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. Read the rest of this entry »
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. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
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. Read the rest of this entry »
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. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
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.
An artist's rendering of the proposed Boulder Valley Velodrome, a 250-meter outdoor cycling track planned for the intersection of County Line Road and Bonnell Avenue in Erie. (Courtesy of David A. Beal & Associates )
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. Read the rest of this entry »
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.
If you’ve never had love at first sight when looking at a bike, check out the Devil from Handsome Bicycles. The best part is that this isn’t just another major bike maker’s attempt to make a unique styled bike for the masses. Of course, the details are actually in the Devil with this sweet looking ride, which thanks to a 73-degree head and seat angle also offers a nice ride as well.
For 2010 the Devil line now includes a new “martini olive” color. And like a well-made martini (stirred not shaken), this one promises to be smooth and steady from beginning to end. It has a longish top tube combined with a medium-low 70mm bottom bracket drop, and a fork that is a neutral 45mm trail measurement. It is a fully customizable frame that can be built up as a city commuter, touring, single speed or just regular knock around bike for those who know that two wheels is a great way to get around. It offers traditional, forward-facing rear dropouts that will allow for derailleurs, internal-geared hubs or even single-speed transmission, so in a word this bike is truly “customizable.”
Additionally, the frameset is also sold naked, but with 2010 decal sheets included, so whether you like your bikes to have a minimalist look or want to trick it out you’ll get to start with a blank slate that will ensure no two are exactly the same.
The Handsome Devil should easily live up to its name, and it is currently available in 52-, 55- and 58-cm sizes (measured from center of the bottom bracket to the top of the seattube).
