# Poll on Argos Fixie



## Angelfishsolo (5 Aug 2011)

Quick poll on the Argos Fixie


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## Noodley (5 Aug 2011)

I don't understand the question, nor do I have an issue.


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## Dayvo (5 Aug 2011)

No. My autism doesn't stretch that far!  

And I _actually_ like the look of it - although at that price the quality is probably well under par.


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## dodgy (5 Aug 2011)

If you buy a bike from Argos or Tesco, you don't care what we think. So neither do I.


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## montage (6 Aug 2011)

really?


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## gaz (6 Aug 2011)

It's a bloody fashion bike, a crap one at it.


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## GrumpyGregry (6 Aug 2011)

It's a bike. If it gets someone cycling etc..


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## numbnuts (6 Aug 2011)

I've never ridden a fixie, I like gears loads of them


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## Andy_R (6 Aug 2011)

numbnuts said:


> I've never ridden a fixie, I like gears loads of them



What he said.

Hills were invented to allow us to use gears.


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## Moodyman (6 Aug 2011)

gaz said:


> It's *a bloody fashion bike*, a crap one at it.




Agree and we know that fashion is for those who can't think for themselves.


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## Smokin Joe (6 Aug 2011)

You wouldn't take that pile of crap near a track.


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## Smurfy (19 Aug 2011)

I don't have an issue, period

NURSE! Is it time yet?


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## 3narf (19 Sep 2011)

The whole point of the 'safety bicycle' double triangle design is that you can make it out of sh!t and it's still strong.

I don't see what the fuss is about. It's probably 10 times as good as the full suspension 'mountain bikes' they sell. Weak wheels? They won't catastrophically fail on the road, which is where it will be used as it doesn't have front & back suspension. You're more likely to die riding fixed in heavy traffic, so I definitely don't think they should sell it with a fixed gear or flip flop hub.

They are selling it using 'fashion' language, but that's no surprise. By suggesting you might buy one because you're 'thinking of getting into track racing' gives it a rather unwarranted level of credibility.

Otherwise- £100-£150 single-speed bikes are the future. I'd like to have a go on one of these.


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## YahudaMoon (19 Sep 2011)

I thought it was one of these lol


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## Jezston (20 Sep 2011)

3narf said:


> The whole point of the 'safety bicycle' double triangle design is that you can make it out of sh!t and it's still strong.
> 
> I don't see what the fuss is about. It's probably 10 times as good as the full suspension 'mountain bikes' they sell. Weak wheels? They won't catastrophically fail on the road, which is where it will be used as it doesn't have front & back suspension. You're more likely to die riding fixed in heavy traffic, so I definitely don't think they should sell it with a fixed gear or flip flop hub.
> 
> ...



1. It's aimed at kids but is based on a 60cm frame.

2. The wheels appear to not have an effective braking surface.

3. I've seen old Create wheels fold in half playing polo. I can't imagine how these will hold up to typical kid abuse.

It's not snobbery, the bike is a f***ing deathtrap.

...

Whatever happened to the Decathlon B'Twin Vitamin? 80 euros for a heavy but workable ss. Appeared on their website a year ago and has since vanished.


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## Rhythm Thief (20 Sep 2011)

Not having ridden one, I'm not really in a position to make sweeping statements about how crap it is. But I will say that there's no earthly reason someone can't sell a perfectly adequate fixed wheel bike for £150. It's not like there's a lot to spend on the groupset, is it? Most of this thread smells quite strongly of a pretty unpleasant kind of snobbery ...


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## Rhythm Thief (20 Sep 2011)

Jezston said:


> 1. It's aimed at kids but is based on a 60cm frame.
> 
> 2. The wheels appear to not have an effective braking surface.
> 
> ...



It's not aimed at kids. "14 years and over" is what it says. All that means is that it's not suitable for those under 14 years.
As for the braking surface, I have no idea what you're on about; it looks ok to me.
Wheels folding in half while playing polo is not really an indication of how they'll behave under normal use, and you know that. This bike might be a "f***ing deathtrap", or it might not. But no one can tell that from looking at a single picture of it on the web. As I said above, there's no reason whatever that you can't build a heavy but servicable fixed wheel bike and sell it for under two hundred quid, as the last paragraph in your post implies. 
Personally, I hope Argos sell loads of them and that they appear on club rides up and down the country and blast anyone pointing and laughing into the weeds. I'm tempted to buy one myself.


