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Amazon has the Takara Kabuto Single Speed Road Bike in 54cm or 57cm for $190 with free shipping. Features a tig-welded steel frame, alloy wheels, 700x32 tires, side pull brakes and a flip flop hub.
$190
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Single speeds rule
ichban yasui gideshi, gomi des.
Sure construction and materials matters, but here they "decontented" a cheap 10 speed or mountain bike, and still get a fortune for what's just a basic bike? The Industry loves this whole "fixie" Phenomenon, and the money must be really good. Around my house here in So Cal I can count like 6 new bike shops that have opened that basically there to cater to this newest bandwagon.
It's just a bike for $190, they believe naming it Takara Kabuto (probably the modern Royce Union) they have you thinking good deal! I mean it's a welded steel frame and fork... not even chromoly frame the thing weighs 30LB! Single Wall alloy rims will be bent the first hard street ride, while notice they never mention the crank set, the black is probably covering that they are just steel.
It's great anymore see bunch of young teenagers flying like they're some "Divine Wind" of the street, with no regard for laws and no brakes.
Till they run into me.
Hey I just like single speeds, I have a SE Stout mountain bike that is a SS (but not a fixie) and I love its simplicity. I have a Specialized Allez road bike that is geared, I have no idea what this bike is.
Very solid reviews. Seems like a great fixie on the cheap for campus or a commute to someplace that you wouldn't want to lock up your $1500 bike.
Decontented: example
Best foods mayonaise 32oz last year $2.99
Best foods mayonaise 30oz this year $2.99 -2oz content
To take away content, accessories (like in the auto industry) or features etc; and still keep the price the same. It's a profit thing.
This is the same bike as was last year, same parts etc; while maintaining slightly fluctuating prices.
No decontenting here.
Good reviews as well, althought is is really unfair to compare it to a $400+ SE Stout and the likes.
I guess if you are a 400 pound fat @ss, it wouldn't be hard to mess it up first time out... and then write a bad review.
Shucks, I guess we all should scuffle on off down to the local Walmart and git us one of them thar 40 pounder $90 Roadmaster Granite Peak bikes cuz we bin told by a bicycle expert that this har bike aint bilt no bettern eny other bike out thar. Hey Maw, We just saved us amost a huderd dollars.
Takara Kabuto is Japanese for Pee Wee Herman.
Casecutter, you're in So Cal enough said...Full of hipsters. "Fixies" are only new to you & your area. Nothing new to city folk & flatlanders.
Now I'm not against "fixies" just saying this $190 bike, it's just has nothing of value on it. When the crank length and gearing is dialed in for the riders legs, (length/strength is factored correctly) there's no reason like you said for flatlander mostly where I'm at (city folk sure... I don't live in the density of a NY), to not find great appeal. The downside of this bike is still weight/and lackluster construction. If I lived in a city where I had to bring to bike up stairs daily I'd see 30lb's a drawback. If you’re using it for daily commute purposes then look for dual wall rims and save weight on aluminum cranks with a spider that can accept sprocket changes, and strong but light chromoly frame all that is worth $50. If you just want a Ho Hum bike to tool around the neighborhood it's fine, but still pricy for what you getting (IMO). If you get this and don't like the gearing you'll spend $30-40 just swapping the gears, heck maybe even a chain.
I suppose that's what the local shop can offer, sizing the frame and tailoring the gearing for you, which is extremely important for a fixie. Honestly, the local shop will have a bike probably better than this, is set-up for you (this you will assemble though not hard) and some go as far as swapping bars and seats that you like. The shops I've looked at are buy stock bikes, but can trade parts fairly freely depending on your riding style and tastes. That might be the business model for their reemergence.
44X16 on a 30 pound bike. That's a tough bike to ride unless you're just coasting around the block. And by block, I mean flat trail to get beer. You can do much better for that price. Check out the Windsor 'Hour' on bikes direct .c o m. $300 or less for 5 times the bike.
Wally - and by coast you must mean spin (fixie).
Really $190 for a new bike seems cheap to me. I'm sure it's a cheap bike but CaseCutter you sound like you're talking about a price with an additional 0 on it.
My fixie was a cheesy 1980's Roadmaster 10 speed I grabbed off a scrap metal pile. The drivetrain was toast so I stripped it down and did a LokTite fixed conversion (I left the front brake on just in case). It's ugly and heavy but works great for cruising around town and nobody wants to steal it. But if they did, they would get an unpleasant surprise when they tried to coast! I would think this bike would fill a similar niche.
Coast, as in, not put effort into pedaling I guess. It is a really cheap bike. But you want to purchase something that's not going to fall apart. This even seems cheaply built for $190. You could almost do better with an old frame, $100 wheelset, and reuse some of the original components.
I actually own a Windsor Hour. I've ridden it to work for about 4 years now (fixed). It's a much better bike and costs about $100 more than the bike in this posting.
I have to agree with Casecutter, the simplicity and reduction of components should lower the price. However, this is a niche product among the low end bike buyers so that may account for the premium, notice how now some of the cheapest walmart bikes are actually more expensive to build due to the front and rear shocks, odd tubing shapes.
On the other hand you'd need to know if the dimensions are right for you and that can mean more than what a bike costs if the difference is only ~$100 one way or the other.
Can anybody recommend another bike in this price range +-5% that looks as good, as easy to set up, same features etc;?
I really don't want to spend any extra time heading on down to the bike shop buying better parts because why didn't I just buy a more expensive bike to begin with and save my time.
But of course I could send my assistant on down but then it cost me the salary and the time spent isn't getting anything done at the office, so it really cost me even more time. Right back in the same boat.
I could spend hours of my weekend time at the bike shop, swapping out parts, trying this and that, but that would cut into my skiing and family time.
My nephew has a 14 year old $90 Schwinn and only replaced the tires once and rides quit a bit. Do you think I could get 14 years out of this. Now I'm not going off-road or riding on gravel roads, just around the neighborhood, 3-4 laps around the park and back, up and down a few small hills, maybe 8-10 miles, 2-3 times a week, you know, for exercise and fun.
If there is something better anyone can think of for the same price, please post a link or a name or something. I mean with all the experts here, meaning people who know more than I do about bikes, I hope you can help.
Your attention to my request for assistance is greatly appreciated.
Thanks
http://www.walmart.com/ip/Mongoose-Detain-700cc-Men-s-Street-Bike/15711162
Total Shipping Weight box and all (in pounds): 26.43