Single Speed commuter

Harrybelafonte

Just in case anyone might be looking for a cheapish single speed for commuting, this seems ok, I have had no dealings with cyclesurgery but looks like a decent all round deal:

Specialized San Francisco

BostonB

How heavy is it? Why single speed?

That frame design looks heavy.

BostonB

Someone at work as a Specialized vienna or globe, but its an older model with a simplier and lighter frame and a 7 speed Shimano hub gear. Thats a great commuter if your not going massive distances. But I don't think they do one like that anymore. All the new ones look heavier and more complicated frames and none with hub gears.

blorg

BostonB wrote: »

How heavy is it? Why single speed?

It's a zen thing.

blorg

blorg wrote: »

It's a zen thing.

Nothing more zen than labouring up a hill, on a heavy bike, in the wrong gear.

DualFrontDiscs

Deleted User wrote: »

Nothing more zen than labouring up a hill, on a heavy bike, in the wrong gear.

It's not the wrong gear if it's the only gear

DFD*.

*Don'tFinanceDerailleurs

BostonB

blorg wrote: »

It's a zen thing.

I've seen some single speed conversions of old MTBs that looked cool so I could undertand the appeal as a fun bike. But as a commuter this looks heavy.

BostonB

Peronally I love the snickitysnick of Derailleurs. Theres a zen in finding the right gear, especially a big gear downhill or with the hill behind you.

blorg

BostonB wrote: »

I've seen some single speed conversions of old MTBs that looked cool so I could undertand the appeal as a fun bike. But as a commuter this looks heavy.

It's supposedly a bit under 12kg actual weight. While not ultra lightweight that isn't crazy heavy for a commuter either, especially one MTB-derived with discs.

Weight doesn't really matter that much for most commutes anyway.

Gearing is I believe very easy, 2:1. SS is easier to maintain than a derailleur bike.

-1 for inability to attach rack/mudguards but this could be a good option for pootling around on if one was a fair weather only cyclist.

£219 is very very cheap for a good reliable bike from a quality manufacturer.

BostonB

Fair nuff is a quality bike for not much money. Would it take a hub gear, I know you'd need a new wheel but what about spacing?

My commuting MTB with Rack/Mudguards/Lights etc is about 14kg. I always though it was heavy. I'd say most people with derailleurs never do anything with them. I'm not convinced that maintaince is that big an issue? Maybe if you do massive mileage.

blorg

BostonB wrote: »

Fair nuff is a quality bike for not much money. Would it take a hub gear, I know you'd need a new wheel but what about spacing?

There are three bikes in the Globe San Francisco range and the other ones have a 3 speed and 8 speed hub respectively. Looks like the same frame and it seems to have braze-ons for the cable so I'd say it is likely.



I have three fixed bikes and seven with derailleurs; the derailleur equipped bikes require more cleaning, adjustment and drivechain re-lubing if you want them to run nicely. The fixed run beautifully smoothly no matter how much crap they are covered in. I don't have any hub gears but I suspect they would perform similar to the fixed ones when dirty.

seamus

If I had the room, I'd probably buy this right now for rest days or wet days. It's a nice bike, you score a certain amount of cool points with it, even if it does look a bit like a trials bike.

As much as I love the balls-out speed you can get on a geared bike, there's at least a couple of hours maintenance in them at the end of a wet week. A fixie you can just wipe down, lube up and you're laughing.

dogmatix

I own one of these - got it last summer under the bike to work scheme. It's the single speed version. It's not that heavy - I can easily carry it up two flights of stairs to my apartment and mudguards where easy to fit (that is the shop fitted the mudguards for me).

It's a nice bike to commute with but I do miss not having sprung forks when going over potholes or temple bar cobbles.

Harrybelafonte

Yone ever bought from surgery store?

dogmatix

No - bought mine from cycleways in parnell street.

BostonB

Out of curiosity how much is it there?

dogmatix

About 475 euros - but got a lot of that back via tax. This was last June.

Harrybelafonte

These are cheaper in the cycle surgery store in dundrum than ordered online. There are sa few left

Harrybelafonte

lol, someone trying to sell one already:

http://www.gumtree.ie/dublin/19/57678819.html