Is an SS a perfect beginner commuter?

[ColinJ]

Cheaper yes, not much in the weight or reliability department but much less efficient for a day to day bike. Just don't see why you would want to punish yourselves with having no gears

Well how about this then?

Decent wheels, a quality Italian steel frame, weight about 18 pounds.

A mate was emigrating so he left me his frame/forks, bottom bracket, brake callipers and wheels on permanent loan. I had spare tubes, tyres, pedals, cranks, chainring, sprocket, spacers, chain, bottle cage, bottle, bars, brake levers, saddle and stem in my junk box. All I had to buy was a seat post and some brake cables, costing me the princely sum of... 
















... £25!

 

[jimboalee]

£0

 

[ColinJ]

£0

It would be a bargain at fifty times the price! 

 

[geekinaseat]

BTW, cheap flat bar S/S available from Decathlon for £70. What more do you want?

http://www.decathlon...amin-117071608/

I actually went in to look at these yesterday, was very tempted but in a way I was put off by the low price if that makes any sense! Surely they can't be any good at that price?

 

[Fab Foodie]

I actually went in to look at these yesterday, was very tempted but in a way I was put off by the low price if that makes any sense! Surely they can't be any good at that price?

Decathlon quality is usually OK. Nobody would think a £250 road bike would be any cop either, but I know several pepople who'll say different!
I think for £70 it's worth a punt. Perfect pub-bike!

 

[alecstilleyedye]

£0 (spent about £120 for saddle, tape and tubs). bargain of the century.

ss should be fine for the op; ratios can easily be changed as he gets fitter by an lbs, or better still learn to do it yourself.

 

[Alien8]

BTW, cheap flat bar S/S available from Decathlon for £70. What more do you want?

http://www.decathlon...amin-117071608/

I actually went in to look at these yesterday, was very tempted but in a way I was put off by the low price if that makes any sense! Surely they can't be any good at that price?

I like one of its key selling points being that it has "Three layers of paint".

But that gearing looks rather, umm, easy.

 

[ColinJ]

I like one of its key selling points being that it has "Three layers of paint".

But that gearing looks rather, umm, easy.

Hi-ten steel sounds rather heavy. Hmm, I looked it up - the large size Vitamin bike weighs 13.2 kg (29 pounds). That's pretty corpulent!

As for the gearing - blimey, easy is the word! That sprocket looks to be about a 20 and the chainring isn't very big so I can quite believe that "A speed of [only] 14 to 27 km/h [9 to 17 mph] can be maintained, and small hills in the town or country can be managed." 

Having said that, I agree with Fab Foodie - it would be a good bike to use for nipping down to the pub or shops. It would pay for itself in terms of saved rail/bus/tram/taxi fares or reduced petrol/diesel costs in a few months and you wouldn't exactly be heartbroken if it was stolen.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

I've had my Langster SS for three years now and think it's ace. It has 42x16 (giving 69 gear inches) and is fine for most of my commuting although you have to be sensible when pulling away in Central London (much as ColinJ says). I have ridden the 28 miles from Gatwick Airport to my home on the South Coast on it without any problems whatsoever, so moderate hills are okay on my stock settings. I virtually have no maintenance to do apart from a general clean, chain lube and brake adjustment as and when needed, and a wipe down when wet (I have SKS RaceBlades fitted too ). For a flat commute I would thoroughly recommend riding SS.

Bill

 

[jimboalee]

Hi-ten steel sounds rather heavy. Hmm, I looked it up - the large size Vitamin bike weighs 13.2 kg (29 pounds). That's pretty corpulent!

As for the gearing - blimey, easy is the word! That sprocket looks to be about a 20 and the chainring isn't very big so I can quite believe that "A speed of [only] 14 to 27 km/h [9 to 17 mph] can be maintained, and small hills in the town or country can be managed."

Having said that, I agree with Fab Foodie - it would be a good bike to use for nipping down to the pub or shops. It would pay for itself in terms of saved rail/bus/tram/taxi fares or reduced petrol/diesel costs in a few months and you wouldn't exactly be heartbroken if it was stolen.

