# Ridgeback Solo -£399 at cycle surgery (just got one!)



## calypsored525 (19 Aug 2009)

Quick heads up on a decent deal at the mo

Just bought my first fixed gear for winter commuting and my first ever new bike! 

Usually buy my bikes 2nd hand but cycle surgery got these at 399 in there sale (56cm and 58cm) so just went for new especially as second hand are getting 250-350.

Have been undecided over the condor tempo, kona paddy wagon and the ridgeback solo so just hoping I'm happy with my choice.


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## Tharg2007 (19 Aug 2009)

nice bike, steel too


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## RedBike (19 Aug 2009)

I brought mine NEW from Evans for £230. 

Mind you mine was smoke damaged. 
Loving it so far.


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## MajorMantra (19 Aug 2009)

That's a very good price on a new one. I've got a Genesis Flyer which is basically the same bike without the mudguards - it's great fun to ride.

Matthew


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## Sittingduck (19 Aug 2009)

How does the 56cm come up size wise - top tube looks like it's slightly sloping in the pic...


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## RedBike (19 Aug 2009)

The top tube is flat. 

I'm riding a 56 and i'm 5'9"


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## Sittingduck (19 Aug 2009)

I know we've just med Redbike but what's your inside leg measure? 
I'm 5'9" also but tiny 29 inchers


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## calypsored525 (19 Aug 2009)

TBH I havent sat on one but as long as it is a traditional frame then 56cm should be fine for me at 5,10. I was under the impression that with fixed due to the constant spinning of the legs its better to be on a slightly smaller frame than what you ride geared but dont know if thats true in the real world.

Would love to have been on the ball when Evans had their warehouse fire as all that was different was non standard handlebar tape apparantly. 

However with bike prices having leaped by hundreds since 2008 I can live with 399. I think cycle surgery must have a connection with ridgeback as last October they had a cracking deal on a Ridgeback Panorama touring bike for 699 which set you back 1200 now. 

Just got to bring myself to use a new bike through winter


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## Sittingduck (19 Aug 2009)

So it's got a flip flop hub then? Can't see anything in the specs that suggest it - just mentions the 18T SS/Freehub


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## RedBike (19 Aug 2009)

It's a cracking bike for £399. 

My only complains are the brakes are rubbish. (Guess i've been spoilt by Dura-ace,) removing the rear wheel with the mud-guards set close to the rear wheel is a nightmare and my saddle (Which is different to that pictured/ listed) is too large and heavy. - All minor easily corrected issues.

The bikes a bit on the heavy side. Not that it really matters.


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## RedBike (19 Aug 2009)

Sittingduck said:


> I know we've just med Redbike but what's your inside leg measure?
> I'm 5'9" also but tiny 29 inchers




31". 

I was more or less between sizes but I prefer a larger frame. You can probably get away with either size but with it being fixed you tend to dismount with the pedals and frame at odd angles so it's probably better to play on the safe side and avoid singing soprano.


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## RedBike (19 Aug 2009)

Sittingduck said:


> So it's got a flip flop hub then? Can't see anything in the specs that suggest it - just mentions the 18T SS/Freehub




Yes, I'm not sure sure if there's a thread for a locking nut both sides. 
Definately possible to run a singlespeed sprocket and a fixed. Thats what i'm doing now. 

BTW, flipping the hub over isn't as simple as it sounds. 
You have to mess around with the mud-guards to get the wheel off. 
Then get everything straight and the brakes re-adjusted 

It's a 10min job. Not something you'll be wanting to do mid ride too often.


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## calypsored525 (19 Aug 2009)

Its a flip flop hub but the bike comes only as a single speed so you have to get your own fixed sprocket. Suits me as I'm not sure of the size I'll need commuting with panniers


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## calypsored525 (19 Aug 2009)

Yeah I realised mudguards would be a problem with track ends. The Condor Tempo has horizontal droupouts instead for that very reason I guess. RedBike are you actually taking the mudguard off the rear to get the wheel off or just pushing it aside?


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## RedBike (19 Aug 2009)

If you set the guard up so there's quite a big gap (between the tyre and guard) at the back then you can just about slide the wheel far enough back with the guard in place to remove the wheel. 

You can't just push the guard aside as the supports are always in the way. 

I'm running 48*18 fixed wheel with panniers and there's some BIG climbs on my commute. I'm definately over-geared like this but any lower and my poor legs would never keep up down the hills. (They don't keep up on the steeper bits as it is!)

Set up as a single speed I would be content with a much lower ratio.


I have a few new 19t fixed wheel sprockets (black) going spare. Yours for free if you agree to send me in return any sprockets (ratios) you try and then decide you don't like.


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## RedBike (19 Aug 2009)

Sittingduck, the offer of the free sprockets is open to you too.


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## MajorMantra (19 Aug 2009)

Does the rear mudguard not have quick releases? If it doesn't, you should be able to get some. They are the things that SKS mudguards normally come with for the front (to prevent the mudguard locking the front wheel if it breaks) but you can put the on the back. I would have thought they'd allow enough movement to get the wheel out.

Matthew


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## RedBike (19 Aug 2009)

I didn't know about these quick releases. I think i've got SKS guards too! 

My bike didn't come with the guards!


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## MajorMantra (19 Aug 2009)

They are these by the way:

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product.asp?pf_id=693&src=froogle

Matthew


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## Sittingduck (20 Aug 2009)

Thanks for the info chaps - definitely food for thought and to be honest, if I wasn't waiting for a new Debit card to be delivered, (some swine cloned my old one) I would likely order a size 56. Have a concern over the 71" gear though, so would be looking to get a slightly larger *fixed* sprocket... my spider senses tell me one of redbikes sprockets would take it down a tad to 67.2, which is pretty much what I'd be looking to run... maybe a tad lower 65 or something (I'm a heffer uphill) 

Cheers,
Will let you know if I decide to go for it!


