# New to Fixie/single speed. Need advice on new bike



## Mrtoast (25 Jul 2015)

HI All, first post. I am looking at getting a fixie/single speed for my commute. I am unsure what brands are worth looking at and what to avoid, I have seen bikes by charge, state, Quella, Foffa ect ect ect. I have read good and bad reviews on all.

So really I am here looking for advice from people in the know.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks.


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## andyfraser (25 Jul 2015)

I have this with bullhorns (drop and flat bars are also available). It's my about town weekend bike. I can do anything up to 20 miles in a day on it.

Charge and Quella get good reviews. Some here like the Genesis bikes (Day One and Flyer) and Specialized Langster.

How far's your commute? On what sort of terrain (roads, tracks, paths, etc)?


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## User19783 (25 Jul 2015)

Hi and welcome to the world of fixed wheel cycling,
Now there is several ways for you to go,
Buy a cheap off the shelve bike,
Buy a quality £550 plus off the shelve bike,
Or,
Build one up yourself,
Which is the best option imho.
Find a nice old steel frame with forward facing drop outs, ( so you can fit mud guards)
Then spec it out with a lot of cash or not,
Self builds give you individual kodos.
Check out some fixed wheel bikes on you tube.
And enjoy.


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## dave r (25 Jul 2015)

Whats your budget and what use do you plan to put it to?


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## Mrtoast (25 Jul 2015)

Hi and thanks for the comments, Firstly I would like to buy one pre made, I understand building one yourself would be better as you can spec it yourself, but I do not really have the time or knowledge. My daily commute is not very long about 10m round trip, it is all road with a couple of inclines, my max budget is around the £500 region.


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## Mrtoast (26 Jul 2015)

After spending hours and hours looking around I have come up with this as a possibility, would like to hear your thoughts

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/quella-one-british-racing-green-2015/


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## JimboJames1972 (26 Jul 2015)

I'm in pretty much the same boat, with the added requirement that whatever bike I go for is able to take a minimum of a 28mm tyre (ideally 30 or 32mm).
I've also narrowed it down to either a Genesis Flyer (if I am willing to go over my ideal budget) or a Charge Plug 2, mainly because these are what my two local shops stock.
However, I have a day off tomorrow and am taking a trip to London to visit Brick Lane Cycles and Cloud 9. Now, I fully realise that most of their offerings will be well over my budget, but it's worth dreaming, isn't it?
Any more advice or suggestions to the OP much appreciated here too.

J


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## potsy (26 Jul 2015)

I dipped my toe into the single-speed/fixed club a few months ago and bought a Genesis Flyer, have mainly run it single-speed but have fitted a fixed cog and had a few goes that way too.

Enjoying it so far and plan to use it as my main commuting bike from now on, full guards and 28's are possible but tight, I have since dropped to 25c tyres.


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## MrFixed (27 Jul 2015)

Can't really fault a Fuji for something entry level and upgradable.


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## Mrtoast (28 Jul 2015)

Well I have set my heart on the Quella signature one, The two colours I really like are the racing green and the copper but I can not decide. what colour gets your vote?


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## potsy (28 Jul 2015)

Copper for me


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## Mrtoast (28 Jul 2015)

potsy said:


> Copper for me



My gut was going with copper, thanks.


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## Mrtoast (28 Jul 2015)

I ride with SPD's on my mountain bike, and was thinking of SPD for the fixie, others have said use toeclips, what do you guys use?


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## andyfraser (28 Jul 2015)

For colour, I vote green.

For pedals, I use flat pedals on all my bikes. I can't get on with toe clips these days and I haven't tried SPDs yet. I'm happy with flat pedals though to be honest.


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## booze and cake (28 Jul 2015)

Sounds like you've made your mind up already but please don't chose a bike based solely on the colour, there are more important considerations! 

If you're new to fixed/ss I'd advise a bike with a front brake, especially for urban commuting when the unexpected has a habit of happening with alarming regularity. I can't see from the angle of the photo but if the fork is drilled with a hole to fit a brake on the green thing then defo fit one, you can always remove it later if you insist.