I haven't seen this bike ( Btwin Vitamin ) but my reckoning is its 42 x 18 ( 61" ) which would get you along at 22 kmh turning 81 rpm.

For an average bloke, that just on 100 Watts.

27 kmh.... That equates to 100 rpm, fancy that.

14 kmh... 52 rpm, just where you should be training for climbing hills.

 

[ColinJ]

I haven't seen this bike ( Btwin Vitamin ) but my reckoning is its 42 x 18 ( 61" ) which would get you along at 22 kmh turning 81 rpm.

For an average bloke, that just on 100 Watts.

27 kmh.... That equates to 100 rpm, fancy that.

14 kmh... 52 rpm, just where you should be training for climbing hills.

Apparently it is 36 x 18 - see this user review on BikeRadar.

Which means that at 81 rpm you'd only be doing 18.9 kph (11.7 mph). At 100 rpm you'd only be doing 23 kph (14.4 mph) or to do 27 kph (16.8 mph) you'd need to pedal at 117 rpm. At 52 rpm you'd only be doing 12 kph (7.5 mph).

Spintastic!

 

[battered]

36x 18 on 26" is indeed low. I've just checked and my SS MTB uses identical gearing at 32x16 on 26 x 1.75. I nearly went for 32x15 but decided that was a bit macho off road. I'm happy enough with the gearing, I'd want higher on road.

To be fair though, I find that gearing ideal for the intended purpose, a bike for Joe Public to take down the towpath, to the shops and potter back from the pub. It will cope with most hills and it does indeed top out at about 15mph unless you can spin like a track cyclist. Hardcore regular cyclists will want bigger gears on road, but maybe a hardcore regular cyclist will spend more than £70 or can splash out a few quid on another sprocket.

 

[jimboalee]

Apparently it is 36 x 18 - see this user review on BikeRadar.

Which means that at 81 rpm you'd only be doing 18.9 kph (11.7 mph). At 100 rpm you'd only be doing 23 kph (14.4 mph) or to do 27 kph (16.8 mph) you'd need to pedal at 117 rpm. At 52 rpm you'd only be doing 12 kph (7.5 mph).

Spintastic!

36 x 18..... 2:1 on a 26 inch wheel??? Come back Mr Starley, all is forgiven.

B'Twin.. You're 125 years TOO LATE...

Although it could be a nice bike for ROVING around..

 

[swee'pea99]

Hmmm. Then again...

I'm a 100% fixie man meself, but I'm not convinced this is necessarily the best option for the OP. It would be ok - on a short, flat commute, pretty much any bike's going to be ok - but would it be better? 

I reckon gears have their place, even on a flat, short route. You get windy days and you get days when you just don't feel too great. A low gear can be your friend. I think fixed is what you go for when you've built up to a good level of strength and fitness, not what you start out with. 

The OP doesn't say where he lives, or where the bike might be left during the day - very important. Any new bike is at real risk from scrotes, and in any big city these days, a nice shiny new ss is probably top of their hit list. If you have somewhere safe to keep it, this isn't an issue.

The OP needs light. True, spec for spec the ss will be lighter - fewer bits, shorter chain etc. But a good geared bike will be lighter than a cheap ss.

If I were asked to recommend a commuting bike to a newbie, I'd suggest - assuming they know one end of a spanner from another, how an allen key works, and the difference between a flat-head and a Philips screwdriver - a good 70s/80s/90s 10 speed. You can get a perfectly good one for under £100, it'll be nice to ride and it won't get nicked. Ride that for a year, and you'll learn enough (and develop the legs) to know whether a ss will be good for you, and if so, which one/what ratio etc. 

The important thing is to enjoy your riding, and gears - especially at first - can help a lot with that. There's a reason 99.5% of new bikes come with them...

 

[colinr]

I think fixed is what you go for when you've built up to a good level of strength and fitness, not what you start out with.

I started out on fixed without a good level of strength or fitness for a three mile flat commute. If you don't have gears for long enough, you can't miss them...