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## MajorMantra (20 Aug 2009)

I would have thought a sub-70 inch gear would be awfully spinny for London. Or are there bigger hills than I think?

Matthew


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## RedBike (20 Aug 2009)

Sittingduck said:


> Thanks for the info chaps - definitely food for thought and to be honest, if I wasn't waiting for a new Debit card to be delivered, (some swine cloned my old one) I would likely order a size 56. Have a concern over the 71" gear though, so would be looking to get a slightly larger *fixed* sprocket... my spider senses tell me one of redbikes sprockets would take it down a tad to 67.2, which is pretty much what I'd be looking to run... maybe a tad lower 65 or something (I'm a heffer uphill)
> 
> Cheers,
> Will let you know if I decide to go for it!



You'll probably want a bigger gear than you'd think. You need to remember there's no freewheeling (obviously) so you'll be spinning like the clappers when you come to go back down the hills. 

I'm letting the 19t sprockets go because although they're an ideal ratio for me on the flat they're just too spinny on the downs / when the bike picks up speed. 

It's hard to say what ratio you'll need until you've tried a few for yourself. Just changing from 18 to 17t or 19t at the back makes a wopping BIG difference to the way the bike feels.


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## Joe24 (20 Aug 2009)

-1 on Redbikes advice.
I started with 65" and this will get you fit. Its what pretty much all of the people that rode fixed in the club rode. Somewhere around 65", but they were all on the same gear.
Riding this in the club ment that you had to spin, which gave you good leg speed, and got you fit. It got me fit! I was pretty supple then aswell, could easily get up to 200rpm going down a hill!
I went from that to 72", which i could feel the difference straight away. Legs were going slower, had to put more power in going up hills, but i lost some suppleness!!!! Which i really didnt like.
I went down a hill where i could do 38mph on the 65", and did 37mph down it on the 72"
I did get my suppleness back though. Can now do 200rpm downhill on it, and have beaten sme geard bikes downhills
Made my legs bigger aswell

So, basicly, dont just think that because you have a small gear you wont be fast!
I could still chaingang and keep up(about 28mph was the limit though) on the 65" fixed, and going downhills i could keep up except on the long ones in the group.


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## MajorMantra (20 Aug 2009)

You may be right from a fitness point of view Joe, but I very briefly tried a 66" gear in hilly Edinburgh and found the spinniness quite annoying. My Pompino now has 73" and the Genesis (currently in bits) is at 70", both of which feel about right.

Anyway, I've got the geared road bike for spinning on. 

Matthew


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## Joe24 (20 Aug 2009)

MajorMantra said:


> You may be right from a fitness point of view Joe, but I very briefly tried a 66" gear in hilly Edinburgh and found the spinniness quite annoying. My Pompino now has 73" and the Genesis (currently in bits) is at 70", both of which feel about right.
> 
> Anyway, I've got the geared road bike for spinning on.
> 
> Matthew



The reason i changed to bigger is that i wanted to be able to keep up on long downhills, and when the whole group sped up,i could keep up.
Did keep me very fit though.
Dont think im much less fit now though mind, i am much stronger though.


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## RedBike (21 Aug 2009)

Joe24 said:


> -1 on Redbikes advice.
> I started with 65" and this will get you fit. Its what pretty much all of the people that rode fixed in the club rode. Somewhere around 65", but they were all on the same gear.
> Riding this in the club ment that you had to spin, which gave you good leg speed, and got you fit. It got me fit! I was pretty supple then aswell, could easily get up to 200rpm going down a hill!
> I went from that to 72", which i could feel the difference straight away. Legs were going slower, had to put more power in going up hills, but i lost some suppleness!!!! Which i really didnt like.
> ...



lol Joe. 
I suspect your right, if you can spin at 200rpm that is!. Sadly my poor legs start to feel mighty uncomfortable with anything over 120 and feel like they're about to be ripped off at 150rpm. 

For now I will stick with my 74" (I think) gear, 48x18, and just keep practacing spinning on the hills. At the moment I i'm doing about 18mph at 90rpm / 20mph at 100rpm. If I was pedalling significantly quicker I would find it very uncomfortable to maintain these sorts of speeds for any length of time.


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## Joe24 (21 Aug 2009)

RedBike said:


> lol Joe.
> I suspect your right, if you can spin at 200rpm that is!. Sadly my poor legs start to feel mighty uncomfortable with anything over 120 and feel like they're about to be ripped off at 150rpm.
> 
> For now I will stick with my 74" (I think) gear, 48x18, and just keep practacing spinning on the hills. At the moment I i'm doing about 18mph at 90rpm / 20mph at 100rpm. If I was pedalling significantly quicker I would find it very uncomfortable to maintain these sorts of speeds for any length of time.



You got a 72" gear, if you have 700c wheels. Same gear as what i have.
41.7mph(i think, might be abit higher) is 200rpm on that.


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## RedBike (21 Aug 2009)

42mph Ekkk!,

I think 35mph is the quickest i've been; and that was only very briefly before having to pull on the anchors and drop back down to about 25/27


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## Joe24 (21 Aug 2009)

RedBike said:


> 42mph Ekkk!,
> 
> I think 35mph is the quickest i've been; and that was only very briefly before having to pull on the anchors and drop back down to about 25/27



Should of kept going
33mph in a few sprints on the flat for me.

As soon as you get your legs in the right place, i find that your legs just spin.
If i have been leg braking at the start of the hill, its harder to get your legs spinning fast enough.


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