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## PpPete (20 Sep 2011)

Well, at least it has a bell so we can hear you coming !


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## benb (20 Sep 2011)

I think it looks a good deal better than the usual crap you get from BSO merchants.
Impossible to say for sure without actually seeing/riding one or at least having a proper component spec.


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## Jezston (20 Sep 2011)

Rhythm Thief said:


> It's not aimed at kids. "14 years and over" is what it says. All that means is that it's not suitable for those under 14 years.



Well, by kids I mean teenagers. And unless they are over 6'2" it'll be too big for them.



> As for the braking surface, I have no idea what you're on about; it looks ok to me.



Someone had said in a previous thread that the wheels don't have a properly milled braking surface and that they had been painted over. Suggestion was that in the wet they would provide little to no braking capability. That is dangerous.



> Wheels folding in half while playing polo is not really an indication of how they'll behave under normal use, and you know that.



Well if anything you are moving a lot slower in polo, so under normal riding about I expect you'd be putting them under a lot more stress. I'm not sure what your point is.



> This bike might be a "f***ing deathtrap", or it might not. But no one can tell that from looking at a single picture of it on the web.



There had been discussion on other threads and on other places on the net about this bike. Points have come from more than just a single picture.



> As I said above, there's no reason whatever that you can't build a heavy but servicable fixed wheel bike and sell it for under two hundred quid, as the last paragraph in your post implies.



Quite. The B'Twin Vitamin is apparently exactly that - heavy and a bit clunky but safe and reliable, with a 5 year warranty - and half the price of this Argos bike which comes with no retailer warranty and serious questions about it's safety.


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## mickle (20 Sep 2011)

For a start off it doesn't have enough fork offset for the headtube angle, so it'll be horrendously 'floppy' at slow speed. 

I'm not against _inexpensive_ bikes on principle but that is _cheap_. Also it is categorically not a track bike and for that lie it is in flagrant breach of The Sale of Goods Act 1988.

The trouble with sh*t like this - even if it isn't a death trap - which I strongly suspect it is - is that it's built to a price. Even if it doesn't fall apart it will wear itself out in a very short time. 

But my biggest objection is that most of these will never benefit from the loving caresses of a qualified bicycle mechanic. They'll be assembled badly and will eventually come to reside under a pile of old boxes in the back of sheds up and down the land missing their left hand cranks.


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## Angelfishsolo (20 Sep 2011)

mickle said:


> For a start off it doesn't have enough fork offset for the headtube angle, so it'll be horrendously 'floppy' at slow speed.
> 
> I'm not against _inexpensive_ bikes on principle but that is _cheap_. Also it is categorically not a track bike and for that lie it is in flagrant breach of The Sale of Goods Act 1988.
> 
> ...


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## dubman (2 Nov 2011)

Well , i took the plunge and brought one of these bikes  i must say i feel its quite a bargain. Some of the points raised on here are very wrong , The wheels are safe and strong and do have a braking surface with a wear indicator. It also rides very smooth , ok it has cheap components but with a bit of care i see no reason to fall apart.I will report back in 6 Months


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## yello (2 Nov 2011)

Good lord, it looks like it's come out of a packet of licorice allsorts! Where's Bertie Bassett?


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## Jezston (2 Nov 2011)

Brave man!

No foot retention, though?


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## benb (3 Nov 2011)

It really does look half decent in your photos.

I think we all agree that it's possible to make a cheap, decent bike. I don't think any of us expected it to come from Argos though.

I don't like the wheels though.

Good luck, let us know how you get on with it.


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## 4F (3 Nov 2011)

dubman said:


> Well , i took the plunge and brought one of these bikes



Did it come with a free pair of sun glasses ?


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## Crackle (3 Nov 2011)

It looks likes it's fallen out of a triangular road sign!




Looks half decent though


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## Pottsy (3 Nov 2011)

My eyes are bleeding


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## ianrauk (3 Nov 2011)

Would have looked nicer if it was Blue.


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## Dan_h (3 Nov 2011)

I would actually consider buying one of those for shopping / commuting etc if the wheels were not that colour!


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