Can't say I've heard of the brand to be honest. My pick would be a Genesis Flyer, Spesh Langster or Fuji.I've had a Flyer since 2008 that I've repeatedly tried to kill and it just will not die. Charge Plugs are solid but heavy and I've heard too many unflattering stories of Foffa to recommend them. Just my 2p worth

As for the pedals, double sided spd's are cheap and reliable and last loads longer than spd-sl cleats, plus they do spd shoes these days that you can actually walk in that dont make it look like you've got a nappy that needs changing.


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## Mrtoast (28 Jul 2015)

booze and cake said:


> Sounds like you've made your mind up already but please don't chose a bike based solely on the colour, there are more important considerations!
> 
> If you're new to fixed/ss I'd advise a bike with a front brake, especially for urban commuting when the unexpected has a habit of happening with alarming regularity. I can't see from the angle of the photo but if the fork is drilled with a hole to fit a brake on the green thing then defo fit one, you can always remove it later if you insist.
> 
> ...



Hi, thanks for the input, the bike does come with front and back brakes, they are just not shown in the picture.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/quella-one-copper-2015/


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## Mrtoast (28 Jul 2015)

sorry if that sounded rude, I would like peoples opinions on the bike.

Thanks


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## JimboJames1972 (29 Jul 2015)

Looks like a very nice bike (to my relatively untrained eye). I like the bull horn handlebars and options for brake fitting, and especially appreciate the detail in the lugs on the rear drop outs.

I had a ride on one when I was browsing bikes the other day. Pretty good overall, but I felt that the frame was a little more rough and lumpy over the uneven road sections I rode. I think the frame steel is up to it all right, but I don't think the straight forks and thin tyres did the ride many favours?

J


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## JimboJames1972 (29 Jul 2015)

PS. There was also something "odd" about the gearing. I think the 48:16 ratio was a little higher than other bikes I tried that day, most had 46 or 48 to 18t. I could not measure them at the time, but I also felt that the cranks were shorter than what I was used to. For me, this was the wrong way around - I'd rather have short cranks on a lower ratio, I'd need a longer crank to turn a higher ratio. Either way, the peddling felt like a huge effort, for not much reward.

Of course, this is just me and what I am used to. I'm guessing if you are used to flat roads and need to get some speed up then this combination might work well with you?

Just my thoughts,

J


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## oldstrath (29 Jul 2015)

Pretty looking bike. Personally, I can't stand bullhorn bars, but that's a very personal thing. Not the greatest brake callipers, but again, depends on what you're going to do with it.

Pedals - double sided SPDs (mountain bike pedals) - easy to use, shoes are fine to walk in, indeed to spend the day at work in. Clip and strap looks prettier, but much more of a faff


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## Mrtoast (29 Jul 2015)

oldstrath said:


> Pretty looking bike. Personally, I can't stand bullhorn bars, but that's a very personal thing. Not the greatest brake callipers, but again, depends on what you're going to do with it.
> 
> Pedals - double sided SPDs (mountain bike pedals) - easy to use, shoes are fine to walk in, indeed to spend the day at work in. Clip and strap looks prettier, but much more of a faff



Thanks, I will use my shimano M520's


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## Mrtoast (29 Jul 2015)

oldstrath said:


> Pretty looking bike. Personally, I can't stand bullhorn bars, but that's a very personal thing. Not the greatest brake callipers, but again, depends on what you're going to do with it.
> 
> Pedals - double sided SPDs (mountain bike pedals) - easy to use, shoes are fine to walk in, indeed to spend the day at work in. Clip and strap looks prettier, but much more of a faff



Thanks, The brakes I can upgrade with nit much cost if I do not like them, I will use my shimano M520's pedals as I already have shoes for them.


