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Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on November 16, 2010 at 9:56am

Avoid! These are famous lemons. The problem is less the parts—though everything outside of (oddly) the crankset is sketchy as far as I know—than the construction. Any cheap frame with cheap wheels can be made to roll, but once you've paid someone to fix up the wheels, grease and align everything that needs to be greased and aligned, etc., you've sunk enough cash that you may as well have picked up a better bike to begin with. That is also a ridiculously heavy bike unless I'm mixing it up with a similar previous offering.

Without knowing your money situation, I'll say that $600-ish will get you an off-the-peg fixed/single speed that will last years without needing serious attention, and if you get it from a reputable shop that will come with free maintenance for a year as well as good advice on what kind of bike will fit you and work for you. I don't know if they're selling them now, but Tati in Hyde Park has sold highly customizable fixed/SS bikes in that price range, and that might be a place to start looking. You can do very well picking up a used bike, but you can also do badly, and in all I think getting a new one is the best dollar for dollar way to go for someone who's still figuring out what's what about bikes.

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Permalink Reply by J on November 16, 2010 at 10:22am

I've only worked on three of these in person, but each had serious problems with the assembly, which had in turn led to greater damage when ridden (headset, bb, rear hub/fixed cog). The truth is that most of the components on these are perfectly acceptable for the price.

But if you are on a <$400 budget, I would absolutely buy used or refurbished from a trusted friend or a place like West Town or Blackstone Bicycles. You'll save a ton of money and have something truly one of a kind.

If you're in the $5-800 range, then as Doom said, there are plenty of really good options. That said, I am not that plugged into the fixie scene any more. Does Chicago have a shop like Mission in SF or Superbe in Boston that a high volume of (quality) affordable custom builds?

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Permalink Reply by ad on November 16, 2010 at 10:38am

I would suggest people avoid the Republic/Urban Outfitters bikes like the plague. As Dr Doom noted, the crank is okay. That's about it, though. The frame itself is made out of a very heavy and low quality steel (hi-tensile), and from what I've read/heard online it isn't even manufactured very well. The components (stem, bottom bracket, wheels) have also been panned pretty heavily on other review sites around the web. If someone is going to go the cheapish and online route, I would say at least go for something from bikes direct: www.bikesdirect.com.

The bikes direct entry-level Mercier Kilo and Motobecane Messenger brand bikes are still around the same price as a Republic, but the frame (both the Mercier and Motobecane use 4130, which is a better/lighter steel than Republic's hi-ten steel frame) and most of the components will definitely be better (though they still won't be great and likely might need adjustments that an unexperienced person will not be able to handle). People seem to at least be able to keep rolling for a while on mercier kilos, while slowly upgrading parts as they wear out or the rider learns more and replaces them. That's part of the reason you see so many merciers on the streets. I wouldn't be surprised if a republic bike had serious component failures within the first month.

Better yet, go check out a solid shop like Roscoe Village Bikes. $500 to $600 spent there or at a similar local bike store could really save you money over the long haul given the fact that a Republic WILL need to have parts replaced/adjusted almost immediately, as Dr Doom notes quite-correctly above.

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Permalink Reply by Robot Gabe on November 16, 2010 at 10:54am

This is great! Thank you. I knew that those bikes were crap but its good to hear WHY they are crap. This will help me to make my decisions when I build or purchase a new bike. Or at least help me understand why an $800 bike is the price it is.

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Permalink Reply by Dr. Doom on November 16, 2010 at 11:23am

One thing about bikes is that the differences at the lower end of the market are larger than elsewhere, so that the difference between a $400 bike and an $800 bike is generally bigger than the difference between an $800 bike and a $1200 bike. You really can clean up on Craigslist, especially if you have a buddy who really knows bikes and can go along with you when you check out a bike to make sure it fits and is in good repair. If you're patient can get a ridiculously nice vintage steel ride for $300-$500 that will be well worth whatever upgrades you eventually decide to make to it in the way of a saddle, wheels and so on. Alternately, if you get something like a Surly Steamroller at list price from a good shop it's highly unlikely you'll regret the purchase. Just make sure to figure out what you want before you drop money on a bike—it's a real pain to spend a decent chunk on a fancy new bike only to find out a few months later that it won't take the fenders you want to put on it, for example.

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