bigShot bikes anygood?

[E1han]

I was looking for a new bike for a commuter i was wondering if they were worth the time and money any advice?

 

[kdelong]

Fixed Gear and Single Speed bikes generally do not make good commuter bikes unless your route is fairly flat and you don't have a lot of stuff to carry with you. bigShot Bikes bill themselves as being minimalist bikes, iow, they have no bells and whistles added. Oh, they will give you brakes if you order them and you can pick your color(s) and style of handlebar(bull horn or flat bar). They make no provisions for racks or water bottles, and you will need to carry a 15mm wrench with your flat kit as they do not provide quick release wheels. They say that they are minimalist bikes, but not, it seems, in the weight department. Their own website states that their bikes without accessories weigh between 23 and 25 pounds. Not that good for a bike that is not carrying around a 20 speed drivetrain and all of the other little things that most roadies like to carry.

If you want to be "cool", then by all means this is the bike for you. If you want to successfully get where you are going and get back again without killing yourself, a more conventional multi-speed bike would be in order. I do have to applaud bigShot for one thing, they make their own purpose built frames instead of ruining good vintage frames to make their fixie/ss bikes.

 

[E1han]

Would you say that a good road bike would be best for me or a hybrid?

 

[Bike Nerd]

As far as fixed gear commuting goes I agree that it's not the best idea but if there aren't many hills to climb single speed with a 46/16 ratio is quite ok. I do it 10-15 miles daily. There may be eyelets for a rear rack and if not a seat bag and/or handle bar bag is an option. With a flip flop hub you can easily switch. And I prefer not having quick release wheels as theft is rampant in my area and I don't want to have to remove my wheel and lace it to my bike and lock every time I go in somewhere. Also fixed gear is a great way to train and work on your cadence. As far as BIG SHOT goes I would suggest buying an Aerofix. Almost all of these online fixie shops use the same damn components. Promax, Zoom, quando, oury, kenda or Wanda or cst, wellgo...etc. an Aerofix is practically identical and comes with lights, foot retention straps, and two handlebar choices for $300 or less. I owned one and beat the holy hell out of it and was quite pleased. Tip: repack all bearings with good grease. The factory stuff is junk. Anyhow...keep pedaling. Cheers.