JordanD

I commute about 6 miles each way to work. I have been making my commute thus far on a vintage Panasonic touring bike that I love very dearly, but I am just being far too rough on. I am looking to step up my daily exercise by going to a fairly cheap fixed gear/single speed commuter. I am down to considering the GT Gutterball, Redline 925, and Schwinn Madison.

It will be used as a daily commuter that I ride hard, and take some pretty rough holes. I need strong everything, but don't really need high performance or lightweight. Any of these three bikes will get a set of bullhorns or drops once I get the bike. I don't care much about fenders (I change clothes at work), but I do need to carry panniers. I will use whatever sort of rack setup I need to to use the bike for my commute.

jhhall

A guy I ride with regularly has the Madison. He really likes it and has no regrets. And for the price it's a great deal.

2su

I've tested all of the bikes before when I was doing the same thing about 2 years ago - I didn't ride any of them hard.
Of the three, I liked the madison the best... but that back triangle of the gutterball is cool.

If you're leaning towards the geometry of the redline, KHS Uno & Sol have similar set-up and feel at a lower price-point.

Also... give Jamis Sputnik & Beatnik test rides. I ended up getting the sputnik (probably higher price than you're willing to pay) but the Beatnik is right in your price range.

Torrilin

You will in fact see Madisons on the streets of Madison. My big issue with it is there's really only clearance for about a 25mm tire, and we have WINTER here. Austin doesn't have winter, so for you that doesn't matter. The Redline 925 was my partner's top pick for his new bike. Problem is it was sold out in his size, and more weren't due in any time soon. (if you need a 56cm and want one now, you're likely to run into similar problems) The GT didn't hit the radar since it doesn't have drops or bullhorns. My partner is a very long torso guy, and the extra reach that drops give him is a big deal.

He ended up with a Bianchi San Jose. It's not perfect, but it's so much better suited to how he rides that he adores it.

baldsue

I have a Madison and it is my favorite bike out of all five bikes I own.

I'm not sure how a rack would fit on it, though, as the chain stays are short. You'd have to get a special seatpost clamp or use p-clamps to attach the rack to the seat stays.

JordanD

Rack is pretty essential for me, and I often have up to 25lbs on it... is there a possible workaround for the Madison or should I be looking for something else?

JordanD

For that matter, would a Kilo be a better buy? I was a little leery about BD bikes because I can eat up wheelsets pretty fast.

cooleric1234

I had a Redline 925 for a while and really enjoyed it. For me I liked that the gearing was a little bit lower, good for a hilly commute. I also liked the clearance for 28 mm tires, and I found that I really liked the bullhorn bars. You can still get aero by putting your hands and the end and bending the elbows, but it was great to have that straight, flat section out front for leverage when climbing. It has eyelets for a rack as well, I don't see that on either of the other two options (although P-clamps can remedy that).

JordanD

Thanks Eric, I have been leaning toward the 925, it seems to me to be the best laid out for the type of commuting I do, and it also seems to have a longer chainstay like my current touring bike. I keep thinking that's the one, then I hear a lot of people casting aspersions on the 925's low end components and "slack geometry". The truth is that I'm looking for a fixed gear experience reasonably like my current touring bike experience, so I think the geometry fits. As to the components, I don't really know what to make of that. Weight and precision aren't really key things for me, just durability.

Did you find the wheels reasonably strong?

Curious LeTour

JordanD, I think the 925 is a dependable bike. I realize that the fix gear riders don't like the slack geometry, but it does have a longer wheel base, which is nice, in my opinion. As for the components, the parts on my 925 have held up so far. I've been owning it for about a year. I haven't cummuted with it much, but I have ridden it around Austin quite a bit. I ride it from south Austin near 71, to downtown Austin, and back. I let one of my roommates use it for about 6 months. He commuted to school, and to the grocery store with it. He rode it 5 days a week, at the least. It has held up very well.

I'd like to upgrade to longer cranks, and possibly put riser bars on it. I may even put 32mm tires and a larger freewheel on the rear to gear it down just a little more. I really like the rims and the brakes on the bike.

I've considered selling mines and purchasing an IRO Phoenix. Here's a link. https://www.irocycle.com/phoenixsingl...dwheelset.aspx

JordanD

Thanks Curious, that is really helpful, if you do decide to sell it, drop me a line. I love bullhorns or drops with comfortable hoods.

The IRO looks great, thanks for the link!

High Roller

I've been riding a 925 in fixed gear mode on my daily commute for about a year now. No complaints. Stock wheels and drivetrain have held up nicely. I selected it as my winter/wet weather commuter because it was moderately priced and came equipped with full coverage fenders. Only modifications were Specialized Armadillo 28C tires and drop bars. Not quite as responsive as my Surly Steamroller, but quite adequate for my transportation needs.

Curious LeTour

I just came across one other lower priced single speed commuter that may be worth looking into.

It's called "Gritty" by Trek.

It's under the categories on the Trek website: "Urban-> Fisher Commuters-> Gritty" MSRP 419.99

cooleric1234

Sorry, I know it's been a while. I found the wheels to be strong, but I didn't have the bike too long. I wish I still had it, I sold it to buy a mountain bike and found out I didn't like mountain biking. Anyway, it kind of makes me laugh to talk about components on a single speed fixed gear. It's not like shifters, derailleurs, etc. that you have to worry about. I thought the 925 was a great bike.

JordanD

I bought the 925, and did the majority of the build myself. Today was the first commute on it and I love it! It looks great and feels great. I was worried that the freewheel side would be too low to be practical, but I can still hit a decent speed without my legs flailing everywhere. Once I get used to having toe clips I will switch over to the FG side. I'm still getting the bar and seat heights and angles sorted, but they started out pretty close, so it'll just be a little more experimentation.

cooleric1234

Good choice. I should say one thing I did was throw away those pedals ASAP. Maybe others like them, but I thought they were horrible, but that's probably because I just didn't like the toe clips. The bike is much nicer once you put some clipless pedals on.