Van Dessel Sports Country Road Bob

Price Paid:  $0.00

Summary:
I am a firm believer in riding a fixed in the period between seasons. My Bob fills the bill perfectly. I have put a single freewheel on and used is as a spare bike in cyclo-cross events. Good, comfortable ride without any energy wasting flex. A winner!

Price Paid:  $375.00 at MTB Classifieds

Favorite Ride:
Stanford Loop

Bike Setup:
Kore aluminum seatpost, Tektro V-brakes, Salsa seatpost clamp, Shimano STX crank w/ 36T chainwheel and a 18T freewheel, Shimano alivio hubs and Araya rims, Van Dessel Carbon fork, Ithys Gove seat, bullhorns, track levers

Summary:
Never considered a singlespeed until a friend let me borrow his CRB. I was about to buy a new bike, deciding between a Trek 2200 or Klein Aura X. Then a friend let me borrow his CRB. Though it was a little big, it was a BLAST to ride. It was surprisingly fast.

There is something to be said about the simplicity of no gears. Very fun ride, have already gotten the "Cool frame!" comments. Be prepared for the feedback, good and bad.

This bike in no way replaces a good road bike, but it is a fun trainer and good all around ride.

Mine came w/ bullhorns and v brake levers. The bullhorns are cool, similar in feel to road bars, but a little more comfortable for me. Changing to track levers so I don't have to change hand positions to stop.

Strengths:
Simple, no fuss, no muss.

Weaknesses:
Slightly on the heavy side. Would like another water bottle mount, though the frame probably wasn't meant for long rides.

Similar Products Used:
1994 Stumpjumper, 2003 Giant OCR3, 2002 IF Planet X

Price Paid:  $160.00 at Ebay

Bike Setup:
Fixed gear (44-16), moustache bars

Summary:
I originally bought the frame and fork to build up a bad weather commuter with a nexus 7 hub. The frame feels somewhat heavy in the rear which was even worse with a heavy internal geared hub. Finally I switched to a re-axled track hub and added another fixed gear the the fleet. For an aluminum frame, the ride is great. The ride is smoother than my Pista's 520 steel frame. My only complaints are the color and the amount of toe overlap. I'm 5'11" and mine is a 53cm so it's kinda inevitable. Great buy.

Strengths:
Ride, horizontal dropouts, canti-bosses

Weaknesses:
color, toe overlap

Similar Products Used:
Bianchi Pista

Price Paid:  $450.00 at direct

Favorite Ride:
all

Bike Setup:
stock (except for seat and post)

Summary:
This bike is amazing - I put about 120 miles a week on it commuting to work. Its always ready - no shifting issues - just pedal and go - I have done a 60 mile road ride and 20 mile mountain ride on this bike in the same week - 44X16 is a little tall for the dirt, but it works. Can't wait till fall to race cross on it.

Strengths:
Smooth - strong - ridged - makes roadies feel weak when I pass them

Weaknesses:
Brakes squeak like a mouse on speed no matter how often I adjust them - cheap parts, but hey, it was a cheap buy.

Similar Products Used:
litespeed owl hollow HT, FSR Big Hit, KHS cruiser, cannondale tandem, unicycle, specialzed cirrus, and a couple others

Price Paid:  $420.00 at eBay

Favorite Ride:
Most all of them

Bike Setup:
Alu frame (53cm) and carbon fork; Avid Shorty 6 cantis (use front only); Shimano brake levers; Thoms

Summary:
Great ride -- perfect geometry for me (53cm frame). Alu frame and carbon fork combine best of both for stiff yet forgiving ride. The singlespeed thing is a real trip even here in the hills of northwestern Connecticut. Very different experience that leaves me (sort of) wondering what the other 26 speeds are for. Gotta love (or hate) the styling curved top and down tubes. All in, a great piece of work (some cheapo parts spoil the overall effect but upgrades are worth it).8

Strengths:
Great ride; great geometry; nice frame and fork; great Ritchey Biomax bar and stem. Cool tubes (if you like them) -- even better live than in the pix. My spouse likes the color so I was able to add fourth bike to the stable. –

Weaknesses:
Cheap parts: brake levers, seatpost, seat, and rims, but worth upgrading and not too expensive to replace immediately.

Similar Products Used:
Serotta Csi (w/ full DA, etc.); Bianchi 'Cross (w/ full Ultegra, etc.); Trek 8000 mtb