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## potsy (29 Jul 2015)

Quite surprised they've got a steel frame and fork bike under 10kg, most others I've seen, for example Charge Plug seem to come in 12kg+

Spd's on all my bikes, including the single-speed, hope you enjoy the bike


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## Mrtoast (30 Jul 2015)

I ordered the Black.


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## The Hat (3 Aug 2015)

Kona Bandwagon


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## Mrtoast (7 Aug 2015)

The new bike turned up today


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## Mrtoast (7 Aug 2015)




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## Mrtoast (10 Aug 2015)

Conti Tyres have now been fitted


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## CycleHarryCycle (18 Aug 2015)

Mrtoast said:


> HI All, first post. I am looking at getting a fixie/single speed for my commute. I am unsure what brands are worth looking at and what to avoid, I have seen bikes by charge, state, Quella, Foffa ect ect ect. I have read good and bad reviews on all.
> 
> So really I am here looking for advice from people in the know.
> 
> ...



Hi Mrtoast,

Well, I wouldn't say that I am in the know, but I have a Pure Fix Zulu which I love and has been no trouble for me for around 5 months at the time of writing.

The others shown here look great as well, with the Quella signature in particular looking seriously good looking.

I hope you manage to find the right bike and enjoy single speeds because they are a lot of fun!


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## Mrtoast (19 Aug 2015)

CycleHarryCycle said:


> Hi Mrtoast,
> 
> Well, I wouldn't say that I am in the know, but I have a Pure Fix Zulu which I love and has been no trouble for me for around 5 months at the time of writing.
> 
> ...




The black quella above is the one I bought


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## CycleHarryCycle (19 Aug 2015)

Mrtoast said:


> The black quella above is the one I bought


I hope it is great, (it looks fantastic)! Let me know how you are finding it


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## Mrtoast (21 Aug 2015)

CycleHarryCycle said:


> I hope it is great, (it looks fantastic)! Let me know how you are finding it



Thanks, I am liking it a lot, the gearing is just right for me 48T, it is very light (under 10kg) the breaks are not great and will probably need an upgrade in the future.


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## Mrtoast (24 Aug 2015)

The more I am riding this the less I miss gear and the more I enjoy it. Although gears do have a place.


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## jonny jeez (18 Sep 2015)

Mrtoast said:


> The more I am riding this the less I miss gear and the more I enjoy it. Although gears do have a place.


Its been a while now, how is the bike performing...are they worth considering?

Also how are you getting on with ss riding now


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## Yazzoo (22 Sep 2015)

I also have a Quella - wouldn't have called it lightweight though! Mine is the Cambridge though so may be different build.

I replaced the brakes on it straight away with some Tektro's a friend had taken off theirs.

I love it, it's beautiful, but it's definitely more 'look at me, i'm a hipster off to the beard cafe' rather than the more sporty options like the Langster - more proper bike than fashion item!


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## JimboJames1972 (22 Sep 2015)

I'm loving my single speed, as well as my geared bike.

SS bikes definitely have their place. I mainly use mine for short dashes in and around town, for a spontaneous ride to the pub, or off to see mates. It's quick, nimble and easy, perfect for the, "I've just got to nip out and..." moments. Saying that though, I've done several 30-60 mile rides on it and also my very first ever 100 mile ride. Ok, s that was not pretty, but that was very much down to the fitness of the rider, not the bike!

I've also got a geared road bike. This option comes out for most of my longer club rides, especially if I know I have to deal with a wider variety of hills/wind etc. For me, at least with my current low(ish) fitness levels, I think it is probably the more efficient option, especially over longer distances and varying terrain. However, it is more of a "fussy" bike, it needs more tinkering, fettling and maintenance simply because there are more parts to look after and more bits to go wrong.

For me I would not be without my SS bike. It has its limitations and the gearing I choose gives me a relatively small comfortable operating window, especially over longer distances. It's great if I use it for its appropriate function, but a geared bike offers me the wider choice of comfort window if riding distances/conditions dictate it so.

Yes, SS definitely has its place without a shadow of doubt.

J


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