quality parts. My fixie costet all in all just 300 € including new color for the frame (wich was free.)