I usually don’t talk about bikes here. But I still consider myself an Oregonian at heart, so where book talk is present, you may also expect to hear about coffee, beer, or bikes. So here we are now, talking about the build-your-own-online Republic bike sensation, between a conversation about typos and one about Cormac McCarthy.
Disclosure: I am not a hipster. I am not a roadie. I try to balance cost, style, and practicality, and know a thing or two about all three: I use a bike as a primary mode of transportation (yes, even here in Texas), have built my own bike from scratch before, and do most of my own repairs. I got a fixed gear because my partner wanted one, too, and she will not ride with me if I can shift gears on a hill and leave her in the dust.
At $450 plus shipping, a full, new bike is a great price. And let’s face it, getting to pick your colors is nice. So is the convenience of getting a bike all in one piece (more or less) rather than piecemeal and wondering if the 25.4mm seatpost is right, or if you need a 1″ or a 1 1/8″ stem. I ended up wondering about this, anyway, but more on that in a minute.
If you are new to fixed gear riding, don’t plan to race your new bike, plan to lock it up anywhere, and have the willingness to upgrade a few parts as needed, then you will agree with me that the Republic-bike-haters need to lay off the espresso. Overall, it’s a fun bike, with the following modifications:
- I swapped the saddle for a $17 Nashbar clearance saddle with nice lines and a cutout;
- I swapped the pedals for $50 SPD mountain pedals, since I already use them for my other bike;
- I ended up putting a $30 90mm +/- 7-degree Soma stem on both my and my partner’s bike, because the original stem is ridiculously long for small and extra-small bikes.
I have only three gripes. One is that when I ride the bike as a one-speed, and am on a hill or otherwise putting a lot of power into the drivetrain, something clanks softly 2-3 times per pedal stroke. I’m guessing it is a cheap freehub. I could replace it with a $100 White Industries one, but now we’re defeating the point of a $450 bike. When I finally turn the rear wheel around and ride it as a true fixed gear, the noise will go away.
The second gripe is that, yes, it’s heavy. It is the same weight as my aluminum Klein Shimano 105 road bike loaded up with tools and water. This will make me stronger, yes, but if I see an aluminum 25.4 seatpost in the right length sometime in the future, I will replace my steel one. And maybe someday get lighter wheels–but again, at that point, I will be looking at Bianchi Pistas instead. (Note: some 2009 reviews criticized Republic for using high-ten steel in the frame–heavy and rusty–but the new frames seem to be cromoly steel = better and lighter).
Finally, the folks at Republic bike don’t figure that their customer base will be making as many tweaks to the components as I have. The bikes are user-serviceable, with a a little guesswork. The spec list on their site has a few holes (e.g., leaving out the stem size, which is 25.4, the bar size, etc.). For other questions, though, they were friendly on the phone, and I imagine I could call to double-check a part with them if needed.
In conclusion: The bike is comfortable. I love riding it. My legs are getting stronger on San Antonio’s hills. There are other fixie options with higher-quality but slightly more expensive basics, I know, but I would be likely to make these same modifications to any new bike, and Republic has a good system going–inexpensive bikes in fun colors that make my wife happy in the midst of a grueling semester of school. And any day on a bike is better than one in a chair, so I am happy, too.
The design...
...and build!
Tags: fixie reviews, miscellany, republic bike
