If you’re going to commute on a bike it shouldn’t have to be a beater. The James Perse City Cruiser is a custom built single speed that will have you riding to work in style. It features a chromoly steel frame that is equipped with a flip-flop rear hub – so riders can do the ‘fixie’ thing or be able to coast. There are of course front and rear brakes, while leather grips and a canvas-infused rubber saddle will add to the comfort during the ride to the office.
Tag: Single Speed
Pure Times Five
Pure Fix Cycles is on a roll, and the company recently announced its new line of City Bikes. These include five models aimed at urban commuters.
The cute Abbey is ready for down town (get it Down Town Abbey), while the Crosby shows some stylish curves and a mint green paint scheme. The Wilshire offers a glamorous look that evokes the Golden Age of Hollywood, the Langdon is ready for a ride in the city or country, and the Bourbon is designed to be a smooth as a glass of class. According to the company the Bourbon is already sold out, but the others are available now in single speed models with three-speed versions hitting the streets soon.
Made in America: Custom Big Shot
Fixies are bikes that should present one’s individuality, and Fort Collins, Colorado based Big Shot Bikes will let anyone be a big shot of sorts. The company, which was founded in 2009, offers would-be owners the chance to create a design via an online building tool, offering multiple color choices for the frame, front rim, rear rim, front tire, rear tire, chain, handlebar tape, saddle, pedals and even the crank.
You don’t need to be a “big shot” to ride or own a Big Shot, as a custom bike will set you back about $430, and the company claims to have delivery in about a week.
Concept Ride – the MiniMum
Small concept bikes apparently on some designers’ minds. Last week we heard about the Bicymple, a small chainless bike. This week we were treated to word on the MiniMum, from Omer Sagiv, a city bike that is crafted from aluminum tubes and which uses a wire cable support with flexible tension to add stability.
The MiniMum used a back pedal break along with a Kevlar belt instead of the chain to reduce maintenance on this city commuter. It is reportedly fixed gear, so we’re not sure how that will manage in traffic, and since this bike doesn’t appear to fold we’re not sure if many office buildings would actually allow riders to bring it in. Continue reading Concept Ride – the MiniMum
A Single Speed Solution for the Masses
In a previous post, we mentioned the Eccentric 46 Bottom Bracket for use with PressFit-30 (PF30) bike frames. This aftermarket accessory allows you to be able to purchase a geared PF30 frame or bike and easily convert it to a single speed. But what about those of us who do not own a frame with a PF30 frame? Are we left out in the cold? Nope! There are solutions out there for those of us with the standard bottom bracket shell. Continue reading A Single Speed Solution for the Masses
Trek Makes Bike about Art
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELrnwZWXkwk&feature=youtu.be
Trek and bike-related art organization ARTCRANK collaborated to create a bike about art. The result is the Trek District ARTCRANK Edition. The Trek District is Trek’s top commuter bike. The limited edition features graphics created by ARTCRANK Lead Designer Rob Angermuller.
The Trek District ARTCRANK Edition is a single-speed belt drive bike that’s predominantly white with black and red graphics on the frame and rims. We at KineticShift find white bikes to be striking, and this bike with its bold white black and red graphics is no exception. Continue reading Trek Makes Bike about Art
Denim As Accessory to Your Single Speed
Hipsters, we know you love your single speeds. But we don’t love it when your bare your butts in your skinny heans while riding. Since you won’t wear spandex with all its beneficial properties like wicking, cooling and padding in strategic areas, it’s time to invest in skinny jeans made for cycling.
Levi has a version of its 511 jeans just for you. The Levi 511 Skinny Commuter is just for you. It even has a jacket companion, the Trucker Jacket Commuter. The denim outfit is packed with safety and convenience features while keeping in style.
Convert Your Old Road Frame Into a Single Speed With Wood (Phil Wood)
Do you have a spare bicycle frame that you would love to turn into a single speed or fixie, but the frame does not have horizontal dropouts? Do you want to avoid running a singulator chain tensioner especially in a fixed gear setup? The innovators from San Jose, California, Phil Wood & Co., have come to the rescue. Phil Wood recently announced the upcoming release of their Square Taper Phil Centric bottom bracket to solve this problem.
The Phil Cetric’s center point of the spindle on this bottom bracket pivots closer or further away for the rear dropout where the rear wheel mounts allowing the chain to be properly tensioned. There is currently not much information released about this bottom bracket yet, but from the photos it looks as if there is about 3/8″ – 5/8″ of adjustment in the chain tension. This should be enough adjustment to allow proper tensioning of a chain in almost every frame. Continue reading Convert Your Old Road Frame Into a Single Speed With Wood (Phil Wood)
Fitness Journal: Can’t Buy It? Build It!
About a year ago my friend, Sean, and I were at Tam Bikes in Mill Valley, California when I noticed a bike which caught my eye – a belt drive mountain bike by Spot Brand. I immediately feel in love with the belt drive concept due to the simplicity, but I was not in the market for a single speed mountain bike as I already owned a few. But if you can’t buy one, the next best thing was to build it, which is exactly what I did. Here is the story of building up a bike. Continue reading Fitness Journal: Can’t Buy It? Build It!
Interbike 2010: Steel Wheels for Rush Hour
Single speeds and fixies remain popular on the track and on the mean streets, yet few one gear cycles fit all need. Hipsters and urban dwellers want their stylish bikes, racers want a quick and responsive ride and messengers and commuters want a simple bike where little can go wrong.
Raleigh’s Rush Hour is the bike you’ll be rushing to ride no matter which need you look to fill. It goes old school with a Reynold 520 butted chromoley steel frame left bare, fitting for a bike that has the bare minimum of parts too. Rather than trying to hide the beauty of the materials, it instead shows off the unfinished metal, offering a special clear coat protection finish to stop rust. The Rush Hour can be ridden on a track as a sleek racer, or used on the street as a truly one-of-a-kind bike where no two will be exactly alike.
Raleigh Rush Hour
$770
Raleigh USA
Montague Cycles Knows When to Fold Them
- Montague’s Boston Single Speed Folding Bicycle
Folding bicycle manufacturer Montague Cycles has announced a new line of 700c road bikes, including its first ever full-sized single speed. The Boston model includes a flip-flop hub, allowing to transform the bike from a traditional free-wheel single speed to a track ready “fixie.”
It features a 42x16t drivetrain, which is considered ideal gearing for city riding. Designed more for the urban canyons than off-road, this bike still offers the durability that has become a Montague signature. The Boston model features the Cliz quick release and the company’s patented folding system, which allows for a conversion from full-sized ride to trunk-worthy bike in just about 20 seconds.
Erie Colorado to Get Velodrome
The Erie Trustees recently approved plans for the Boulder Valley Velodrome, which could be operational in as little as a year. This would be the first velodrome built to Olympic guidelines in the United States since 2004, and it certainly could be of interest to the world’s cycling community. While single speed and fixies have become popular in recent years, the fact remains that there are woefully few places across the country to actually compete, or even to learn the ropes. Continue reading Erie Colorado to Get Velodrome
Fix Gear Bikes Suddenly Uncool? Blame WalMart!
Fix gear bikes are over! It is official – mass retailer WalMart is carrying “fixies” now, so you know that must mean they’re uncool. At least that’s what a lot of bloggers and various hipster types have to say. Here is a sampling of what has been said online:
Blogtown.com:
“Cry your eyes out, fixsters. Fixed gears have gone worse than mainstream. They’ve gone to WalMart. Tipster Amanda G. sent along a Treehugger article about the recent arrival of fixies on WalMart shelves.”
From Gawker.com:
“First Urban Outfitters started peddling them. Now Hipster of the Decade blog Hipster Runoff notices that Walmart is selling fixed gear bicycles. It’s official: The number one cause of fauxhemian crashes on Bedford Avenue is no longer cool.”
OK, so maybe those posts are as sarcastic about this being “over” as we’re taking it. But the truth is that this is actually good news, and we’ll shout it from the rooftops; it is COOL that WalMart is selling the 700C Men’s Mongoose Cachet “Fixed-Speed” Bike. We’re not sure what they mean by “Fixed-Speed,” but at $149, we’re not complaining either.
And for the record, once Specialized and other large bicycle manufacturers got in on the single speed and fixed gear market many said it was over. But this just shows that the market is expanding. And that should be viewed as a good thing. If the hipsters don’t like it, who cares. But WalMart also sells HDTVs and video games, and no one ever said those were uncool.
